Great in-depth vid and they truly should've been bigger, but bad luck seems to always haunt them. Yet, Mili is no quitter and I saw them live in Tokyo a few years ago. He sounded even better. Can't wait for their upcoming documentary. He'll remain one of my biggest vocal influences.
@@MetalHealthTV Mili's been talking about a documentary feauturing Steelheart and himself as he strives to keep the band alive and going. It's been in the making for years and I hope it'll come out soon. I think I might have heard it from his facebook, which he posts vids and streams live quite often.
@arubisudesu hey do u know ware I can find old interviews of steelheart? Not interviews now but back in the day, I know they have some on their steelheart TV website but u have to pay for them inorder to watch them and I don't want to have to do that if u know what what mean , even though I am only a 15 year old girl but I absolutely love these hair bands from back in the day
Steelheart still tours and Mili still has the singing chops. Coming out in 1990 when grunge entered the picture just year later didn't help. Had SH been able to get a record deal earlier they easily would've been a household name. Considering all that happened, Mili has a great outlook and optimism today.
Ya grunge killed the careers of a lot of bands Tyketto ,Giant,Winger to name a few they existed but their better stuff never made it to radio. I hate grunge! Might take a look at how many of those guys committed suicide.
Frank DiCostanzo and John Fowler(R.I.P) were in the Christian band name Rage Of Angels, both bands were friends. Check out the interview of the band's founder Danny Mariano on Area 312.
ROA were outstanding too. I still listen to both regularly. Funny thing, my friend bought me the ROA album in early 89 and it instantly became a favorite of mine and Steelheart also became one of my favorites since the first time I heard “Everybody Loves Eileen” on the radio. I didn’t have any clue that DiCostanzo and Fowler were in both until I was looking at the Steelheart album insert a few years later. That was a good interview on Area 312’s channel. Had no idea both bands knew each other. That explained what I had wondered about for years regarding how the two came to be in Steelheart. Sad though to think what ROA might have become if the two would have stayed with them, but then Steelheart wouldn’t have been quit the same either.
I often wondered that myself. He is an amazing vocalist! I've loved this band since the early 90s when I discovered them after a trip to NYC. I still follow them. They are so great.
I'd like to know when the singer changed his name from Mike To Miljenko. Anyway, Steelheart were a tight band, but the timing was off. And Mili having that accident on the 1992 tour opening for Slaughter certainly didn't help matters.
Miljenko (Mike) Matijevic lived in Greenwich, CT. and went to the music store where I took guitar lessons (around 1985-86). Never met him there. His guitarist Chris went to school with my brother-in-law's older brother. Anyway, Miljenko is the lead singer for my fantasy "Supergroup". He's joined by White Lion's Vito Bratta on guitar, Iron Maiden's Steve Harris on bass and Alex Van Halen on drums.
@joer203 wow that is so cool , infact mili follows me on pintrest and vito bratta of white lion is a excellent guitar player , white lion is also a hair band that should been bigger than they were , I am just only a 14 almost 15 year old girl but I love these hair bands from the 80s and early 90s ❤🩶🤍🦁♥️🤘🤟🎸🎵🩷💗💕💖
Tangled in Reins is one of the best heavy/hard rock albums of all times. Every song is very listenable. i want "Take Me Back Home" played as last song of my funeral.
Steelheart still is popular in Asia 🌏 They are a favorite in The Philippines 🇵🇭 and other Asian nations. Def Leppard. Joe Elliott still sounds great. Taking care of his voice and body are keys 🔑 to still reaching the high notes. 👍 Working with Mutt Lange is another factor.
Great video! I remember this band when I was in highschool. Also remember getting "Nevermind" on CD in '92. Still miss pop metal like it was when I was a kid. Never knew all this about Steelheart. I subbed today and look fwd to more content! Cheers!
You might think that bands that started in the 1980's in their teens/early 20's (19 - my brother lead singer; 20 - my brother is leader of the band, lead guitar, and sometimes lead singer or backup singer; 15 - my cousin (on drums) and backup singer (so well-known now he had his own drumstick line and creates new drums; 20 - close friend; now one of the top 30 guitarist of all times played in 4 well known bands but always recorded and played when my brothers called on him, he also sang backup; 25 - close friend playing bass and sang backup) who are now in their 60's have just recently finished their second album in a 2 year timeframe. And the wild thing is they sound better now; and believe me, they rocked when they were young, but the sound and harmonies in their band is so crazy. The only different person is the bassist, but still a great performer and backup singer. I know that most of this band is my family or close friends, but they still have it. My brother that is the lead singer hits notes close to Mili's at his best and he is 61! And that came after suffering pneumonia and him quitting smoking! It is like, how in the heck can he hit higher notes in his 60's that when he was 19?! Steelheart is a great band and Mili may have lost a little, but that man can still sing and perform! Don't ever count out the older guys; because I know my brothers; band can seriously rock! Mili's music might be softer, but he can still hit the high notes! Rock and Country music runs in our DNA and we have/had 4 bands to prove it in just our family! My 16-year old niece just made her first solo album with my brother managing it (her grandfather). So, yeah, you can say what you want, but some people are born to sing awesome their entire lifetimes!
