Heroes of the Metal Underground - The Definitive Guide to 1980s American Independent Metal Bands

"Metal bands exploded during the 1980s. Influenced by the heavy sounds coming out of Britain via Judas Priest and Iron Maiden, young guitar shredders turned the amps up and played harder and faster. American record companies scooped up a few bands and signed them to major label recording deals (Metallica, Slayer, Anthrax) but that left hundreds of bands--and their fans--trying to get their songs heard."--

List of contents

Contents

Foreword

Introduction

A small piece on the history of independent/private US metal

East Coast

M.C. Blade       

Street Child     

Heathen’s Rage

Tantrum          

The Rods         

Exxplorer        

M-16   

Hades  

Murder Suite   

Blacksmith

Siren   

Alias    

Stryker

Dead Serios     

Rhed Asphalt   

Odyssey           

Aragon

Weapon          

Fantom Warior

Alias Mangler  

Rockkit

Asylum

Leather Nunn  

Purgatory        

Breaker

White Boy And The Average Rat Band   

Chalice

Arch Rival        

Rosie   

Slammer         

Ruffkut

Deuce 

Intrüder          

Titanic

Arthur’s Museum         

Vikron 

Black Diamond (NY)

DarkStarr         

Strange Flesh   

Black Virgin     

Dagger

Knightmare     

Kryst The Conqueror    

Oblivion          

Kill Van Kull     

Damien (NY)    

Stonehenge    

X-Caliber         

Savage Thrust

Voyeur

Hammers Rule 

Spectral Incursion       

Resless

MX      

West Coast      

Ruffians           

Cirith Ungol     

Brocas Helm

Gotham           

Traveler          

Child Saint       

Traitor 

Taist of Iron     

Soldier (San Francisco) 

Valor

Hammer Head 

Snow   

Childz Play       

Suspicion        

Emerald          

Villain 

Razormaid       

Air Raid

Wombat          

Shadow (Kennewick, Washington)       

Shadow (Seattle, Washington) 

Assassin (San Diego)    

Elysian 

The RH Factor  

Prowler (San Diego)

Paladin

Hans Naughty  

Childhood’s End          

Prophecy (Montana)    

Diamond Claw

Xcursion          

Victim

Sacred Rite      

Central and rest of US  

Black Task        

Medieval Steel

Assassin           

Sinister Angel  

Halloween      

Gunner

Outrage           

Centurion       

Destroyer        

Dover Trench  

Slayer  

Roc Lochner    

Ashbury           

Wyzdom          

Nineteen        

Winterhawk    

Ivory Tiger       

Hammeron      

Decoy Paris     

Fury    

Carnage (South Carolina)          

Dead Silence   

Axxe    

Tyrant’s Reign

Xcel    

Iron Cross        

Winterkat       

Mania  

Nightchild       

Prowler (Santa Fe, NM)

Militia

Unleashed       

Hammer Witch

Dungeon         

Commandment

Crowhaven      

Steel Vengeance         

Pendulum       

Rude Awakening          

Afterword: Never forget the warriors  

About the author

Alexandros Anesiadis was born in 1981 in Thessaloniki, Greece, and is now living between London and Greece. He's finishing his Ph.D. in Media and Communications while working on all things Social Media. He describes himself as a manic record collector, trying to get his hands on releases by bands that not many have a clue about. His previous books, Crossover The Edge and We Can Be The New Wind, document punk and hybrid punk-metal bands.  Alex loves going to small club gigs, traveling the world, and attempting to keep his daughter and his partner happy!

Summary

The only encyclopedic and definitive book on American indie metal!

If all you know about metal music was what was heard on commercial radio, then you don’t know metal at all. Heroes of the Metal Underground profiles over 1100 American bands from every town and city in the United States who ever released a record.

Metal bands exploded during the 1980s. Influenced by the heavy sounds coming out of Britain via Judas Priest and Iron Maiden, young guitar shredders turned the amps up and played harder and faster. American record companies scooped up a few bands and signed them to major label recording deals (Metallica, Slayer, Anthrax) but that left hundreds of bands—and their fans—trying to get their songs heard.

These intrepid metal bands borrowed a page from punk’s DIY handbook and did it themselves. Regional favorites. Hometown heroes. Tour van veterans. Bands who invested their life-savings into recording and pressing their songs onto albums for a shot at immortality on vinyl.

“With his previous books, Crossover the Edge and We Can Be the
New Wind, Alexandros Anesiadis has already proven beyond doubt his commitment
to his subject matter when it comes to unearthing long-lost musical gems. A
sonic archaeologist on an arcane mission, he does all the digging and gets his
hands dirty, so we don’t have to. And once again, Heroes of the Metal Underground is
no exception, a warm and enthusiastic trawl through the American metal
underground of the Eighties – a deep dive so deep your ears will be bleeding…
and not just from the hydrostatic pressure! This one will take you a month to
read, but a whole year to digest, such is the colorful smorgasbord of rare
delicacies served up for your attention.” - Ian Glasper, Silence Is No
Reaction: Forty Years of Subhumans  (PM Press,
2023) and Burning Britain: The History of UK Punk 1980–1984 (PM Press, 2014)

“Alexandros’ in-depth research and clear love and fervor for
this music bleeds all over this book! A reference book to a movement that
changed music from the underside, through the back door and crashing the gates
to get in. A never taking no for an answer youth movement of music which is
like a library full of classics for you to discover! A must have history book!
Alexandros has painstakingly amassed a wealth of history and it rings familiar
to my memories of my high school band Cro-Mags and the underground DIY brute
force culture of underground metal and hardcore that made us give our all at
our ‘Stab at immortality.’” - Parris Mayhew, AGGROS and former member of the Cro-Mags

 

“The metal underground, the tape trading letter writing
mangled demo pushing world was similar to the punk underground. And like that
underground, there is even an underground under the underground! And this is
where Alexandros come into the picture with his new book.” – Brian Walsby, Self
Empunishment (Pelekinesis, 2020)

Foreword

• Outreach to international, English language music press, including podcasts and radio.
• Niche outreach to "metal" press and podcasts. (Decibel, Metal Hammer, Metal Injection, Rock n Roll Books podcast)
• Tie in to other Feral House "metal" titles.
• Digital ARC available.

Product details

• Authors: Alexandros Anesiadis, Anesiadis Alexandros
• Publisher: Ingram Publishers Services
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 29.08.2023
• EAN: 9781627311403
• ISBN: 978-1-62731-140-3
• Dimensions: 178 mm x 254 mm x 20 mm
• Weight: 1064 g
• Illustrations: Illustrationen, nicht spezifiziert
• Subjects: Humanities, art, music > Music > General, dictionaries; MUSIC / Reference, MUSIC / Genres & Styles / Rock, Popular Music, Metal, Heavy Metal