HELLION - Speed Metal / Heavy Metal Los anGeles California

HELLION wasn’t just a band—they were a middle finger in eyeliner and leather to every poser who thought metal had to play by the rules. Born in the neon guts of Los Angeles, they unleashed Ann Boleyn like a banshee with a law degree, shattering ceilings and frying amps with righteous fury. These vinyl relics aren’t nostalgia—they're sacred documents of a revolution that roared, screamed, and clawed through the night. So drop in, crank up, and let Hellion melt your face into the turntable.

large album front cover photo of: HELLION ( Los Angeles )

HELLION Band Description:

Hellion is an American heavy metal band formed in 1982 in Los Angeles, California. Founded by vocalist Ann Boleyn, the band quickly gained attention for its powerful vocals, dramatic stage presence, and blend of traditional and power metal influences. Boleyn remains the group’s only constant member across decades of activity.

The debut full-length album, “Screams in the Night” (1987), released by Music for Nations in England, showcased Hellion’s fierce mix of classic metal riffs and dark theatrical themes. Tracks like “Screams in the Night” and “Bad Attitude” became underground favorites among collectors and fans of late-’80s American heavy metal.

Throughout the years, Hellion has gone through numerous lineup changes, but the band’s identity has always revolved around Boleyn’s commanding voice and uncompromising vision. Her presence as a frontwoman in the male-dominated metal world helped open doors for other women in heavy music.

While never fully embraced by mainstream audiences, Hellion has earned a loyal following among metal enthusiasts. Their records remain cult favorites—loud, proud, and full of the unfiltered energy that defined Los Angeles’s underground metal scene of the 1980s.

Ann Boleyn Description:

Ann Boleyn is an American heavy metal vocalist, songwriter, and bandleader best known as the founder and frontwoman of Hellion. Emerging from the Los Angeles metal scene in the early 1980s, she became one of the first women in U.S. heavy metal to front a mixed-gender band, setting a precedent for female leadership in a genre known for its intensity and spectacle.

Her voice—commanding, dramatic, and unmistakably powerful—became the focal point of Hellion’s sound. With soaring, operatic highs and dark melodic phrasing, Boleyn bridged classic heavy metal tradition with the energy of the underground L.A. scene. Her performances blended vocal precision with an almost theatrical sense of danger and charisma.

As Hellion’s founder, she shaped both the band’s artistic vision and business path. Beyond her work as a performer, Boleyn also established New Renaissance Records, a label that supported numerous independent metal artists during the 1980s—cementing her reputation as both a creative and entrepreneurial force in the movement.

Her signature style—wild hair, leather stagewear, and a defiant attitude—became part of her legend, embodying the visual spirit of the era while challenging stereotypes about women in rock and metal. Throughout her career, Boleyn has inspired generations of musicians who saw in her a blueprint for independence and artistic fearlessness.

While Hellion’s activity slowed after their late-1980s releases, Boleyn has remained active as a performer, producer, and occasional solo artist. Her influence endures within the heavy metal community, where she is celebrated not only for her voice but for her lasting contribution to the visibility and empowerment of women in metal.

Anne Boleyn: The Queen Who Changed England Forever

Before we descend into Tudor intrigue, it’s worth noting that the modern heavy metal singer Ann Boleyn takes her stage name from a woman who shook a monarchy to its core. The original Anne Boleyn (with an extra “e”) was no stage performer—she was the second wife of King Henry VIII, and her story reads like the loudest ballad ever written in royal blood and ambition.

Born around 1501 into an ambitious English family, Anne was educated in the courts of the Netherlands and France, where she absorbed courtly manners, languages, and the political finesse that later defined her. By the time she returned to England, she was sharp, fashionable, and impossible to ignore—a woman who spoke her mind in a world that punished women for it.

Her relationship with Henry VIII began around 1526. Unlike others who bent easily to royal desire, Anne refused to become his mistress. Her defiance fascinated the king and set in motion events that would split England from Rome. When Henry’s first marriage to Catherine of Aragon was annulled, Anne was crowned queen in 1533.

Her time as queen was both dazzling and doomed. She gave birth to one of history’s most powerful monarchs—Elizabeth I—but failed to produce a male heir, a failure Henry would not forgive. Accused of adultery, treason, and even witchcraft, Anne was executed in 1536 at the Tower of London, her downfall as swift as her rise.

Today, Anne Boleyn remains one of the most complex figures of the Tudor age—part victim, part architect of her fate. Her wit, intelligence, and refusal to conform helped reshape religion, politics, and ideas of power. She was, in every sense, a woman ahead of her time—and in her own defiant way, just as loud as her heavy metal namesake.

Index of HELLION Featured Vinyl Records and Album Cover Photo Gallery

Hellion is a band that has had a significant impact on the world of heavy metal. Their unique sound and commitment to promoting women in the genre have made them a force to be reckoned with in the metal community. Although they may not have achieved the mainstream success of some of their peers, Hellion's legacy is secure as a band that helped to shape the future of heavy metal.

HELLION - Self-Titled
Thumbnail Of HELLION - Self-Titled 12" Vinyl LP album front cover

Music For Nations MFN 15 , 1983 , USA

"Hellion's self-titled 12" mini-LP, a hallmark of '80s heavy metal, immortalizes the charismatic Ann Boleyn's vocal prowess and the band's electrifying sound. As the founder of New Renaissance Records, Boleyn's influence extends beyond Hellion's sonic landscape, leaving an enduring legacy in metal history.

HELLION 12" Vinyl Mini-LP
HELLION - Postcards From The Asylum
Thumbnail Of HELLION - Postcards From The Asylum 12" Vinyl LP album front cover

New Renaissance Records . Music For Nations MFN 82 , 1988 , England

The front cover of "Postcards from the Asylum" serves as a portal into the surreal world Hellion invites listeners to explore. The centerpiece of the artwork is Ann Boleyn, the charismatic frontwoman, reaching out to touch a large mirror. This mirror, more than a mere reflection, becomes a symbolic gateway

Postcards From The Asylum 12" Vinyl LP
Updated HELLION - Screams in the Night album front cover vinyl LP album https://vinyl-records.nl
HELLION - Screams in the Night

“Screams in the Night” (1987) erupts from the Los Angeles metal scene with attitude to spare. Ann Boleyn’s fierce voice cuts through walls of guitar fire, launching Hellion into cult legend status. The album swings between molten riffs and midnight drama — the kind of vinyl that doesn’t just play, it stares you down and dares you to turn it up louder.