I'd say their first two releases were excellent. I saw Steelheart open for Lynch Mob at a rock bar in the early 90's. What isn't hazy was how good of a singer Mili was (is) and how tight the band was. Two good guitar players. Also, Mili had gotten into a motorcycle accident a few days prior, but put on a great show with Mili and his broken leg sitting on a stool the whole show. They were really good. I wish they would have avoided that terrible accident on tour and gained the popularity that they deserved.
I seen them with lynch mob also… great show! I seen them at the Newport music hall in Columbus, Ohio. And then I seen them on the Reins tour.. got to meet them both times also.. cool guys!
@@davidcarter1157 , do you remember what year that was with Lynch Mob? That was an awesome show! Would have liked to see them on the Reins tour as that is an excellent disc! They seem like they would be cool. Surprised that the two guitar players didn't go on to other bands (although grunge probably got in the way).
Mili still sounds amazing! I would totally buy a reunion album if they could “get the old band back together” and make that music again! Tangled in Reins is my favorite album ever. If they made something even similar, I’d be all over it!!!
You are 100 % correct. Nirvana played for a case of beer at a bar across the street from the Starry Night (Portland Or) on New Years Eve and the next year they sold out the Coliseum (Portland).. Steelheart played the same Starry Night, now the Roseland Theater a couple years later.. Their timing was off.. I had a rock magazine at the time and saw A LOT Of bands and SteelHeart was one of the most talented.. Mike would do a cat fight with the lead guitarist and WOW. They did have a very serious following of those who did not move over to grunge. Once the accident happened that really set their fate.
They were killer. I always loved their sound ! They didn't make it big because they came onto the scene to late in the 80's ..90's grunge was about to take over.
I have Steelheart's first two albums, which I both enjoyed and I do think they could've been bigger had they been able to start making albums sooner. They had so many songs that got me pumped, and Miljekno Matijevic definitely deserved more recognition as a vocalist. Also, his last name is pronounced m' teea vitch. I heard him say it himself.
The competition back then was fierce. Underground metal flourished after Black Sabbath, I can barely remember all of the bands and some albums I own the cd outlasted the band. A couple songs still reside in my head one of which was Sticky Side Up, so despite not being in the big leagues they made a mark.
People say bands like Steelheart came out too late but we still needed rock bands like them into the 90's to keep the genre going but the music industry saw a brand new music genre in grunge to exploit and they pushed aside the glam metal/heavy metal/rock bands, I don't blame grunge as I've seen a radio DJ from that time talk about how all those genres including grunge were on the same playist at his radio station but kept getting calls from management to keep taking off the heavy metal songs to favour grunge music
I've always wondered this so it doesn't surprise me someone made a video about it. The key factor was their arrival date. 1990 was too late for a hair metal band to come along.. They don't call them 80's hair bands for nothing. I think their sound could have held up with the best of 'em had they hit the scene in, say, '85 or so. I never realized "Never let you go" only reached 23 on the charts. In the mid 80's, that would have went number 1 all day. It's too bad. Who knows how much great music we may have missed out on.
There are no bad songs on that debut album. I still listen to it regularly.
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Thanks for the story . We all age you will one day . He has the warmest voice ever with so much passion. Why not adapt to a softer range soft rock . I am ready to listen to that many others too I am sure . He writes marvels , he has so much to give , he never gave up in spite of serious near death mishaps. He got back on his feet everytime , he sings with such intensity . His songs are not just ballads. It is something else very elaborate. This is a man who never gave up . Have you seen many like that . Check him out you will be surprised . I discovered him lately. He is a giant.
They truly did not get the recognition that they deserved. But if I had to choose between them and Firehouse. I would choose Firehouse because of the song "Love of a Lifetime ". But the song that "I'll Never Let You Go". is a beautiful power ballad that can still stand the best of time.
Great video. I appreciate the amount of research, preparation, insight, and quality editing that you've done here. You've def got a sub from me. We need as many voices out here keeping rock alive. Cheers from Louisiana!
Nice work ! Just came across your channel, hope u'll do more vids like this. A few things about Steelheart: - I'd call them 80s Hard Rock rather than Glam(even tho their image was a bit glam just like any other band of that era) - They were pretty big in the early 90s but their popularity faded away soon However even when they debuted back in '90, their production style was derivative of Arena Rock of Whitesnake'87, so their style wasn't that original to begin with. (Despite having a very talented vocalist) - Grunge didn't come out of nowhere, there was already an alternative scene in the 80s, Janes Addiction crossed into the mainstream in '88, Stone Roses in '89 etc, Alternative was already getting bigger in the late 80s. These MTV docs always like to dramatise things, don't they ?😃 - Glam style lost its popularity in the early 90s ( due to oversaturation and changing tastes) However Hard Rock continued to be popular in the mainstream until about 1993. - Around '93, Hard Rock/Metal was pushed out of the mainstream by the Mainstream Music Industry (they started to focus on Rap, Dance, Techno etc which was cheaper to produce) A lot of Hard Rock/Metal bands lost their major label contracts (not just glam bands) - Steelheart had a 2nd chance in the early 2000s but Mike Matijevic had wasted that chance imho. He could have released new music under his name or as Steelheart but he chose to play nostalgia festivals here and there instead of creating new music and introducing Steelheart to a younger audience.
Milijenko Matijevic is in my top 5 singers of all time. I think the moment that ruined Steelheart’s career was the incident during Halloween in 1992. It didn’t help that the album was a complete flop compared to the debut. But his voice is legendary, and he’s super underrated.
