In 1985, James Vance survived a dual suicide pact that took the life of his best friend. Months later he blamed the music of Judas Priest for mesmerizing them into despair. The trial that followed threatened the future of heavy metal music.

Chuck Schuldiner, revered as a founder of Death Metal, channeled grief into groundbreaking music. His death at 34, while completing his final work, devastated fans and a family already scarred by the tragic loss of Chuck's older brother.

In the 1980s Wendy O. Williams (Plasmatics) fused punk and metal while railing against consumerism and oppression. Facing obscenity and assault charges only emboldened her defiance, making Wendy an icon in the fight for social justice.