BulletBoys is an American hard rock/glam metal band formed in Los Angeles in 1987. The group's original lineup was composed of singer Marq Torien (formerly of Ratt, King Kobra, and Kagny & the Dirty Rats), guitarist Mick Sweda (formerly of King Kobra), bassist Lonnie Vencent (formerly of King Kobra), and drummer Jimmy D'Anda. The group released two successful albums and had a number of singles featured on MTV between 1988 and 1991. From the 1990s onward, the group went through numerous lineup changes, with Torien as the only consistent member. Their most recent album From Out of the Skies was released in 2018. The original lineup reunited for one-off shows in 2011 and 2019.
The group were strongly influenced by AC/DC and Van Halen, with Torien drawing comparisons to Van Halen singer David Lee Roth.
Contents
History
Platinum-selling artists BulletBoys were formed in 1987 in Los Angeles, California, by former King Kobra members Marq Torien (also formerly of Ratt) on vocals, Mick Sweda on guitar, Lonnie Vencent on bass and Jimmy D'Anda on drums. After signing a deal with Warner Bros., the group released their debut album BulletBoys in 1988 with the album peaking at number 34 on the Billboard 200. The group released two singles, a cover of the classic O'Jays tune, "For the Love of Money" (which peaked at number 30 on the Mainstream Rock Chart and number 78 on the Billboard Hot 100), and "Smooth Up in Ya" (which peaked at number 23 on the Mainstream Rock Chart and number 71 on the Billboard Hot 100), with both receiving airplay on MTV. They released their second album, Freakshow, in 1991; however, the album only peaked at number 69 on the Billboard 200. The single "Hang On St. Christopher", a cover of the Tom Waits song, peaked at number 22 on the Mainstream Rock Chart. The group released their final album with Warner Bros., titled Za-Za, a name suggested by D'Anda taken from The Godfather Part III character Joey Zasa, in 1993, but it failed to chart, as well as the album's singles. Both Sweda and D'Anda left the group the same year. The group continued and released Acid Monkey in 1995 through Swordholio/Perris Records however they disbanded soon after.
In 1998, the group reformed, with Torien and Vencent adding former Guns N' Roses drummer Steven Adler and future Guns N' Roses guitarist DJ Ashba briefly, with a tour of the US planned with Faster Pussycat, Bang Tango and Enuff Z'nuff. In 1999, Ashba left the group to form Beautiful Creatures with Bang Tango singer Joe Lesté while Adler left also sometime after, going on to form Adler's Appetite in 2003. A compilation album, titled Burning Cats and Amputees, was released in 2000, through Deadline Records.
In 2002, Vencent was rumored to be involved in a tour of Europe with former Anthrax members Joey Belladonna, Dan Spitz and former W.A.S.P. drummer Stet Howland while former drummer Jimmy D'Anda formed the group Zen Lunatic with John Corabi (formerly of The Scream and Mötley Crüe) and Stevo Bruno (formerly of Revel 8). D'Anda went on to tour with George Lynch as part of Lynch Mob and opening up for Dio around the states during 2001. In 2009, D'Anda played drums for former Warrant singer Jani Lane doing shows in California, New Mexico and Nevada. In September 2010, Jimmy performed at the Groove Remains the Same, a tribute to John Bonham.
The BulletBoys cover of The O'Jay's R&B song from 1973 entitled "For the Love of Money" appears briefly in the 2003 TV movie Behind the Camera: The Unauthorized Story of 'Three's Company'.
Musical style and influences
According to AllMusic, BulletBoys' style was heavily influenced by AC/DC and Van Halen, before later taking a bluesier direction. Vocalist Marq Torien has been compared to Van Halen frontman David Lee Roth. In his review of the debut album, Oliver Klemm (Metal Hammer) also highlighted the similarity to AC/DC, which he considered striking. An example of Van Halen similarity on the debut album is the track "Crank Me Up". According to Markus Baro (Break Out), passages of the follow-up album Freakshow also sound like Van Halen's Fair Warning. In his book HAIRcyclopedia Vol. 1 – The Legends, Taylor T. Carlson said BulletBoys were "unfairly" described as Van Halen clones. Werner Theurich, on the other hand, considers BulletBoys "quite rightly reviled as Van Halen clones".
The band compared themselves to early Montrose and Van Halen, but more in terms of attitude than music. However, the debut albums of both bands were the sonic model for the production, which is why Ted Templeman was chosen. The blues was added because it increased the chances of being played on the radio.
Personnel
Current members
Marq Torien – lead vocals, rhythm guitar, congas (1987–present)
Lonnie Vencent – bass, backing vocals (1987–2000, 2006, 2009–2014, 2019–2022, 2024–present)
Mick Sweda – lead guitar, backing vocals (1987–1993, 1999–2000, 2011, 2019–2022, 2025–present)
Jimmy D'Anda – drums, backing vocals (1987–1993, 1999–2000, 2011, 2019–2022, 2025–present)
Discography
Studio albums
BulletBoys (1988)
Freakshow (1991)
Za-Za (1993)
Acid Monkey (1995)
Sophie (2003)
10¢ Billionaire (2009)
Rocked and Ripped (2011)
Elefante' (2015)
From Out of the Skies (2018)
Live albums
Behind the Orange Curtain (2007)
Compilation albums
Burning Cats and Amputees (2000)
Smooth Up in Ya: The Best of the Bulletboys (2006)
Box sets
The Warner Albums 1988–1993 (2021)