RETROSPECTIVE – Kerrang! August 25, 1990

Along with Metal Hammer and Metal Forces, Kerrang! was one of the best resources for metal fans during the late 1980s. 1990 caught the scene in something of a transition, with the hair metal bands that had dominated the previous decade still enjoying relative commercial success, whilst the alternative groups that would usher in the subsequent grunge explosion would begin to gain momentum. Issue 304, dated August 25, 1990, would come exactly one week after the Monsters of Rock festival, which would prove to be one of the event’s most successful years. Broadcast live via BBC Radio 1, the line-up would see veterans Whitesnake and Aerosmith topping the bill, with US glam rockers Poison finally making their UK debut, whilst the afternoon would be opened by rising British stars Thunder and The Quireboys. Thus, the front cover to this issue, which would boast the ‘First full colour report,’ would focus on the festival, with an insert shot of Whitesnake‘s David Coverdale and Steve Vai over an image of metal fans recovering from the night before.

In 1990, founder Geoff Barton was still the managing editor of Kerrang!, having formed the magazine almost a decade earlier after a stint with Sounds. Elsewhere, Mick Wall (who was famously slated during Axl Rose’s rant in the 1991 Guns N’ Roses track Get in the Ring) was one of several contributing writers. The first section of the magazine was entitled Mayhem, which focused on the latest metal news, in this case the headline being the lawsuit against Judas Priest for influencing two teenage fans to commit suicide: “Judge Jerry Whitehead will deliver his verdict later on the parents of James Vance and Raymond Belknap’s claim for $6.2 million damages following the teenagers’ 1985 suicide pact… It’s alleged that the boys entered into the pact after listening to subliminal messages contained on Priest‘s 1978 Stained Class album… The principal expert witness for the families, Dr. Wilson Key, author of the bestselling book, Subliminal Seduction, appears to find sinister messages hidden in many unlikely places… Key claimed that the word ‘sex’ was hidden on Ritz crackers, in Rembrandt paintings, the Cistine (sic) Chapel in Rome and also on Abraham Lincoln’s beard on five dollar bills.”

Elsewhere in the news section, the long-forgotten Tattooed Love Boys commence work on the recording of their latest album No Time for Nursery Rhymes, the reformed Mama’s Boys plan a UK tour for September, The Dogs D’Amour announce the release date for their acoustic single Empty World (from the upcoming album Straight) and Dokken frontman Don Dokken prepares to release his debut solo album Up from the Ashes the same week as the issue was published. In the Kommunikation (letter’s page) section one fan declared: “I nearly collapsed with shock when I realised that the Big K! had recently featured two Christian metal bands within a few months of each other… I refer, of course, to Stryper and Barren Cross. Although Satanic bands are sometimes featured in K!, very few Christian acts are ever mentioned, in spite of their being a large variety of rockin’ bands which could be covered.”

For those who resisted the charms of glam metal, Issue 304 also included several groups that would enjoy considerable acclaim during the 1990s and, over the last few years, have once again reformed to modest success. Ritual de lo Habitual had been released just four days when Kerrang! devoted two pages to Jane’s Addiction. Flamboyant frontman Perry Farrell joked in the article: “You know, my father called me up for the first time in my whole life; he actually liked a song on the new record – Of Course – because it reminded him of Fiddler on the Roof… Ha-ha! I felt like, whoa, man, maybe I’m taking a step in the wrong direction!” Faith No More‘s Mike Patton, who had made his debut with the group the previous year on their third record The Real Thing, said; “We don’t see ourselves prancing all over MTV – the truth of the matter is that we’re still playing 200 seaters in the US. Europe is a bit better – we get to play festivals there – but then again, I shouldn’t even say Europe. It’s just England and that’s got a lot to do with the amount of attention we’ve paid them… I think we’re just perceived as a pop band there, a disco, dance-mix sensation – like Kylie Minogue or Bros.”

Anthrax made several appearances throughout the magazine, with their latest album, Persistence of Time, receiving four Ks (for Krikey!) in the reviews section. Guitarist and founder Scott Ian commented that: “The press weren’t interested in listening to the record, they were too busy looking at the photos. Even our fans were more interested in what we looked like and what was painted on Danny’s guitars. But we don’t give a shit about those things!” Other albums up for review were Ritual de lo Habitual, Obituary‘s Cause of Death, Nelson‘s After the Rain (which, astonishingly, was awarded 5 Ks) and Hard to Believe: A Kiss Covers Compilation, which included a pre-Nevermind Nirvana performing a rendition of Do You Love Me?. The centre-page pull-out posters for this issue were Tommy Thayer and Tesera Straley from Harlow, Sarcred Reich, Sweet FA and funk metallers Living Colour (whose most successful album, Time’s Up, was released on August 20). Long-forgotten bands to appear in the Metal Gig Guide were Cheap and Nasty (featuring former Hanoi Rocks guitarist Nasty Suicide), Band of Gypsies and Dan Reed Network.

The highlight of the magazine though was the seven-page coverage of Monsters of Rock at Donington, capturing all three groups live on stage, whilst also providing an overview of the event: “No mud, no mega bottling, on-the-case security and, natch, that brilliant weather all came together to make Donington 1990 one of the most enjoyable festivals in ages. Even the first band on Thunder – usually the mob to catch the cans – had an easy ride, a sea of hands rising up in delight, rather than in preparation for missile launching.” This was the first Monsters of Rock since two fans were crushed to death during the Guns N’ Roses set in 1988, prompting the organisers to place the event on hiatus the following year, yet the atmosphere at the event (which was also captured by MTV, who aired the highlights soon afterwards) was electric.

Neil Jeffries comments on Whitesnake‘s set, however, showed that not everyone present that day enjoyed the entire show: “After about an hour, I had looked at my watch and they’d been on 20 minutes. Sighing, I turned my back and closed my eyes. At once, I could convince myself I was at Reading in ’79 and Coverdale was singing with real emotion. The songs were pretty dumb, but everything was more fun. Opening my eyes, I reflected; a decade is a long time to spend reinventing yourself, only to end up with an inferior version of the original.” Following on from the weekly dose of Pandora Peroxide (a comic strip by Ray Zell) and Brick Outhouse, the Metal Chartz revealed that Vixen‘s Rev it Up had topped the album charts (closely followed by Poison‘s Flesh and Blood), whilst Jon Bon Jovi’s Young Guns II anthem Blaze of Glory took the number one spot for the singles.

To view selected pages from Kerrang! Issue 304 click on the images below…

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