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1 week ago | 
musiciansterritory.com | Bryan Rolli |Sydney Taylor
Our list of nine great '80s hard rock bands that weren't hair metal is a reminder that the decade had plenty of movers and shakers outside of the glammed-up Sunset Strip scene. As bands such as Motley Crue, Bon Jovi and Poison were moving albums by the truckload and blazing a new trail with their pop-savvy spin on "heavy metal," tons of other acts ran parallel to them on every rung of the fame ladder.
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1 week ago | 
klaq.com | Bryan Rolli |Sydney Taylor
Our list of nine great '80s hard rock bands that weren't hair metal is a reminder that the decade had plenty of movers and shakers outside of the glammed-up Sunset Strip scene. As bands such as Motley Crue, Bon Jovi and Poison were moving albums by the truckload and blazing a new trail with their pop-savvy spin on "heavy metal," tons of other acts ran parallel to them on every rung of the fame ladder.
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1 month ago | 
noisecreep.com | Sydney Taylor |Lauryn Schaffner
Here are five records that helped define the '90s Riot Grrrl movement. In the early 1990s, a new kind of punk was brewing; it was raw, political, loud, and unapologetically feminist. The Riot Grrrl movement was far from being just about the music. Instead, it was more like a full-blown cultural uprising. Fueled by zines, DIY shows, and a middle finger raised high in the air to the mainstream, it gave young women a place to scream back at the world that tried so hard to silence them.
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1 month ago | 
klaq.com | Sydney Taylor |Lauryn Schaffner
Here are five records that helped define the '90s Riot Grrrl movement. In the early 1990s, a new kind of punk was brewing; it was raw, political, loud, and unapologetically feminist. The Riot Grrrl movement was far from being just about the music. Instead, it was more like a full-blown cultural uprising. Fueled by zines, DIY shows, and a middle finger raised high in the air to the mainstream, it gave young women a place to scream back at the world that tried so hard to silence them.
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1 month ago | 
noisecreep.com | Sydney Taylor |Bryan Rolli
Here's five hair metal bands who haven't reunited in 20-plus years... but should!Let’s face it — no genre took the phrase “sex, drugs, and rock ‘n’ roll” more seriously (or sprayed more Aqua Net) than ‘80s heavy metal in its prime. Back in the day, bands such as Poison and Ratt ruled the MTV airwaves, packed arenas worldwide and made excess and debauchery nothing short of an art form. It was all about the big riffs, even bigger hair, and the biggest personalities that hard rock had ever seen.
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1 month ago | 
klaq.com | Sydney Taylor |Bryan Rolli
Here's five hair metal bands who haven't reunited in 20-plus years... but should!Let’s face it — no genre took the phrase “sex, drugs, and rock ‘n’ roll” more seriously (or sprayed more Aqua Net) than ‘80s heavy metal in its prime. Back in the day, bands such as Poison and Ratt ruled the MTV airwaves, packed arenas worldwide and made excess and debauchery nothing short of an art form. It was all about the big riffs, even bigger hair, and the biggest personalities that hard rock had ever seen.
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1 month ago | 
1063thebuzz.com | Sydney Taylor |Bryan Rolli
Let’s talk about one of the most criminally underrated acts of the late ‘80s and early ‘90s: Saraya. I’m sure a few of you reading this list are wondering who the hell I’m talking about and I am here to educate you on one of the bands of this era that really should’ve been huge. Fronted by the insanely talented Sandi Saraya, this band stood out not just because they had a woman leading the charge (which was rare in the male-dominated hair scene), but because they had the chops to back it up.
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Mar 26, 2025 | 
noisecreep.com | Bryan Rolli |Sydney Taylor
Our list of the five best hair metal bassist is a testament to the notion that more doesn't always equal better (but sometimes it does). Hair metal — or pop-metal, or glam metal, or just plain old hard rock, whatever you want to call it — was a genre built on flashy riffs and speed-of-light guitar solos. With all the six-string mayhem taking place, there wasn't always a ton of extra room for showy rhythmic work. That's where the "less is more" approach comes into play for hair metal bassists.
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Feb 27, 2025 | 
loudwire.com | Bryan Rolli |Sydney Taylor
Emma McIntyre, Getty Images / Duane Prokop, Stringer/Getty Images / Paul Natkin, Archive Photos/Getty ImagesSHARETWEETHere's eight hair metal bands that deserve to be in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The Rock Hall is no stranger to criticism, and one of the most common complaints about the institution is its woeful lack of metal representation.
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Jan 23, 2025 | 
loudwire.com | Sydney Taylor |Chad Childers
Koh Hasebe/Shinko Music, Getty Images / Jeffrey Mayer, WireImage/Getty Images / CanvaSHARETWEETBefore we can dive into bands who are wrongly labeled hair metal, we must ask ourselves: what exactly defines hair metal? Is it the teased hair? The extravagant stage garb and makeup? Songs about partying on the Sunset Strip until the sun comes up? The ability to craft a memorable power ballad? (I know, I know… we’re all thinking of Motley Crue at this point).
