genre warlock 
Ratt ( stylized as RATT ) is an American ___MASK6___ band that had significant commercial success in the 1980s , with their albums having been certified as gold , platinum , and multi - platinum by the RIAA . The group is perhaps best known for hit singles such as " Round and Round " and " Lay It Down ", tracks that ranked on Billboard ' s top 40 at No . 12 and No . 40 , respectively , as well as other songs such as " Wanted Man ", " You ' re in ___MASK33___ " and " ___MASK81___ ". Along with groups such as friendly rivals Mötley Crüe , Ratt has been recognized as ___MASK88___ in the formation of the early 1980s Los Angeles ___MASK87___ scene , also known as " hair metal " or " pop metal ". Los Angeles ( Spanish for " The Angels "), officially the City of Los Angeles and often known by its initials L . A ., is the second - most populous city in the United States ( after New York City ), the most populous city in California and the county seat of Los Angeles County . Situated in Southern California , Los Angeles is known for its mediterranean climate , ethnic diversity , sprawling metropolis , and as a major center of the American ___MASK70___ industry . Los Angeles lies in a large coastal basin surrounded on three sides by mountains reaching up to and over . Van Halen is an American hard ___MASK26___ band formed in Pasadena , California , in 1972 . From 1974 until 1985 , the band consisted of guitarist Eddie Van Halen , vocalist David Lee Roth , drummer Alex Van Halen , and bassist Michael Anthony . Great White is an American hard ___MASK26___ band , formed in Los Angeles in 1977 . The band gained popularity during the 1980s and early 1990s . The band released several albums in the late 1980s and gained airplay on MTV with music videos for songs like " Once Bitten , Twice Shy ". The band reached their peak popularity with the ___MASK78___ "... Twice Shy " in 1989 . Metallica is an American ___MASK6___ band formed in Los Angeles , California . The band was formed in 1981 when vocalist / guitarist ___MASK51___ Hetfield responded to an advertisement posted by drummer Lars Ulrich in a local newspaper . Metallica ' s current line - up comprises founding members Hetfield and Ulrich , longtime lead guitarist Kirk Hammett and bassist Robert Trujillo . Guitarist Dave Mustaine and bassists Ron McGovney , Cliff Burton and Jason Newsted are former members of the band . W . A . S . P . is an American ___MASK6___ band formed in 1982 by Blackie Lawless , who is the only remaining original member of the band . They emerged from the same Los Angeles scene that spawned Van Halen , Mötley Crüe , Dokken , Ratt , Quiet Riot , Guns N ' Roses , Great White , L . A . Guns , Leatherwolf and others . The band ' s popularity peaked in the 1980s , yet they continue to record and tour , making them one of the most enduring of the West Coast ___MASK6___ bands . W . A . S . P . gained notoriety for their ___MASK16___ themed image , lyrics and live performances . They have sold over 12 million copies of their albums . Warlock were a German ___MASK6___ band , assembled in 1982 with members of the underground bands Snakebite and Beast . The band gained popularity and some commercial success in Europe in the mid - 1980s , due also to the personality and stage presence of lead vocalist Doro Pesch . Warlock supported on tour successful metal bands , such as W . A . S . P . , Judas Priest , Dio and Megadeth . By the end of the decade , Doro Pesch was the sole original member who remained in the band and she was forced to change the name to Doro for legal reasons . Doro , the band , continues to play several songs taken from the Warlock repertoire in their live shows . The band has reunited for festival appearances and special occasions since 2003 , under the name Warlock 1986 . Slayer is an American ___MASK30___ band from Huntington Park , California , formed in 1981 by guitarist Kerry King and drummer Dave Lombardo . Slayer rose to fame with its 1986 release " Reign in Blood ", and is credited as one of the " big four " ___MASK30___ bands , along with Metallica , Megadeth , and Anthrax . Since its debut ___MASK78___ in 1983 , the band has released twelve studio albums , two live albums , a box set , six music videos , two extended plays and a cover ___MASK78___ . Four of the band ' s studio albums have received gold certification in the United States . The band has received five Grammy nominations , winning one in 2007 for the ___MASK65___ " Eyes of the Insane ", and one in 2008 for the ___MASK65___ " Final Six " ( both from 2006 ' s " Christ Illusion "). Slayer has also played at several music