Metal Forces

The British publication Metal Forces emerged during 1983 and aided greatly in the promotion of metal and rock genre music. The magazine was well known for its coverage of unsigned bands through its Demolition feature and championed the likes of Metallica,^[1] Slayer, Megadeth, Overkill, Death and Poison long before they had secured record deals. They are credited as contributing in this fashion to the success of the band Anacrusis.^[2][3] Dave Reynolds, a former writer for Metal Forces, has claimed that the magazine was the first to coin the terms thrash metal and death metal.^[4] A Metal Forces compiled vinyl album, Demolition - Scream Your Brains Out!, based on the magazines popular Demolition column, was released in 1988 through Chain Reaction Records featuring Anacrusis, Atrophy, Hobbs' Angel of Death, Aftermath and the Chris Barnes fronted Leviathan. In addition to metal acts, the magazine also featured interviews with alternative rock acts such as Nirvana.^[5]

In August 1991 Metal Forces created the off-shoot publication Thrash 'n Burn, a monthly title dedicated to extreme metal.

Background

In an interview, rock columnist Dave Reynolds indicated that the magazine was created in response to difficulties working with rival publication Kerrang!^[6] According to Reynolds, the magazine gained national distribution in the late 1980s and, with its success, inspired Kerrang! to produce a spin-off publication of its own, Mega Metal Kerrang!^[6] The magazine disseminated information about the metal music scene; in 2007, the senior VP of Roadrunner Records indicated that Metal Forces, along with similar publication KickAss, "was my Bible... the way I discovered new bands and fed my insatiable appetite for all things emerging in the underground".^[7]

Controversy

In 1984, Metal Forces printed a review of black metal band Hellhammer so negative that the band's guitarist, Tom Warrior, indicated the band would never play in England because of it; after forming a new band, Celtic Frost, the guitarist continued to refuse requests for an interview with the magazine for some time, notwithstanding that Metal Forces was, in the guitarist's own words, "the second biggest magazine in heavy metal".^[8] In 2007, the Metal Forces reviewer wrote the band history of Hellhammer for Century Media Records.^[9]

In 1986, Dave Mustaine, early guitarist of Metallica and later founder of Megadeth, complained that replacement guitarist Kirk Hammett was unfairly named "number 1" in the reader poll of Metal Forces on the basis of Mustaine's guitar playing; Hammett indicated that the guitar playing was his own, re-rerecorded from the demo release.^[10]

Metal Forces presents: Demolition - Scream Your Brains Out!

Metal Forces presents: Demolition - Scream Your Brains Out!
Compilation album by Various Artists
Released	1988
Genre	Thrash metal
Label	Chain Reaction Records

Track listing

1. Violent Slaughter - Leviathan
2. Chainsaw Massacre - Hobbs' Angel of Death
3. War For Freedom - Aftermath
4. Imprisoned - Anacrusis
5. Chemical Dependency - Atrophy
6. Leviathan - Leviathan
7. Satan's Crusade - Hobbs' Angel of Death
8. When Will You Die - Aftermath
9. Disembowled/Annihilation Complete - Anacrusis
10. Preacher, Preacher - Atrophy

Notes

1. ^ Lew, Brian. (May 9, 2000) Metallica, how could you? Salon.com. Accessed April 10, 2008.
2. ^ King, Louise. (March 8, 1990) "Anacrusis: Crashing into heavy metal". St. Louis Post-Dispatch." Page 8G.
3. ^ Durchholz, Daniel. (June 18, 1993). "Proving their metal". St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Everyday Magazine. Page 4D.
4. ^ Ritchie, Jason. (2003) Backstage heroes: interview with Dave Reynolds "Contrary to what anyone may have told you, 'Metal Forces' coined the terms 'death metal' and 'thrash metal'. The former almost as a lighthearted piss-take to anything that sounded as bad as Hellhammer!". getreadytorock.com. Accessed April 10, 2008.
5. ^ #46, January 1990, page 24.
6. ^ ^{a b} Ritchie, Jason. (2003) Backstage heroes: interview with Dave Reynolds. getreadytorock.com. Accessed April 10, 2008.
7. ^ Metal Hammer. Bob Muldowney dies. metalhammer.co.uk. Accessed April 10, 2008.
8. ^ Doe, Bernard. (1985) "Celtic Frost". Metal Forces Magazine #14.
9. ^ Doe, Bernard. (2007). Hellhammer. Century Media Records. Accessed April 10, 2008.
10. ^ Putterford, Mark. Metallica Talking: Metallica in Their Own Words. 2004. Omnibus Press. ISBN 1844490998 p. 12.

External links

• Official Metal Forces MySpace Page