Shark Island
This five-piece, melodic hard-rock group was formed in 1986 from the ashes of LA glam rockers, the Sharks. Comprising Richard Black (vocals), Spencer Sercombe (guitar), Chris Heilman (ex-Torme bassist) and Gregg Ellis (drums) they were quickly snapped up by A&M Records in the USA. Their debut album featured an impressive collection of infectious pop-metal crossover anthems, but made little impact, mainly due to a lack of promotion. They switched to Epicin 1988 and released LAW OF THE ORDER the following year. This showed the band had matured considerably, both technically and musically, with the material displaying a new-found confidence. Black has developed into a very accomplished vocalist and songwriter, with a style that marries the best elements of Bryan Adams, Jon Bon Jovi and David Coverdale. He was also involved in the Contraband project in 1991, which featured Michael Schenker and members of L.A. Guns, Ratt and Vixen. Contraband was a one-off collaboration that recorded an album of cover versions including Shark Island's Bad For Each Other.