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Heavier Than Ever

On June 05, 2023
By Hit Parader

"...we were the first magazine in the world to focus exclusively on hard rock/heavy metal. We were a bit lucky in that the New Wave of British Heavy Metal was just kicking in, and the West Coast Metal Explosion was about to launch. Our timing was very good. - Andy Secher (former HP Editor) 

Always on the cusp of the next and best in popular music, by the end of the 1980s Hit Parader became the leading authority on a new kind of mania in Rock ‘N Roll - Heavy Metal. In the early 80s, Heavy Metal dominated the song charts and by 1984 metal albums accounted for 1 out of every 5 albums sold in America. Hit Parader expanded on the fallen waves of Punk and Disco and planted a flag firmly on the moon of Metal, selling 500,000 copies a month across the USA to a devout readership of metal fanatics.

Seeing a 450% increase in sales, new editor Andy Secher quickly recognized the magazine's strongest target demographic as "some 17-year-old kid in Iowa, not a socialite in Manhattan", and attributed Hit Parader's longevity and success to its ability to anticipate trends in music months in advance. 

Due to the meteoric commercial success of Hit Parader and Heavy Metal, a television program spinoff based on specialty issues entitled Hit Parader's Heavy Metal Heroes aired on USA Network which featured heavy metal music videos and short interviews with artists who regularly appeared in the magazine. 

A three-ring circus inside and out, Hit Parader became famously known throughout the 80s for its takes and recommendations of Metal messiahs like Metallica and Megadeth, while also providing chaotic coverage of more outrageous acts like Motley Crue, including the infamous and best-selling June 1984 issue. 

Forever cemented as Heavy Metal scribes in the hearts of music fans across America, Hit Parader holds its own unique place today in the Headbangers Hall of Fame.

 

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