Jon Zazula, in my head, is proof that heavy metal didn’t just “happen” in the ’80s—it got built by obsessive weirdos with good ears and zero chill. He ran the Rock ’n’ Roll Heaven record store in East Brunswick, New Jersey, and used that shop as a kind of underground command center, blasting demos through the tape-trading network until the right bands found the right people. The pivotal moment (and yeah, it’s basically metal folklore at this point) lands in the winter of 1982, when he heard Metallica’s “No Life ’Til Leather” demo, pulled them to New York, and helped push them onto their first real East Coast stages—then Megaforce Records followed, and “Kill ’Em All” hit in 1983 like a crowbar to the radio. After that, his “periods” with bands were less about being onstage and more about being the guy who opened doors: the Megaforce run expanded from Metallica and Manowar in the early ’80s to a wider roster that included Anthrax (a key 1985–1991 stretch), plus acts like Overkill and Testament—basically a roll call of bands that helped define what American metal would sound like when it stopped asking permission.
METALLICA - KILL 'EM ALL DOUBLE 12" Vinyl LP Album
- England LIMITED EDITION AUDIOPHILE 45rpm
Howdy, metalheads! Y'all ready to kick up some dust with Metallica's debut album, "Kill 'Em All"? This ain't no hoedown, folks. It's a full-on sonic stampede, straight outta the Bay Area. We're talkin' breakneck riffs, thunderous drums, and vocals that'll scare the coyotes. So grab your boots, crank up the volume, and get ready to thrash like there's no tomorrow. This here's the birth of a legend, and it's gonna hit you harder than a bull ridin' a tornado. Yeehaw!
