A.O.M. Adult Oriented Metal

With their first two albums Van Halen set the tone for Hard Rock and Metal in the 80s. This lead to a wave of flamboyant singers and technically proficient guitarists which rapidly polarized into Glam Metal and Shred.

Many more serious fans were embarrassed by both these genres which both rapidly becoming parodies of themselves. A new generation of artists noticed this and sought to put it right. Glam was cool if it wasn’t OTT and Shred fine if it was tastefully and sparingly deployed. But great songs were the key.

Enter Adult Oriented Metal (A.O.M.).

Anthemic , effortless, emotive, soaring, powerful, MOR-oriented, pop-metal. With chart bothering power ballads and EVH like solos. Lush and mighty in equal measure. Yes please.

The key artists for this oft overlooked (and indeed short lived) genre are Steelheart, Firehouse, White Lion, Damn Yankees, Slaughter and Winger.

Steelheart’s sound is rooted in anthemic rockers, with chant-along choruses, soaring power ballads, fat, compressed guitar riffs à la Led Zep and G ‘N’ R, all effortlessly delivered by a very well drilled band and emotively powerful.

Their definitive power ballad “Never Let You Go” was the last power ballad to nail a top spot on the US charts before the grunge and alternative rock invasions pulled the plug. But there’s a lot more on offer spread across their first two albums 1991’s Steelheart and 1992’s Tangled in Reins.

Firehouse arrived at the tail end of the pop-metal explosion of the late ’80s and early ’90s, releasing their first album in 1991. It’s melodic, commercial hard rock and had immediate chart success; their self-titled debut went platinum and featured two Top 20 singles, “Don’t Treat Me Bad” and “Love of a Lifetime.”

Again there’s plenty of huge riffs and sizzling solos littered across the debut and the follow up, 1992’s Hold Your Fire. However, the mainstream had begun embracing a noisier, grungier style of hard rock, and Firehouse’s popularity waned as the decade progressed. Shame.

White Lion showcased a softer, more AOR-oriented sound to the pop-metal of late ’80s, and were certainly one of the most talented, with singer Mike Tramp and guitarist Vito Bratta. Tramp’s pinup good looks and clear voice combined perfectly with Bratta’s Eddie Van Halen-esque six-string work.

White Lion inked a major-label recording contract with Atlantic, issuing Pride in 1987. The album took a while to catch on, but when MTV latched onto the quartet’s melodic rocker “Wait,” the floodgates opened for the band and Pride raced up the charts.

The gentle acoustic ballad “When the Children Cry,” would eventually push sales of Pride over the two million mark (in addition, Bratta was being recognised for his instrumental talents by racking up Best New Guitarist awards with several guitar-based magazines). Follow up LP Big Game spawned a pair of videos that racked up substantial MTV airplay including an awesome cover version of Golden Earring’s classic rock standard “Radar Love”.

But with hair metal’s audience quickly drying up Tramp and Bratta came to the realization that their best days were behind them and quietly laid White Lion to rest. Tramp went on to a successful solo career but despite all the accolades he received for his playing, Bratta failed to resurface after the group’s breakup. One of Rocks’ greatest losses.

For a brief time in the early ’90s, the supergroup Damn Yankees enjoyed a considerable amount of success on the arena rock circuit. Comprised of guitarist Ted Nugent, Styx’s Tommy Shaw, Night Ranger’s Jack Blades, Damn Yankees also arrived during the final moments of pop-metal’s heyday, and their music didn’t stray from that radio-friendly format.

The group’s self-titled debut album spawned several hits in 1990, including the Top Ten power ballad “High Enough” and the radio hit “Coming of Age.” Although they proved to be a popular concert draw the band’s follow-up effort Don’t Tread didn’t fare nearly as well. Mainly because it was shit. Probably the most disappointing 2nd LP in Rock.

Danger Danger mixed pop hooks and good looks with hard-edged guitar riffs, landing a deal with Epic in 1989. The same year saw the release of the group’s self-titled debut, spawning the single/video “Naughty Naughty,” which enjoyed a few airings on MTV’s Headbanger’s Ball program. The album failed to break the group through to the big time, but the group stuck to their guns and issued further albums but were again thwarted by the changing of the guard.

Former Vinnie Vincent Invasion members Mark Slaughter and bassist Dana Strum formed Slaughter in 1988, in a clear attempt to cross over to pop audiences. Their metal style’s main focus is on catchy melodies and Mark Slaughter’s impressive vocal range.

The debut Stick It to Ya (1990) soared to the top of the charts and sold millions of albums, with hook-laden tracks like “Up All Night,” “She Wants More” and “Burnin’ Bridges. But as hot as Slaughter was at the dawn of the ’90s, its success would prove to be short-lived when alternative rock became the rage a few years later.

A former member of Alice Cooper’s band, bassist Kip Winger formed his own group in 1986, featuring ace guitarist Reb Beach. Winger specialized in stylish pop-metal.

The band’s eponymous debut sold over a million copies on the strength of the rocker “Seventeen” and the ballad “Headed for a Heartbreak.” Winger’s second album, 1990’s In the Heart of the Young, was equally successful, selling over a million copies and featuring the hit power ballad “Miles Away.”

However, the band didn’t outlast the post-alternative pop-metal backlash and the group faded away after the release of their 1993 album.

Over the course of 5 brief years, A.O.M. shone brightly and breathed new life and credibility into Hard Rock and Metal (if only in America) and for a while it felt like it would last forever. And then some areshole invented Grunge.

We’ve made a playlist to celebrate and evangelize it. All hail A.O.M.

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/37oUcWug2OGyBtzb1FHbn2?si=407210fe82df4329