![]() After years of hard work, the bandmates headed west to Los Angeles, signed with MCA Records, and changed their name to Steelheart. Originally called Red Alert, the quartet (which included Matijevic, guitarist Chris Risola, bassist James Ward, and drummer Frank Dicostanzo) spent most of the '80s playing the tri-state area and honing their guitar-centric, crowd-pleasing energetic sound. A re-formed Steelheart with Matijevic as the only original member continues to record and tour into the 21st century. They scored another big hit in Asia with 1992's "Mama Don't You Cry." After a lengthy absence due to a life-threatening injury, to Matijevic required long-term recovery just as the music scene was waning. Interestingly, it is regarded as one of the last power ballads to nail a top spot on the charts before the grunge and alternative rock invasions pulled the pop culture plug on hair metal completely. Their self-titled 1991 debut album boasted the single "She's Gone," that hit number one on the international singles charts and remained there for a whopping 17 weeks. Their sound is rooted in anthemic rockers - often with chant-along choruses - soaring power ballads, fat, compressed guitar riffs à la Led Zeppelin and Guns N' Roses, and the lead vocals of Michael Matijevic, possessed of an effortlessly delivered, emotively powerful four-octave range. Norwalk, Connecticut's Steelheart is among the last surviving hair metal bands to emerge from the MTV era in the late 20th century.
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