The song “Steelheart” obviously did not get any radio play, but that song kicks some serious ASS!!! 💪🤘🙌 The guitar riff’s & solo’s are heavy! The vocals are just down & dirty AF! And soars higher than Mariah Carey! The lyric’s are in your face & gritty!!! Drums & base are fire on this song!!! It damn sure ain’t no pretty ballad!!!
Absolutely loved the first album, although I wasn’t thrilled with the mix… I was never really a big fan of the “hair band” era, even though many bands were placed there solely because of the years that they happen to play in. Vocals are second to none, but yea they came in at a bad time for all hard rock groups…
Definitely could have been rock and metal legends. But just came a few years too late, and that injury to Miljenko hindered the band, he never sounded the same after that.
I seen Steelheart in a Club/ Strip Club in Shreveport back in 1989. Great band and great vocals. Didn't know of the bad luck they had trying to make it big.
They’re pretty cool, the vocalist is fine, though personally prefer the growl of one Carl Thomas Keifer, how he shifts so seamlessly from the lower to the upper part of his range is amazing, the key is in the melody, there is a barely perceptible tempo change that occurs in the preceding seconds before he switches to his signature growl. Saying that I also dig the quasi-operatic tendencies of Messiah Macrolin , Bruce Dickinson and Mark Boals. That ‘they should’ve been bigger’ tag should also apply to a band like Lizzy Borden (again Greg Harges possess the quasi-operatic quality I previously mentioned) not only that, but the musicianship of his brother Joey, Gene, Tony (for the EP “Give ‘em the axe” and the first LP “Love you to pieces”) or Alex (for every subsequent release prior to his premature death in the fall of 2004) and Martin is solid too.
Definitely man! Carl Thomas Keifer was an incredible vocalist who I always thought stood apart from many of the other LA scene bands, due to his unique range and tone. I did like Lizzy Borden as a vocalist but always felt the band lacked the songwriting ability of many other bands at that time, they never really had a "hit" single.
@@MetalHealthTV Yo hate assume shit, but are you a QR fan by any chance? The line up for the album your name may be taken from and the one directly after as well as the cd released in 02/03 is my fave btw, followed by the first two records where we saw the beginning of the legendary playing chemistry of Randy Rhoads & Rudy Sarzo, the 86 and 88 albums do have their highlights but anything after Kevin Dubrow passed is pretty awful at least IMO.
@@dragonqueen6589 Yeah man definitely, i love the Metal Health & Conditional Critical albums. And you're right about the very first two albums, there were some special moments from Randy Rhodes, could always tell he was gonna be something. But yeah they quickly went downhill from the mid-90s onwards like so many others.
New mtv president in 92 said hes not playing any bands like motely crew again on mtv. What ever mtv played record companys followed.. mike slaughter mentioned this. Both grunge and hair bands could have co exsit but president mtv put a stop to hairband vids
So true. I'd say Mtv just played what the Record Companies wanted, not the other way around. Record Companies saw they could make more money easily by focusing on Rap, Dance and Techno.
Thanks for this I was just a fresh metalhead when his accident took place but I never know about the other misfortunate events Its all much clearer now
Hey it's nice you gave a spotlight to an overlooked "Glam" Band as a metal fan instead of trashing the genre. It's nice to see you have a open mind and even though I am a fan of Manowars music I never understood how they could trash other bands for their appearance It's completely ridiculous.
@@thefuneralparade Noob thing liking more than one thing? Just because i mainly get happyness from DSBM, that doesen't means that i can't like Alice Cooper, Nirvana, The Cure or even ABBA in the same time.
Stryper has been putting out some excellent albums as of late. I saw them live about 2 years ago, they sounded fantastic and Michael (even though it turned out he was very sick), sounded better than ever.
Yes Milijenko had a voice that rivaled or surpassed greats like Halford , Tate and Bach even many of the Big bands of the day that were awesome and popular didn't have a vocalist like Milijenko . The Band was awesome as well known for chest ratting drums and crazy guitar solos and the visuals to go along with it . The drummer who has since sadly passed on had the craziest drum kits and could make them sing as good as any of the best well known drummers like Neal pert . I have so much respect for Milijenko and still marvel at his performances, even today he can still belt out those notes with maybe just the very top clipped a .little and the ability to carry that note for insane lengths of time he no longer has but hey for a 60 year old man he has pretty much no rival except Halford from the hey day of Metal !
Great vocalist, no doubt. All I heard was the ballad, I wanted to hear them balls out rock, I never got that on MTV or the radio, so I never bought the CD. I just heard she's Gone, sounds great, great production. I'll give em a try. But, they should have done a better job promoting themselves back in 90. Firehouse did a better job promoting themselves. One more thing, Don Dokken and the 2 Lynch Mob CDs charted around 47 and 52, during the Grunge mess in the 90's, so no excuses, we loved our hard rock and metal and still do.
I'm 52 and if had the radio been playing them in the 80s they would have been HUGE! They didn't get play until 90-91. Just as we were hearing them the accident happened on Halloween 92. Then grunge.
You're not wrong there, mate. I've only just listened to Stryper's latest single (Rise to the Call), Michael Sweet actually can still hit those high notes haha!
