Headbangers Ball
Headbangers Ball is a television program about Heavy Metal, on MTV and in Europe ran on MTV Europe earlier. Meanwhile, it runs on MTV2 and MTV various international offshoots, but compared to the original version in a much reduced form. The show was the first time on April 18th, 1987 late in the evening on MTV in the U.S. and Canada and showed music videos of heavy metal and hard rock bands. The show was originally aired as a clear contrast to the usual mainstream taste.
Moderators
" The Ball " as the mission was called, replaced Heavy Metal Mania 1987, was hosted by Dee Snider of Twisted Sister. In the USA at the beginning of the short format of Kevin Seal, then hosted by VJ Adam Curry, before ultimately Riki Rachtman took over the show. In Europe, where the format was established in January 1990, were, among others Kristiane Backer (1990) and Vanessa Warwick ( 1991-1997) the moderators.
Content and influence
Headbangers Ball was at times the most popular shows on MTV and ran in the U.S. nearly eight years in Europe for six years in the main program. In Europe the show was years late on Sunday evening and was repeated in the week at different times. Interviews with bands and artists, theme specials were shown here with music videos for each of the bands or metal sub-genres as well as reports and live recordings of concerts and festivals such as the Dynamo Open Air Partially acted Metal artists as co- moderators and took over the presentation some of them selected music videos.
A recurring feature of the European mission was the Triple Thrash Treat, a sequence of three music videos of the genre Thrash Metal, mostly at the same time including one or more audience wishes or favorite videos of a studio guest.
The jingle of the program came from the intro of the song by American band Slaughterhouse Powermad from their album Absolute Power from the year 1989.
From the influence of the mission the emerging Heavy Metal movement of the 1980s and early 1990s and benefited vice versa. For example, videos were broadcast by currently known bands like Metallica and Slayer only in the night program and established, among other things through the show.
End of Headbangers Ball
The show was shown in the U.S. until 1995, when she set MTV without notice to the moderator, production or spectators. The European version ran until 1997 and was last reduced from three hours to just a half.
Subsequently, MTV tried the program to replace with the new format Superock and hostess Julia Valet and get back on track when it comes to rock with the broadcasting of mainstream and alternative rock videos. The attempt failed, however.
Resumption of Headbangers Ball
After nearly a decade absence MTV2 broadcast the show in the U.S. for the first time in 2003, this time with Jamey Jasta of Hatebreed singer as moderator.
Plate sampler
- MTV2 Headbangers Ball ( 2003)
- MTV2 Headbangers Ball, Vol 2 (2004)
- MTV2 Headbangers Ball: The Revenge (2006)
Each album includes at least one song from bands from the 80s, such as Slayer, Anthrax, Megadeth and Iron Maiden and min. a live song.