This Forgotten Hard Rock Supergroup Was Unheard of in the US, but Huge in Japan

Hard rock was still going strong by the time the 1990s rolled around, so it’s not exactly surprising that a few hard rock supergroups formed during that era. One such supergroup, Bad Moon Rising, lasted for eight years before coming to an end. And if you’ve never heard of this outfit, you’re not alone there. Despite being an American band made up of American and Scottish musicians, this hard rock outfit was only ever huge in the country of Japan.

Videos by American Songwriter

So, who made up the meat of this hard rock supergroup? A number of ex-members of the hard rock and heavy metal group Lion made up this outfit. You might remember Lion as the band behind a number of songs used in films, from the theme to the 1986 Transformers movie to a song used in Friday The 13th in 1984.

Lion came to an end around 1989, and some of the remaining members decided to move on with another project. Bad Moon Rising was formed by former members Kal Swan and Doug Aldrich. Bassist Ian Mayo and drummer Jackie Ramos (of Hericane Alice and Bangalore Choir) filled out the band.

The Rise and Fall of Bad Moon Rising

Bad Moon Rising was formed back in 1990 and lasted for eight years before calling it quits in 1998. They put out a handful of records and EPs during their time together. While Lion was pretty well-known in the US for their soundtrack songs, Bad Moon Rising wasn’t quite as popular stateside. Instead, the band absolutely blew up miles away in the country of Japan for their non-soundtrack material. 

Bad Moon Rising toured Japan extensively in 1991 and would return to the country regularly to tour and capitalize on their popularity there. It’s not clear what about them resonated with Japanese audiences and not American audiences, but I doubt the band members were complaining. They enjoyed quite a successful career.

In 1994, Doug Aldrich went solo and found popularity on his own in Japan as well. His 1997 release, Electrovision, would also do well in the country. Considering his solo success, it was only natural that Bad Moon Rising would eventually fizzle out. They officially broke up in 1998, and Aldrich would continue his solo career as well as a new outfit, Burning Rain, which could also be considered a supergroup. That band featured former Medicine Wheel vocalist Keith St John.

Photo by Getty Images/John Atashian