I seen steelheart this past year and the lead singer although he doesn't do it as often as he did years ago he still belts out that high falsetto during the show and he still sounds amazing. I dont necessarily agree that its not worth seeing these 80s bands today granted theres several that just have lost it in their voice but bands like kix steve whiteman sounds great he hasn't lost it. Tom Keifer still sounds great and his solo albums are killer. Blackie lawless of wasp is still great has is halford and Sebastian bach is still belting out the songs as he did years ago although hes a bigger jackass today then he was even back then.
One of the few bands from the '80s era that continues to put out quality music and, imo, better than their classic era stuff is ... Europe. If anyone reading this hasn't checked out their four most recent LPs do yourself a favor and listen to them.
Yes, but John’s son also plays drums professionally and is quite good from what I hear. That would be interesting to have the original drummer’s son play in his place.
Imo even if steelheart was too late for the hairband era if Mili didn't have that serious accident he should have made it as soloist pop, country or pop rock band, he has incredible vocals and writing skills so he surely could have made it bigger if not bc of his very every long hiatus for recovery
They were easily better than 90% of the 80's Rock Bands!! Milo was easiest the best vocalist too. Bands like Tyketto & Saints & Sinners also fell to the same fate.
The band was ELITE. From musicianship to, of course, vocals. Hands down more talent and better songs than Bon Jovi, Motley and so many others who actually got the push. If Steelheart breaks in say...1986, they are a household name now. Just saw them this summer and posted some highlights on my channel. He STILL brings it, the notes are there just not the length of the notes (fucking Father Time) 😆
Steelheart was a pretty decent band an their singer Mike Majetivic is an exccellent singer. after having heard all of steelhearts albums i have to say the reason they weren't more popular was because most of their songs weren't that good. She's gone , I'll never let you go, everybody loves eileen, Mama don't you cry unfortunately were the only good songs! The rest of the songs just never quite brought it. The bands Tora Tora, Tangier, Stage dolls, Trixter, saigon kick, and Hurricane were the same way!
Steelheart didn't come out in the 80's, they came out late 91-92. After that the lead singer had a horrible accident on stage that he couldn't sing for a few years. Then Grunge started to come out, and the whole music scene changed. After the accident the singer did the music for the movie Rock Star. Then went on to perform solo, because just like the movie he walked out on the band because he felt the band didn't have the same love for music or him, so he walked away. That's why the band isn't as big? They came out too late in the music scene. If they would have came out in the 80'' music as you know it would have been way different. At least for metal.
I agree Miljenko has one of the greatest voices of all time. In my opinion the only one that can hold a candle to him is Steve Perry
I love steelheart and lead singer he is awesome always
Great in-depth vid and they truly should've been bigger, but bad luck seems to always haunt them. Yet, Mili is no quitter and I saw them live in Tokyo a few years ago. He sounded even better. Can't wait for their upcoming documentary. He'll remain one of my biggest vocal influences.
Thanks a lot! You're so lucky to have caught them live! What's this documentary?! I didn't even realise there was one in the making?
@@MetalHealthTV Mili's been talking about a documentary feauturing Steelheart and himself as he strives to keep the band alive and going. It's been in the making for years and I hope it'll come out soon. I think I might have heard it from his facebook, which he posts vids and streams live quite often.
@arubisudesu hey do u know ware I can find old interviews of steelheart? Not interviews now but back in the day, I know they have some on their steelheart TV website but u have to pay for them inorder to watch them and I don't want to have to do that if u know what what mean , even though I am only a 15 year old girl but I absolutely love these hair bands from back in the day
Steelheart still tours and Mili still has the singing chops. Coming out in 1990 when grunge entered the picture just year later didn't help. Had SH been able to get a record deal earlier they easily would've been a household name. Considering all that happened, Mili has a great outlook and optimism today.
Ya grunge killed the careers of a lot of bands Tyketto ,Giant,Winger to name a few they existed but their better stuff never made it to radio. I hate grunge! Might take a look at how many of those guys committed suicide.
Frank DiCostanzo and John Fowler(R.I.P) were in the Christian band name Rage Of Angels, both bands were friends. Check out the interview of the band's founder Danny Mariano on Area 312.
ROA were outstanding too. I still listen to both regularly. Funny thing, my friend bought me the ROA album in early 89 and it instantly became a favorite of mine and Steelheart also became one of my favorites since the first time I heard “Everybody Loves Eileen” on the radio. I didn’t have any clue that DiCostanzo and Fowler were in both until I was looking at the Steelheart album insert a few years later.
That was a good interview on Area 312’s channel. Had no idea both bands knew each other. That explained what I had wondered about for years regarding how the two came to be in Steelheart. Sad though to think what ROA might have become if the two would have stayed with them, but then Steelheart wouldn’t have been quit the same either.
Been saying this for decades. Your points are spot on. Great video. Viva la Steelheart!
Omg I could listen to Mili all the time but so could I listen to this guy!! Irish Scottish not sure but LOVE IT!
I often wondered that myself. He is an amazing vocalist! I've loved this band since the early 90s when I discovered them after a trip to NYC. I still follow them. They are so great.
Because they are a 90s band
I'd like to know when the singer changed his name from Mike To Miljenko. Anyway, Steelheart were a tight band, but the timing was off. And Mili having that accident on the 1992 tour opening for Slaughter certainly didn't help matters.
