>>127421877
Only just noticed this one, sorry lad. Shrapnel had a reputation for shitting out records cheaply and quickly, but Mike Varney was well liked and respected in the industry. He was the one who brought Yngwie to America and basically discovered most of the following '80s super shredders like Gilbert, Vinnie Moore, MacAlpine, Kotzen, Howe, Becker etc. via his spotlight column in Guitar Player Magazine. He and his brother also founded the Shrapnel's sister labels Tone Center Records (jazz fusion), Blues Bureau (post-SRV blues rock) and Magna Carta (prog metal).

>>127430827
>>127431225
Kal Swann was the singer in the NWOBHM band Tytan (he was a Scot who later moved to LA) and Lion's successor band Bad Moon Rising. He was also one of the singers who auditioned for Deep Purple after Gillan got fired for the second time.

https://youtu.be/5qScXtNsfQ8?si=tAGXK1HpL_wqdHxG

My primary thought when listening to that Lion stuff is wondering how the hell it took Doug Aldrich so long to get kicked up by a major band. He had a small cult following but even most people still into 80s metal had never heard of him until Dio and then Coverdale put him into the spotlight in the early 2000s.