Axe was typical of many of the hair metal bands that emerged in the early and mid-1980s. Inspired by the seemingly overnight success of MTV, Axe fit the bill for loud, hard rock bands with spandex and high hair, and songs about groupies and cars. They had all of this, and then some, but they never scored a huge radio hit, despite several attempts to get there by the band itself and their record company. Emerging from a Florida band called Babyface, Axe came together quickly when guitarist/vocalist Bobby Barth grabbed a few other members of that band to form Axe in 1978.
The group never broke through to a large mainstream audience but they did attain a solid base of heavy metal fans. The band had just released their fourth, chart-reaching album Nemesis, when in 1984, guitarist and anchor member Mike Osbourne was killed in a tragic car accident. The blow was too much for the band, which tried to carry on, but broke up shortly thereafter.