2000's Good 2B Alive is anything but just ballads. It is an amazing album!! I listen to it often to this day.
Miljenko (Mike) Matijevic lived in Greenwich, CT. and went to the music store where I took guitar lessons (around 1985-86). Never met him there. His guitarist Chris went to school with my brother-in-law's older brother. Anyway, Miljenko is the lead singer for my fantasy "Supergroup". He's joined by White Lion's Vito Bratta on guitar, Iron Maiden's Steve Harris on bass and Alex Van Halen on drums.
@joer203 wow that is so cool , infact mili follows me on pintrest and vito bratta of white lion is a excellent guitar player , white lion is also a hair band that should been bigger than they were , I am just only a 14 almost 15 year old girl but I love these hair bands from the 80s and early 90s ❤🩶🤍🦁♥️🤘🤟🎸🎵🩷💗💕💖
Should have been WAY BIGGER.. just incredible ...his voice and excellent musicians
Tangled in Reins is one of the best heavy/hard rock albums of all times. Every song is very listenable. i want "Take Me Back Home" played as last song of my funeral.
Awesome album! Great songs and fantastic production!!
Steelheart still is popular in Asia 🌏 They are a favorite in The Philippines 🇵🇭 and other Asian nations.
Def Leppard. Joe Elliott still sounds great.
Taking care of his voice and body are keys 🔑 to still reaching the high notes. 👍 Working with Mutt Lange is another factor.
I cry when I hear them, they are that good. Rock Star is campy but it is also great, a classic of its kind.
Love Steelheart and still listen to them constantly. Milijenko is amazing, and John Fowler rest easy my friend!
Great vid! Your channel is definitely gonna blow up really soon if you keep making content like this 🤘🏻
Thanks man, appreciate that!
Great video! I remember this band when I was in highschool. Also remember getting "Nevermind" on CD in '92. Still miss pop metal like it was when I was a kid. Never knew all this about Steelheart. I subbed today and look fwd to more content! Cheers!
You gotta really good point there. Another incredible voice to consider is Mark Slaughter on the Vinnie Vincent Invasion album titled All Systems go.
I love Steelheart's first album 💖.
You might think that bands that started in the 1980's in their teens/early 20's (19 - my brother lead singer; 20 - my brother is leader of the band, lead guitar, and sometimes lead singer or backup singer; 15 - my cousin (on drums) and backup singer (so well-known now he had his own drumstick line and creates new drums; 20 - close friend; now one of the top 30 guitarist of all times played in 4 well known bands but always recorded and played when my brothers called on him, he also sang backup; 25 - close friend playing bass and sang backup) who are now in their 60's have just recently finished their second album in a 2 year timeframe. And the wild thing is they sound better now; and believe me, they rocked when they were young, but the sound and harmonies in their band is so crazy. The only different person is the bassist, but still a great performer and backup singer. I know that most of this band is my family or close friends, but they still have it. My brother that is the lead singer hits notes close to Mili's at his best and he is 61! And that came after suffering pneumonia and him quitting smoking! It is like, how in the heck can he hit higher notes in his 60's that when he was 19?! Steelheart is a great band and Mili may have lost a little, but that man can still sing and perform! Don't ever count out the older guys; because I know my brothers; band can seriously rock! Mili's music might be softer, but he can still hit the high notes! Rock and Country music runs in our DNA and we have/had 4 bands to prove it in just our family! My 16-year old niece just made her first solo album with my brother managing it (her grandfather). So, yeah, you can say what you want, but some people are born to sing awesome their entire lifetimes!
Thank you for a great vid...he had a great voice....never to be AGAIN. thank u
Cheers mate, appreciate it!
I'd say their first two releases were excellent. I saw Steelheart open for Lynch Mob at a rock bar in the early 90's. What isn't hazy was how good of a singer Mili was (is) and how tight the band was. Two good guitar players. Also, Mili had gotten into a motorcycle accident a few days prior, but put on a great show with Mili and his broken leg sitting on a stool the whole show. They were really good. I wish they would have avoided that terrible accident on tour and gained the popularity that they deserved.
That's amazing! What a great memory you have. I'd loved to have seen Mili in his prime.
I seen them with lynch mob also… great show! I seen them at the Newport music hall in Columbus, Ohio. And then I seen them on the Reins tour.. got to meet them both times also.. cool guys!
@@davidcarter1157 , do you remember what year that was with Lynch Mob? That was an awesome show! Would have liked to see them on the Reins tour as that is an excellent disc! They seem like they would be cool. Surprised that the two guitar players didn't go on to other bands (although grunge probably got in the way).
@@leftygtrplr6184 I wanna say it was 90 or early 91… reins is my favorite
Hoping he shows the Denver Accident so people understand EXACTLY why they disappeared!
Great video. It's a lot of work to put something like this together. Much appreciated!
Thanks for recognising! Appreciate it.
Mili still sounds amazing! I would totally buy a reunion album if they could “get the old band back together” and make that music again! Tangled in Reins is my favorite album ever. If they made something even similar, I’d be all over it!!!
Only discovered Steelheart when Tommy Johansson ( Sabaton) covered She's gone and I'll never let you go. Tommy is an amazing talented musician.
