Take a stroll down reminiscence lane with the next picture gallery of 20 rock and metallic stars in 1986 vs. now.
The ’80s have been a interval of radical change in laborious rock and metallic, and 1986 was no exception. As the last decade entered its second half, younger and hungry artists staked their declare for greatness whereas the style’s elder statesmen labored laborious to defend their throne.
READ MORE: 10 Greatest Steel Albums of 1986
1986: Glam Steel Dominated the Roost and Thrash Steel Bubbled Up From the Bay
In a single nook, you had glam metallic (also called pop-metal or, retroactively and extra derisively, “hair metallic”) dominating the airwaves and packing arenas. Bands similar to Motley Crue, Bon Jovi and Poison bought hundreds of thousands of data off the energy of good-time, riff-heavy laborious rock anthems and heart-on-sleeve energy ballads. Critics did not all the time find it irresistible, however followers devoured it, making glam metallic one of many defining subgenres of the ’80s.
Those that craved one thing heavier may satiate themselves with the nascent thrash metallic motion, which started within the San Francisco Bay Space and unfold like wildfire throughout the nation — and finally the world. The thrash revolution started in earnest with Metallica’s 1983 debut album Kill ‘Em All and by 1986 the scene had spawned landmark releases from Slayer, Megadeth and Anthrax. Metallica would launch their genre-defining Grasp of Puppets and lose bassist Cliff Burton in a bus accident, however even this tragedy could not cease their upward trajectory.
Here is Why You Will not See Sure Stars in Our Gallery
Our 1986-to-now gallery consists of musicians who’re nonetheless with us immediately.
Meaning you will not see images of Ozzy Osbourne, who died in 2025, or Eddie Van Halen, who died in 2020. (You’ll, nevertheless, see their respective bandmates similar to Tony Iommi, David Lee Roth and Sammy Hagar.) Among the bands on this checklist have gone by means of quite a few lineup modifications over the previous 40 years and we have made positive to notice which members seem in every picture.
With that in thoughts, hold scrolling to see our picture gallery of 20 rock and metallic stars in 1986 vs. now.
Photographs – 20 Rock and Steel Stars in 1986 Vs. Now
See how a number of the style’s largest names have advanced.
Gallery Credit score: Bryan Rolli
