Vinnie Vincent Invasion was an American heavy metal/glam metal band formed in 1984 by former KISS guitarist Vinnie Vincent.Initially forming the band in the mid-80's, Vincent recruited bassist Dana Strum, who had also served as a talent scout of sorts in L.A., recruiting band members for the likes of Ozzy Osbourne and Kiss (in fact, he had been the one responsible for securing Vincent's place in Kiss in the first place). Bobby Rock came on board as the drummer. With this nucleus of the band intact, the search was on for a lead vocalist. Initially, they were very impressed with an audition tape they had received of a male singer, whose vocal style was very reminiscent of Led Zeppelin's Robert Plant. Unfortunately, however, this auditionee had neglected to leave a name or any form of identification on the tape. In the meantime, as the band attempted to track down this "mystery singer," they temporarily hired former Journey singer Robert Fleischman, who had also previously played with Vinnie Vincent in the band Warrior and would later sing on some Vinnie Vincent solo music, to provide vocals on VVI's self-titled debut album. This first record included material primarily in the style very au-courant glam metal bands of the era.
Leatherwolf is an American heavy metal band that formed in Huntington Beach, California in 1981. Currently comprising vocalist and guitarist Michael Olivieri, guitarists Carey Howe and Greg Erba, bassist Patrick Guyton and drummer Dean Roberts, the band has released five studio albums and is known for its "triple lead guitar attack" style.Formed in the early 80's, Leatherwolf emerged on the Southern California scene despite the band members' young ages. Sharing bills with fellow OC metal acts such as Metallica, Witch, and Slayer at venues like the Woodstock and Radio City, Leatherwolf quickly caught the attention of Enigma Records affiliated indie label Tropical Records who financed the band's eponymous 1984 5-song EP, produced by Randy Burns (who would go on to work with the likes of Megadeth, Helstar, and Kreator). Influenced by European heavy metal in general and Iron Maiden in particular, Leatherwolf's musical sophistication earned them high praise and led to the EP being extended to a full-length album and licensed in Europe. Germany's Steamhammer/SPV released the album in 1985, titled Leatherwolf, while Heavy Metal America, who had the rights for Great Britain, issued it as Endangered Species, so named after one of the songs on the album.
The band originally went under the name "Kingpin" while in Sweden, recording the album Welcome To Bop City; the line-up featured Zinny J. Zan (vocals), Tim Skold (going by "Tim Tim") (bass), Harry K. Cody (guitar) and Pekka "Stixx" Ollinen (drums). This would become the original line-up of Shotgun Messiah as the band changed their name and relocated to Hollywood, California. The album they released under the "Cools" name was re-recorded and released as Shotgun Messiah's self-titled debut album, Shotgun Messiah. The style of this album was glam metal typical of early 1980s American bands such as Mötley Crüe and Ratt.
Cinderella was formed in Philadelphia in 1983 by singer-songwriter, keyboardist, and guitarist Tom Keifer and bassist Eric Brittingham. The initial lineup also included guitarist Michael Smerick and drummer Tony Destra. In 1985, Smerick and Destra left to form Britny Fox, another Philadelphia-based glam metal band that later relocated to Los Angeles. Cinderella got their big break when Jon Bon Jovi saw them perform at the Empire Rock Club in Philadelphia and recommended that his A&R rep Derek Shulman who knew of the band, to see them as well.In 1985, with a recording contract with Mercury/Polygram Records in the works, guitarist Jeff LaBar and drummer Jim Drnec joined the band.