You are 100 % correct. Nirvana played for a case of beer at a bar across the street from the Starry Night (Portland Or) on New Years Eve and the next year they sold out the Coliseum (Portland).. Steelheart played the same Starry Night, now the Roseland Theater a couple years later.. Their timing was off.. I had a rock magazine at the time and saw A LOT Of bands and SteelHeart was one of the most talented.. Mike would do a cat fight with the lead guitarist and WOW. They did have a very serious following of those who did not move over to grunge. Once the accident happened that really set their fate.
They were killer. I always loved their sound ! They didn't make it big because they came onto the scene to late in the 80's ..90's grunge was about to take over.
I have Steelheart's first two albums, which I both enjoyed and I do think they could've been bigger had they been able to start making albums sooner. They had so many songs that got me pumped, and Miljekno Matijevic definitely deserved more recognition as a vocalist.
Also, his last name is pronounced m' teea vitch. I heard him say it himself.
Croatian here, Matijevich, like chocolate,tho it is Matijevic`
The competition back then was fierce. Underground metal flourished after Black Sabbath, I can barely remember all of the bands and some albums I own the cd outlasted the band. A couple songs still reside in my head one of which was Sticky Side Up, so despite not being in the big leagues they made a mark.
People say bands like Steelheart came out too late but we still needed rock bands like them into the 90's to keep the genre going but the music industry saw a brand new music genre in grunge to exploit and they pushed aside the glam metal/heavy metal/rock bands, I don't blame grunge as I've seen a radio DJ from that time talk about how all those genres including grunge were on the same playist at his radio station but kept getting calls from management to keep taking off the heavy metal songs to favour grunge music
I've always wondered this so it doesn't surprise me someone made a video about it. The key factor was their arrival date. 1990 was too late for a hair metal band to come along.. They don't call them 80's hair bands for nothing. I think their sound could have held up with the best of 'em had they hit the scene in, say, '85 or so. I never realized "Never let you go" only reached 23 on the charts. In the mid 80's, that would have went number 1 all day. It's too bad. Who knows how much great music we may have missed out on.
Absolutely! Couldn't agree more.
There are no bad songs on that debut album.
I still listen to it regularly.
Thanks for the story . We all age you will one day . He has the warmest voice ever with so much passion. Why not adapt to a softer range soft rock . I am ready to listen to that many others too I am sure . He writes marvels , he has so much to give , he never gave up in spite of serious near death mishaps. He got back on his feet everytime , he sings with such intensity . His songs are not just ballads. It is something else very elaborate. This is a man who never gave up . Have you seen many like that . Check him out you will be surprised . I discovered him lately. He is a giant.
They truly did not get the recognition that they deserved. But if I had to choose between them and Firehouse. I would choose Firehouse because of the song "Love of a Lifetime ". But the song that "I'll Never Let You Go". is a beautiful power ballad that can still stand the best of time.
Another highly underrated band and vocalist for sure, mate!
One of my top 10 bands!! Mili’s voice is simply out of this world!! ❤️
Yeah,They CRANK some Jams,. HI,Hey, You know that Dave guy,Hah?
Great band. Forget the mainstream, it's just more of them for us to love.
Steelheart has been some of my favorite go to music over the years. Ive always wondered why they were not bigger in main stream.
Great video. I appreciate the amount of research, preparation, insight, and quality editing that you've done here. You've def got a sub from me. We need as many voices out here keeping rock alive. Cheers from Louisiana!
Nice work ! Just came across your channel, hope u'll do more vids like this. A few things about Steelheart:
- I'd call them 80s Hard Rock rather than Glam(even tho their image was a bit glam just like any other band of that era)
- They were pretty big in the early 90s but their popularity faded away soon
However even when they debuted back in '90, their production style was derivative of Arena Rock of Whitesnake'87, so their style wasn't that original to begin with. (Despite having a very talented vocalist)
- Grunge didn't come out of nowhere, there was already an alternative scene in the 80s, Janes Addiction crossed into the mainstream in '88, Stone Roses in '89 etc, Alternative was already getting bigger in the late 80s. These MTV docs always like to dramatise things, don't they ?😃
- Glam style lost its popularity in the early 90s ( due to oversaturation and changing tastes) However Hard Rock continued to be popular in the mainstream until about 1993.
- Around '93, Hard Rock/Metal was pushed out of the mainstream by the Mainstream Music Industry (they started to focus on Rap, Dance, Techno etc which was cheaper to produce) A lot of Hard Rock/Metal bands lost their major label contracts (not just glam bands)
- Steelheart had a 2nd chance in the early 2000s but Mike Matijevic had wasted that chance imho. He could have released new music under his name or as Steelheart but he chose to play nostalgia festivals here and there instead of creating new music and introducing Steelheart to a younger audience.
Milijenko Matijevic is in my top 5 singers of all time. I think the moment that ruined Steelheart’s career was the incident during Halloween in 1992. It didn’t help that the album was a complete flop compared to the debut. But his voice is legendary, and he’s super underrated.
The song “Steelheart” obviously did not get any radio play, but that song kicks some serious ASS!!! 💪🤘🙌
The guitar riff’s & solo’s are heavy!
The vocals are just down & dirty AF!
And soars higher than Mariah Carey!
The lyric’s are in your face & gritty!!!
Drums & base are fire on this song!!!
It damn sure ain’t no pretty ballad!!!
