How Dangerous Toys Broke the Hair Metal Mold in 1989

The 1980s were a good time for heavy music.

But come the spring of ’89, when Dangerous Toys released its eponymous debut, it proved increasingly difficult to distinguish true contenders from flashes in the pan who’d been hastily scooped up by Burbank suits cashing in on music they didn’t really understand. 

Consider, too, that the metal underground had remained a fertile playground for bands that didn’t fit the major label mode and a few that would set the tone for metal’s future in the most unexpected ways. Dangerous Toys was one of those bands. The group didn’t emerge from the Sunset Strip, but it was aware of it. 

Vocalist Jason McMaster had sung for the unbelievably good progressive metal gods Watchtower for the bulk of the decade, appearing on that outfit’s classic 1985 set Energetic Disassembly. And although that outfit’s sensibilities didn’t fully inform Dangerous Toys, there’s some suggestion that the major label signees weren’t just out for nothing but a good time. And thus comes the question: What do you do when you crack a joke and your audience isn’t fully in on it? Was it a joke at all? 

Listening to Dangerous Toys with the advantage of hindsight, there’s a lot to embrace without apology. The songs evolve in unexpected ways. The opening “Teas’n, Pleas’n” arrives like a bulldozer poised to take down an inner city squat at five in the morning, as McMasters spits out the infectious hooks with a commitment and danger that would make Axl Rose envious. Then, about halfway through, the group moves into a badass boogie that lays waste to all that’s come before. Perhaps designed as a live rave-up the tune twists and turns, demonstrating the quartet’s broad rock ‘n’ roll palette. (Guitarist/vocalist Danny Aaron is credited as a member but did not play on the record.) Change up the lyrical content and the distance between this band and their counterparts in the then-burgeoning progressive metal movement is closer than you might think. 

On “Scared” the group locks into a solid groove, ably buoyed by the ace rhythm section of Mike Watson (bass) and Mark Geary (drums); the melody soars and the backing vocals reach for the heavens in a manner influenced by Van Halen but never come off as derivative. For a moment, you might think it’s going to be an easy rocker in the vein of Poison but the dynamic arrangement and Scott Dalhover’s genius guitar riffing keep the listener on their toes even, anticipating whether they’ll land safely with the hook or have to wait patiently, just a little bit longer, before they’re back in that familiar terrain. 

VIDEO: Dangerous Toys “Teas’n, Pleas’n”

True, other material, such as “Bones in the Gutter” and “Sport’n a Woody” focuses a little more on a straightforward gun-and-gun attack. They’re more predictable in their development and more clichéd in their lyrical approach but that doesn’t mean that they’re lesser tunes. They, too, have their place, serving as reminders that at the end of the day people do wanna just bang their heads. But even there it’s hard to dismiss the undeniable power of Watson’s steady bass lines and Dalhover’s ability to pull from a treasure chest of high octane riffs. Admittedly, the ballad-ish “Feels Like a Hammer” stands as the weakest link. It’s the sound of compromise within a collection of tunes that never back down from their stated mission. McMasters, ever the capable singer, can still sell it, though listeners might be tempted to hang onto their receipt should they want to return the tune. 

The main thrust here is those unexpected moments. “Take Me Drunk” marries chitlin circuit funk with arena rock power, “Outlaw” rages with cinematic, anthemic power, acknowledging the outfit’s unmitigated audacity and terrifying power. “Ten Boots (Stompin’)” shows that Dangerous Toys must be an unbridled force in the live arena, teeming with the raw rage and unapologetic rock ‘n’ roll rage that makes AC/DC seem like a lounge act. 

So what happened? Why wasn’t this album as big a seller as Skid Row’s debut and why aren’t we more likely to list McMasters alongside Sebastian Bach as one of the great screamers of the era? That will perhaps remain the eternal question when it comes to understanding the Dangerous Toys story. Maybe it’s down to the group not being easy to pigeonhole, maybe it was down to the season in which the record arrived, though in ’89 there was still plenty of gas left in the glam-inflected rock tank, maybe it was down to the label, maybe it was down to management. 

Whatever the case, this record still exists and seems poised to be rediscovered by a generation of listeners who have grown tired of the main hard rock narrative of the era.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got to hustle to the band’s official site and see if they’re coming to a city near me. There seems like much more to this story and it appears as though it’s far from over, too. 

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Jedd Beaudoin

Jedd Beaudoin is a writer, educator and broadcaster based in Wichita, Kansas.

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