1983 wasn't just a big year for heavy metal, it was the year the genre well and truly arrived in the USA. On Memorial weekend, the 'Metal Day' of the massive US Festival saw over 375,000 fans turn out to watch the likes of Ozzy Osbourne and Van Halen, while then-newcomers Mötley Crüe also made an appearance on the bill months before releasing their breakthrough album Shout At The Devil, ushering in the glam metal of the Sunset Strip that would dominate much of the rest of the decade.
British bands Judas Priest and Iron Maiden finally found their careers taking off Stateside after some tentative success with prior tours, Priest powered by the radio success of You've Got Another Thing Comin', while Maiden were riding high on the fantasy epic Piece Of Mind. Elsewhere, fresh-faced nobodies Metallica were releasing their debut Kill 'Em All, booting the gates open for thrash metal and a whole new school of extremity that would define the metal underground going forward.
