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If Steelheart had come around a few years earlier, they could have been Poison or Mötley Crüe. They certainly had the hair-metal formula down perfectly: a lead singer (Miljenko Matijevic) who had incredible vocal range, fully capable guitarists, quality power ballads, and a hairdresser’s ability to get the bangs just right. In fact, Matijevic had such a good voice that, in 2001, he provided the vocals for Mark Wahlberg’s character in the film Rock Star. The band itself scored a moderate hit with one of their power ballads, “I’ll Never Let You Go.” You’re still likely to find the song featured on those best power ballads of the ’90s compilations you see advertised on late-night TV. Unfortunately, by the time they released their eponymous debut in 1990 and started to gain some success, a musical movement in Seattle called grunge was about to explode and pretty much kill the entire hair-metal scene. The band still continues to tour and offers up the perfect chance for former scenesters to break out the white denim and Aqua Net.