Never heard of Steal Heart. Thanks great music going to buy their Cd's
Absolutely loved the first album, although I wasn’t thrilled with the mix… I was never really a big fan of the “hair band” era, even though many bands were placed there solely because of the years that they happen to play in. Vocals are second to none, but yea they came in at a bad time for all hard rock groups…
Definitely could have been rock and metal legends. But just came a few years too late, and that injury to Miljenko hindered the band, he never sounded the same after that.
I never thought of Steelheart as a Glam metal band...They were closer to Power Metal to me
Absolutely! Steelheart is sick asf
I did enjoy this video & honestly didn't know this much about Steelheart.
Thanks a lot, glad you enjoyed it.
I do not like a high pitched voice, BUT there is something about His voice that I lOVE
The record companies stopped pushing and helping heavy metal and only pushed grunge
I seen Steelheart in a Club/ Strip Club in Shreveport back in 1989. Great band and great vocals. Didn't know of the bad luck they had trying to make it big.
Good points
He is one of best vocalist of that or any generation.
They’re pretty cool, the vocalist is fine, though personally prefer the growl of one Carl Thomas Keifer, how he shifts so seamlessly from the lower to the upper part of his range is amazing, the key is in the melody, there is a barely perceptible tempo change that occurs in the preceding seconds before he switches to his signature growl. Saying that I also dig the quasi-operatic tendencies of Messiah Macrolin , Bruce Dickinson and Mark Boals.
That ‘they should’ve been bigger’ tag should also apply to a band like Lizzy Borden (again Greg Harges possess the quasi-operatic quality I previously mentioned) not only that, but the musicianship of his brother Joey, Gene, Tony (for the EP “Give ‘em the axe” and the first LP “Love you to pieces”) or Alex (for every subsequent release prior to his premature death in the fall of 2004) and Martin is solid too.
Definitely man! Carl Thomas Keifer was an incredible vocalist who I always thought stood apart from many of the other LA scene bands, due to his unique range and tone. I did like Lizzy Borden as a vocalist but always felt the band lacked the songwriting ability of many other bands at that time, they never really had a "hit" single.
@@MetalHealthTV Yo hate assume shit, but are you a QR fan by any chance? The line up for the album your name may be taken from and the one directly after as well as the cd released in 02/03 is my fave btw, followed by the first two records where we saw the beginning of the legendary playing chemistry of Randy Rhoads & Rudy Sarzo, the 86 and 88 albums do have their highlights but anything after Kevin Dubrow passed is pretty awful at least IMO.
@@dragonqueen6589 Yeah man definitely, i love the Metal Health & Conditional Critical albums. And you're right about the very first two albums, there were some special moments from Randy Rhodes, could always tell he was gonna be something. But yeah they quickly went downhill from the mid-90s onwards like so many others.
New mtv president in 92 said hes not playing any bands like motely crew again on mtv. What ever mtv played record companys followed.. mike slaughter mentioned this. Both grunge and hair bands could have co exsit but president mtv put a stop to hairband vids
So true. I'd say Mtv just played what the Record Companies wanted, not the other way around. Record Companies saw they could make more money easily by focusing on Rap, Dance and Techno.
Yes mark slaughter said that in a interview a few years back
Thanks for this I was just a fresh metalhead when his accident took place but I never know about the other misfortunate events
Its all much clearer now
Hey it's nice you gave a spotlight to an overlooked "Glam" Band as a metal fan instead of trashing the genre. It's nice to see you have a open mind and even though I am a fan of Manowars music I never understood how they could trash other bands for their appearance It's completely ridiculous.
I prefer "growling vocals", only listen King Diamond from the "high pitch" vocalists, but i'll give them a try. Thank you for the video.
You live without Judas and old Pantera? I mean you live without original heavy metal? Sad
@@blackpilledchad1927 Yeah. I'm more of a DSBM guy, HW is too happy to me.
Theyr hair metal.why would you like them if your into thrash an death are you a noob?
@@thefuneralparade Noob thing liking more than one thing? Just because i mainly get happyness from DSBM, that doesen't means that i can't like Alice Cooper, Nirvana, The Cure or even ABBA in the same time.
The pride of New Haven Connecticut. Loved Steelheart and still listen to their music
He has one of the best lead vocals of all time.
Great video, I'm really impressed!! You have yourself a new sub!
Thanks a lot, man! Appreciate the support.
Steelheart was incredible. They came along a bit too late. How anyone can sing like that is baffling. The guy is a total freak!!!! What a baddass!
Stryper has been putting out some excellent albums as of late. I saw them live about 2 years ago, they sounded fantastic and Michael (even though it turned out he was very sick), sounded better than ever.
I see that you are working on a Warped Tour bodysuit. oh my.
Yes Milijenko had a voice that rivaled or surpassed greats like Halford , Tate and Bach even many of the Big bands of the day that were awesome and popular didn't have a vocalist like Milijenko . The Band was awesome as well known for chest ratting drums and crazy guitar solos and the visuals to go along with it . The drummer who has since sadly passed on had the craziest drum kits and could make them sing as good as any of the best well known drummers like Neal pert . I have so much respect for Milijenko and still marvel at his performances, even today he can still belt out those notes with maybe just the very top clipped a .little and the ability to carry that note for insane lengths of time he no longer has but hey for a 60 year old man he has pretty much no rival except Halford from the hey day of Metal !
