Year : 2020
Style : Heavy Metal
Country : United States
Audio : 320 kbps + scans
Size : 157 mb
Bio:
Steeler was an early 1980s American heavy metal band best known for featuring Swedish guitar virtuoso Yngwie Malmsteen upon his arrival in the United States.The band was founded in 1981 in Nashville, Tennessee by vocalist Ron Keel and released a sole album on Shrapnel Records in 1983 before morphing into Keel.The original Steeler line-up comprised Ron Keel on vocals and rhythm guitar, Michael Dunigan on lead guitar, Bobby Eva on drums, and Tim Morrison on bass which soon moved from Nashville to Los Angeles, CA.In 1982, they released the "Cold Day in Hell" b/w "Take Her Down" 7" single and contributed "Cold Day In Hell" to the first edition of the legendary Metal Massacre compilation which also featured Metallica, Ratt, and Malice.Eva left the band after a short while and was replaced by drummer Mark Edwards. Morrison and Dunigan would soon exit as well and were replaced by bassist Rik Fox, an original member of W.A.S.P., who was recruited after he had placed an ad in Music Connection magazine's classifieds,[2] and 19-year-old Swedish guitar virtuoso Yngwie Malmsteen, who arrived in February 1983, thanks to the efforts of Mike Varney and Edwards to secure a work visa. The classic Steeler line-up was now complete but musical differences quickly arose between Malmsteen and the rest of the band. According to Fox, "At first, it wasn’t working because Yngwie saw fit to insult Ron to his face by requesting to make the songs a little less simple and a little more complex to come up to his playing standards. We couldn’t believe what we were hearing from this “new” guy! We kept auditioning other guitarists right in front of him because we all lived together in a piss-poor environment of several gutted-out, roach-infested storefronts, laughingly dubbed 'The Steeler Mansion'. Eventually, Yngwie came around and said, "Okay, I’ll play the game your way."Signed to Mike Varney's Shrapnel Records label, the band proceeded to record their eponymous debut album at Prairie Sun Studios in Cotati, CA, north of San Francisco.Metal Forces magazine editor, Bernard Doe, summed up the results in less than glowing terms while praising Malmsteen's incendiary guitar playing. "Not a classic album by any means. In fact, if it wasn’t for Yngwie’s talents then this would be just plain average. But, buy this album as it will surely become a collector’s item in the years to come when Malmsteen is recognised as one of the world’s greatest all-time heavy metal guitarists."The album would go on to become one of Shrapnel's best selling records, in large part due to Malmsteen's participation, who left soon after the record's completion and joined Graham Bonnett to form Alcatrazz. Malmsteen's stint with Steeler only lasted about 4 months and 9 shows, including memorable opening slots for Hughes/Thrall at the Country Club, Vandenberg at the Roxy, and Quiet Riot at Perkins Palace.Future Talas, Heaven, and McAuley Schenker Group guitarist Mitch Perry, aka Mitch Brownstein (ex-The Kydz, Dutch Courage), was brought in as his replacement. Fox was given his walking papers and replaced by Ron Murray, previously with Ozz, Burning Rome and Dutch Courage, a band that also featured drummer Randy Castillo and Joe Perry Project vocalist Ralph Morman.The final line-up of Steeler saw the departure of Perry, Murray and Edwards who were replaced by Kurt James on lead guitar, Greg Chaisson, formerly of Surgical Steel, on bass, and Bobby Marks on drums. However, after the loss of Malmsteen in the summer of 1983, and due to the constant change in band members, Steeler lost their momentum and never signed with a major record label. Ron Keel decided to split up the band and start fresh under his own name, releasing a total of 5 albums by the end of the 1980s.In 2005 a compilation album with songs from the single, album, live show bootlegs and unreleased tracks was released by UK label Majestic Rock as Metal Generation: The Steeler Anthology.The compilation was issued the following year as American Metal: The Steeler Anthology by Deadline in the U.S..
Album:
FnA Records adds to their classic catalog with the release of “STEELER: Come Hell Or Hollywood 1981-82” a collection of remastered rare recordings from the first years of the band fronted by Ron Keel.Most of these pre-Yngwie tracks have never been made public, and the album features a “lost” version of the Steeler anthem “Cold Day In Hell” as well as unheard versions of the Rolling Stones’ “Let’s Spend The Night Together” (the only cover song Steeler ever played) and fan favorite “Backseat Driver.”While the release is the brainchild of original Steeler guitarist Michael Dunigan, Ron Keel and the FnA Records staff worked closely together on this project to present these recordings in their proper context. “It’s like walking the streets of a heavy metal ghost town,” Ron Keel explains.“There’s historical value here, and this magical moment in time needs to be properly preserved and shared. There are those that lived the Hollywood heyday with us, and those this missed it – this album is dedicated to all of them.“Many of these tracks are medium rare, and others are absolutely raw – but thanks to FnA, the project is well done. We were helping give birth to a cultural revolution, and childbirth is ugly, messy and painful; it’s also one of the most beautiful things you’ll ever experience. I was just learning how to sing and write songs in 1981-82.”This a very special time capsule of the boiling early ’80s US rock scene, showcasing a young, talented band hungry for success.
Line Up:
Ron Keel – vocals, guitars - See also: Keel, Ron Keel Band, ex-Saber Tiger, ex-Black Sabbath, ex-Lust, ex-Iron Horse, ex-Ron Keel's Fair Game, ex-Ronnie Lee Keel
Michael Dunigan – guitar
Tim Morrison. Rik Fox – bass
Bobby Marks, Mark Edwards – drums - See also: ex-Keel, ex-London, ex-Dokken (live)
Tracklist:
01. Cold Day In Hell (45 Single)
02. Take Her Down (45 Single)
03. Backseat Driver
04. Born To Rock
05. Beyond Your Dreams
06. Love Machine
07. Ready To Explode
08. Killing Time
09. Make Up Your Mind
10. Down To The Wire
11. Out To Get You
12. Hot On Your Heels
13. On The Rox
14. American Metal
15. Let’s Spend The Night Together
16. Cold Day In Hell (Lost Version)
Download links for all albums only on our blog here: http://goodmetalandhar.do.am/
