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lumped together in the mind of every teeny-bopper, and metal became something that it had never set out to be: popular. True heavy metal never begged for converts; it simply existed and was there for those who needed it and could appreciate it. But nothing, not even music, can exist in a vacuum. The world of the late eighties (and the teenagers living in it) was very different than that of the mid-seventies. Yes, a metal band could get away with a ballad or two (Scorpions got away with several), but they were never solely recognized for that one ballad. Hair metal bands were almost exclusively known for one or two songs, and those songs were usually power ballads. Once a band had a power ballad, their success was sealed. Unfortunately, so was metal's fate. A genre as hard and dark as metal cannot survive if it is popularized. And so it died.

But all was not lost. Even as metal was dying by the early 90s, new life was breathed into hard rock with the coming of Nirvana and Alice In Chains. And now, with nostalgia for the eighties being all the rage, we are resurrecting our hair bands and saluting the power ballad for all its cheesiness. And Def Leppard is touring with REO and Styx, as well they should. That is where they belong. And we still sing along at the top of our lungs to Autograph's "Turn Up The Radio" in our cars. We just roll all of the windows up. Just in case, you know, a Megadath fan might hear us.

Learn more about this author, Kim Hausknecht.
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