Steelheart were awesome. At first I didn't like that ballad they came out with but their other songs are really good. I have 2 of their albums.
It is sad !!! He was a great singer.
I think steelheart could a been so huge Mili l is one of my favorite singer I love his voice
He still sounds the same trust me heard him on April 1st 2023
I loved the 2nd album way more too 🤘
Great vocalist, no doubt. All I heard was the ballad, I wanted to hear them balls out rock, I never got that on MTV or the radio, so I never bought the CD.
I just heard she's Gone, sounds great, great production. I'll give em a try. But, they should have done a better job promoting themselves back in 90. Firehouse did a better job promoting themselves.
One more thing, Don Dokken and the 2 Lynch Mob CDs charted around 47 and 52, during the Grunge mess in the 90's, so no excuses, we loved our hard rock and metal and still do.
Definitely professional band, the band was phenomenol...
Don't leave out Triphammer, Wargasm, Split Image, and Steel Assassin...
Pantera ruled in 90s.
LOVE STEELHEART….they came out in 1990….at the tail end of pop metal’s popularly….still badasss tho 🤘🏽🤘🏽🤘🏽🤘🏽🤘🏽🤘🏽
I'm 52 and if had the radio been playing them in the 80s they would have been HUGE! They didn't get play until 90-91. Just as we were hearing them the accident happened on Halloween 92. Then grunge.
'Tangled in Reins' is a great record. 'Sticky Side Up' is a better single than many bigger hair bands ever put out. Just too late, as you say.
Michael Sweet ( STRYPER) still has a great voice
You're not wrong there, mate. I've only just listened to Stryper's latest single (Rise to the Call), Michael Sweet actually can still hit those high notes haha!
The record he did with Tracii Guns is REALLY good.
You should do one of these on the band Angel from the '70s
Great video regarding the travails of this great band!
Agree! Hey Metal Health, you look like Patrick Mahomes II from Texas Tech! Rock on Buddy!
I seen steelheart this past year and the lead singer although he doesn't do it as often as he did years ago he still belts out that high falsetto during the show and he still sounds amazing. I dont necessarily agree that its not worth seeing these 80s bands today granted theres several that just have lost it in their voice but bands like kix steve whiteman sounds great he hasn't lost it. Tom Keifer still sounds great and his solo albums are killer. Blackie lawless of wasp is still great has is halford and Sebastian bach is still belting out the songs as he did years ago although hes a bigger jackass today then he was even back then.
i just seen them with slaughter!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! mike is still has his awesome voice for being 60
One of the few bands from the '80s era that continues to put out quality music and, imo, better than their classic era stuff is ... Europe. If anyone reading this hasn't checked out their four most recent LPs do yourself a favor and listen to them.
@theearmoredsaint yessssss 🎸🤟🤘😍🥰❤️♥️💖💕👍
W.A.S.P. is out on tour! I can't wait to see them! Ha!!
Still have my SteelHeart cassette tape and CD. 😎
Loved his voice, they just didnt have enough promotion here.
They probably didn't want to sell their souls to a big label.
STEELHEART IS BACK! Look for a 30th Anniversary project soon!
Love you man
Thank you for your vedio
I feel the same way like you said
Not to mention.. the original drummer passed away.. so a true lineup wouldn’t happen. R.I.P. John Fowler
Yes, but John’s son also plays drums professionally and is quite good from what I hear. That would be interesting to have the original drummer’s son play in his place.
Imo even if steelheart was too late for the hairband era if Mili didn't have that serious accident he should have made it as soloist pop, country or pop rock band, he has incredible vocals and writing skills so he surely could have made it bigger if not bc of his very every long hiatus for recovery
I had a massive crush on mil especially can't stop the rain from falling
They did the sound track for rock star
Only Milijenko Metjevic could hit high notes that Michael Kiske dreamt of
They were easily better than 90% of the 80's Rock Bands!! Milo was easiest the best vocalist too. Bands like Tyketto & Saints & Sinners also fell to the same fate.
OH,huge. Screaming Meemy. Deluxe voice rips
The band was ELITE. From musicianship to, of course, vocals. Hands down more talent and better songs than Bon Jovi, Motley and so many others who actually got the push. If Steelheart breaks in say...1986, they are a household name now. Just saw them this summer and posted some highlights on my channel. He STILL brings it, the notes are there just not the length of the notes (fucking Father Time) 😆
Steelheart was a pretty decent band an their singer Mike Majetivic is an exccellent singer. after having heard all of steelhearts albums i have to say the reason they weren't more popular was because most of their songs weren't that good. She's gone , I'll never let you go, everybody loves eileen, Mama don't you cry unfortunately were the only good songs! The rest of the songs just never quite brought it. The bands Tora Tora, Tangier, Stage dolls, Trixter, saigon kick, and Hurricane were the same way!
Love steelheart
Steelheart didn't come out in the 80's, they came out late 91-92. After that the lead singer had a horrible accident on stage that he couldn't sing for a few years. Then Grunge started to come out, and the whole music scene changed.
After the accident the singer did the music for the movie Rock Star. Then went on to perform solo, because just like the movie he walked out on the band because he felt the band didn't have the same love for music or him, so he walked away.
That's why the band isn't as big? They came out too late in the music scene. If they would have came out in the 80'' music as you know it would have been way different. At least for metal.
Tyketto also