Steeler

Many metal enthusiasts might presume that Swedish guitar shredder Yngwie J. Malmsteen launched his American career with Alcatrazz, yet he actually spent a short stint in the little-known Los Angeles metal outfit Steeler. Future Keel frontman Ron Keel anchored the lineup alongside bassist Rik Fox and drummer Mark Edwards, and the quartet leaned toward the same pop/party metal sound dominating the Sunset Strip scene. One of the earliest acts inked to Mike Varney’s Shrapnel imprint—a label later famed for its roster of technically dazzling guitarists—the band issued a solitary, self-titled album in 1983 before dissolving soon afterward. Though the record attracted scant attention at the time, it later gained cult status among listeners once Malmsteen and Keel achieved greater success.