festivals worldwide , including Unholy Alliance , Download and Ozzfest . David Warren Ellefson ( born November 12 , 1964 ) is an American bassist and 2nd longest serving member of the American ___MASK30___ band Megadeth from 1983 to 2002 and again from 2010 . He has also been referred to as " Junior " to differentiate him from his bandmate Dave Mustaine , but does not go by this name professionally . Ellefson currently resides in Scottsdale , Arizona . In addition to playing bass guitar in Megadeth , Ellefson also has ___MASK52___ side projects which include Temple of Brutality , F5 , and Killing Machine . L . A . Guns are an American hard ___MASK26___ band from Los Angeles , California , formed in 1983 . As of 2014 , the lineup consists of Phil Lewis ( lead vocals , rhythm guitar ), Steve Riley ( drums , ___MASK80___ , backing vocals ), Kenny Kweens ( bass guitar , backing vocals ), and Michael Grant ( lead guitar , backing vocals ). The first incarnation of the group was formed by Tracii Guns in 1983 and merged with fellow Los Angeles group Hollywood Rose to form Guns N ' Roses in 1984 . In 1985 , the group was reformed by Guns and singer Paul Black adding Mick Cripps and Nickey Alexander . Black would soon be replaced by former Girl singer Phil Lewis while former Faster Pussycat bassist Kelly Nickels was added to the group . Later , Alexander would be replaced by former W . A . S . P . drummer Steve Riley with this being known as the " classic lineup " of L . A . Guns . They achieved moderate chart success in the late 1980s and early 1990s . However , the group went through numerous lineup changes ( with Riley being the most consistent member ) and failed to regain mainstream attention . MTV ( originally an initialism of ___MASK54___ Television ) is an American cable and satellite television channel owned by Viacom Media Networks ( a division of Viacom ) and headquartered in New York City . Launched on August 1 , 1981 , the channel originally aired ___MASK54___ videos as guided by television personalities known as " video jockeys " ( VJs ). In its early years , MTV ' s main target demographic was young adults , but today it is primarily towards teenagers , high school students and ___MASK93___ students . MTV has toned down its ___MASK77___ programming significantly in recent years , and its programming now consists mainly of original reality , comedy and ___MASK60___ programming and some off - network syndicated programs and films , with limited ___MASK77___ programming in off - peak time periods . It has received ___MASK74___ towards this change of focus , both by certain segments of its audience and musicians . MTV ' s influence on its audience , including issues involving censorship and social activism , has also been a subject of debate for several years . Megadeth is an American heavy ___MASK30___ band from Los Angeles , California . Guitarist Dave Mustaine and bassist David Ellefson formed the band in 1983 shortly after Mustaine ' s dismissal from Metallica . A pioneer of the American ___MASK30___ scene , the band is credited as one of the ___MASK32___ ' s " big four " with Anthrax , Metallica and Slayer , responsible for ___MASK30___ ' s development and popularization . Megadeth plays in a technical style , featuring fast rhythm sections and complex arrangements . Themes of death , ___MASK9___ , politics and ___MASK17___ are prominent in the group ' s lyrics . Birmingham is a major city and metropolitan borough of West Midlands , England . It is the largest and most populous British city outside London , with a population in 2014 of 1 , 101 , 360 . The city is in the West Midlands Built - up Area , the third most populous ___MASK58___ area in the United Kingdom , with a population of 2 , 440 , 986 at the 2011 census . Birmingham ' s metropolitan area is the second most populous in the UK with a population of 3 . 8 million . This also makes Birmingham the 9th most populous metropolitan area in Europe . Guns N ' Roses is an American hard ___MASK26___ band from Los Angeles formed in 1985 . The lineup , when first signed to Geffen Records in 1986 , consisted of vocalist Axl Rose , lead guitarist Slash , rhythm guitarist Izzy Stradlin , bassist Duff McKagan , and drummer Steven Adler . The current lineup consists of Rose , Slash , McKagan , keyboardists Dizzy Reed and Melissa Reese , guitarist Richard Fortus and drummer Frank Ferrer . The band has released six studio albums , accumulating sales of more than 100 million records worldwide , including shipments of 45 million in the United States , making Guns N ' Roses one of the world ' s best - selling bands of all time . California is the most populous state in the United States and the third most extensive by area . Located on the ___MASK57___ ( Pacific Ocean ) coast of the U . S ., California is bordered by the other U . S . states of Oregon , Nevada , and Arizona and shares an international border with the Mexican state of Baja California . The state capital is Sacramento . Los Angeles is California ' s most populous city , and the country ' s second largest after New York City . The state also has the nation ' s most populous county , Los Angeles County , and its largest county by area , San Bernardino County . Mötley Crüe was an American ___MASK87___ band formed in Los Angeles , California on January 17 , 1981 . The group was founded by bass guitarist Nikki Sixx and drummer Tommy Lee , lead singer Vince Neil and lead guitarist Mick Mars . Mötley Crüe has sold more than 100 million records worldwide including 25 million in the US , making them one of the world ' s best - selling bands of all time . Leatherwolf is an American ___MASK6___ band that formed in Huntington Beach , California in 1981 . They split up in 1991 , but reunited in 1999 . The group is also nicknamed the " Triple Axe Attack " for pioneering the use of a 3 - guitar line - up in ___MASK6___ . Currently comprising vocalist and guitarist Michael Olivieri , guitarists Rob Math and Joey Tafolla , bassist Patrick Guyton , and drummer Dean Roberts , the band has released five studio albums . Leatherwolf has gone through many line - up changes , leaving Roberts as the only constant member . Though the band continues to perform live , they have not released any studio material since their 2007 ___MASK78___ " New World Asylum ". ___MASK30___ is an extreme subgenre of ___MASK3___ characterized by its fast tempo and overall aggression . The songs usually use fast percussive beats and low - register guitar riffs , overlaid with shredding - style lead work . The lyrics often deal with social issues and reproach for The Establishment , using direct and denunciatory language , an approach borrowed from hardcore punk . Judas Priest are a British ___MASK6___ band formed in Birmingham , England , in 1969 . The band has sold close to 50 million albums to date . MTV ranked them the second greatest metal band of all time . Despite an innovative and pioneering body of work in the latter half of the 1970s , the band struggled with indifferently produced records , repeated changes of drummer and a lack of major commercial success or attention until 1980 , when they adopted a more simplified sound on the ___MASK78___ " British Steel ", which helped shoot them to rock superstar status . In 1989 , they were named as defendants in an unsuccessful lawsuit alleging that subliminal messages on the ___MASK65___ " Better By You , Better Than Me " had caused the suicide attempts of two young men . David Scott " Dave " Mustaine ( born September 13 , 1961 ) is an American musician , singer , songwriter , actor and author . He is best known as the co - founder , guitarist , and lead singer of the American ___MASK30___ band Megadeth , and the original lead guitarist of the American ___MASK30___ band Metallica . ___MASK16___ is an umbrella term for artists who combine ___MASK48___ or metal with highly theatrical live performances emphasizing shock value . Performances may include violent or provocative behavior from the artists , the use of attention - grabbing imagery such as costumes , masks , or face paint , or special effects such as pyrotechnics or fake blood . ___MASK16___ also often includes elements of ___MASK41___ . Blackie Lawless ( born Steven Edward Duren ; September 4 , 1956 ) is an American songwriter and musician best known as the lead singer and ___MASK28___ guitarist ( formerly bassist ) for the heavy metal band W . A . S . P . " Better by You , Better than Me " is a 1969 ___MASK65___ by the English rock band Spooky Tooth . The ___MASK65___ was covered in 1978 by heavy metal band Judas Priest . Quiet Riot is an American ___MASK6___ band , best known for their hit singles " Metal ___MASK56___ " and " Cum on Feel the Noize ." The band was founded in 1973 , by guitarist Randy Rhoads and bassist Kelly Garni under the name Mach 1 . They then changed the name to Little Women , before settling on Quiet Riot in May 1975 . The band ' s name was inspired by a conversation with Rick Parfitt of the British band Status Quo , in which Parfitt said he ' d like to name a band " Quite Right ," and his thick English accent made it sound like he was saying " Quiet Riot ." The band is ranked at No . 100 on VH1 ' s 100 Greatest Artists of Hard ___MASK26___ .