NOW AVAILABLE!!!!! Murder In the Front Row: Bay Area Bangers and the Birth of Thrash Metal (Photo Book)

Finally! It feels like I've been waiting forever for them to unleash this killer photo book on us. Whether you were there or not, this book is a headbangers dream come true; its the closest thing we'll ever come to a time machine so soak it up you fuckers! But be sure to buy it directly from the publishers (cut out out the middle man) Bazillion Points, plus it's the ONLY way to get your hands on the limited edition, full color 26" x 11.5" two sided Exodus/Metallica dust jacket/poster. But don't take my word for it, check out what Bazillion Points owner and fellow metalhead Ian Christe has to say about it as he flips through and give us a peek inside this kick ass book.



ISBN 978-1-935950-03-5
Hardcover/ Approx. 288pp full color pages
Approx. 9.25″ x 11.5″

Legendary San Francisco Bay Area metal photographers Brian Lew (Whiplash fanzine) and Harald “O.” Oimoen (D.R.I.) have joined forces to create the large-format hardcover photo collection MURDER IN THE FRONT ROW: Bay Area Bangers and the Birth of Thrash Metal. Coming this fall from Bazillion Points Books, this intense look at early hardcore headbangers features some of the first photos of the Big Four and their extended family of thrash metal bands. With hundreds of candid, live, and studio shots, Lew and Oimoen celebrate the unique wild-eyed spirit and atmosphere of the historic S.F. Bay Area heavy metal scene: pinpointing clubs (The Old Waldorf, The Stone, Ruthie’s Inn, The Omni); hangouts (The Record Vault, the infamous Metallica Mansion); and beloved local figures like fearless stage diver Toby Rage, manager Debbie Abono, and the unrivaled metal ringmaster Paul Baloff of Exodus.

Among the jaw-dropping moments in heavy metal history on display: Cliff Burton’s first rehearsal with Dave Mustaine-era Metallica; Kerry King of Slayer performing with early Megadeth; Metallica and Slayer’s first Bay Area shows—including the very meeting of the two bands; original uncropped prints of Possessed’s blood-spattered Seven Churches band photo shoot; some of the earliest photos of Vio-lence and Death Angel; Testament (then called Legacy) dressed in early religious stage outfits; the crazed front row faces from legendary Ruthie’s Inn; and Metallica’s triumphant takeover of Day on the Green in 1985.

At roughly 300 pages, this incredible visual time capsule comes from a friendship that started when Lew and Oimoen first met as teenage metalheads. Both later contributed to Ron Quintana’s infamous Metal Mania fanzine.

“”I am so psyched on getting these photos out there. The camaraderie and great friendships forged between all the bands and the fans was so cool! There literally wasn’t much distinction between the two. Everybody was pals with everyone else, and it was a magical time to be a metalhead living in the Bay Area. People are gonna freak on what what we’re gonna show them. This is a dream come true!”—Harald Oimoen

“This will not be a history book, but rather a time machine back to the ‘bonded by blood’ days of the original Bay Area Metal scene. Before they played the Bay Area, Slayer wore makeup onstage—after that first Bay Area show they never wore makeup again. This book will show people why.”—Brian Lew

Check it out at:

Official Murder in the Front Row Website

Official Brazillion Points Website

Murder in the Front Row Facebook Page

Brazillion Points Facebook Page

HEAVY METAL MOVIES (Book): The 666 Most Headbanging Films of All-Time From Anvil to Zardoz, by Mike McPadden

ISBN 978-1-935950-06-6
Deluxe trade paperback with roughly 352pp plus color insert
Release Date: Fall 2012

Wherever heavy metal has gone, the movies have followed—and blazed ferocious new celluloid trails, from concert movies and trippy midnight flicks at the dawn of heaviosity, through inspirational depictions of ancient times and future armageddons, right up to the raw hand-held video productions of today.

Heavy Metal Movies rounds up, reviews, and canonizes all known incidents of the heavy metal in the motion pictures:

• Performance films
• Feature documentaries
• Occult rock-n-roll horror
• Headbanger characters
• Soundtrack standouts
• Namesake inspirations
• Lyrical references
• Aesthetic archetypes and more

As brash, irreverent and visceral as both the music and the movies themselves, Heavy Metal Movies is the ultimate guidebook to the complete molten musical cinema experience.

Mike McPadden is the head writer at MrSkin.com. In the 1990s, he published the glandmark sleaze-zine Happyland under the pen(is) name Selwyn Harris. Other gigs include Hustler, Celebrity Skin, and writing screenplays (both hard and softcore) for director Gregory Dark. Metal cred comes from manning rhythm guitar and mounting live nude sodomy circuses for Chicago psych-noise miscreants Gays in the Military throughout the 2000s.

Keep track of Heavy Metal Movies on Facebook
Or directly from the publisher Bazillion Points

Murder In the Front Row: Bay Area Bangers and the Birth of Thrash Metal (Photo Book)

ISBN 978-1-935950-03-5
Hardcover/ Approx. 288pp full color pages
Approx. 9.25″ x 11.5″

Legendary San Francisco Bay Area metal photographers Brian Lew (Whiplash fanzine) and Harald “O.” Oimoen (D.R.I.) have joined forces to create the large-format hardcover photo collection MURDER IN THE FRONT ROW: Bay Area Bangers and the Birth of Thrash Metal. Coming this fall from Bazillion Points Books, this intense look at early hardcore headbangers features some of the first photos of the Big Four and their extended family of thrash metal bands. With hundreds of candid, live, and studio shots, Lew and Oimoen celebrate the unique wild-eyed spirit and atmosphere of the historic S.F. Bay Area heavy metal scene: pinpointing clubs (The Old Waldorf, The Stone, Ruthie’s Inn, The Omni); hangouts (The Record Vault, the infamous Metallica Mansion); and beloved local figures like fearless stage diver Toby Rage, manager Debbie Abono, and the unrivaled metal ringmaster Paul Baloff of Exodus.

Among the jaw-dropping moments in heavy metal history on display: Cliff Burton’s first rehearsal with Dave Mustaine-era Metallica; Kerry King of Slayer performing with early Megadeth; Metallica and Slayer’s first Bay Area shows—including the very meeting of the two bands; original uncropped prints of Possessed’s blood-spattered Seven Churches band photo shoot; some of the earliest photos of Vio-lence and Death Angel; Testament (then called Legacy) dressed in early religious stage outfits; the crazed front row faces from legendary Ruthie’s Inn; and Metallica’s triumphant takeover of Day on the Green in 1985.

At roughly 300 pages, this incredible visual time capsule comes from a friendship that started when Lew and Oimoen first met as teenage metalheads. Both later contributed to Ron Quintana’s infamous Metal Mania fanzine.

“”I am so psyched on getting these photos out there. The camaraderie and great friendships forged between all the bands and the fans was so cool! There literally wasn’t much distinction between the two. Everybody was pals with everyone else, and it was a magical time to be a metalhead living in the Bay Area. People are gonna freak on what what we’re gonna show them. This is a dream come true!”—Harald Oimoen

“This will not be a history book, but rather a time machine back to the ‘bonded by blood’ days of the original Bay Area Metal scene. Before they played the Bay Area, Slayer wore makeup onstage—after that first Bay Area show they never wore makeup again. This book will show people why.”—Brian Lew

Check out: www.murderinthefrontrow.com

Slayer's Reign in Blood (33 1/3) - D.X. Ferris

Book review by: Blood Read (Amazon.com)

The typical analysis or oral history of SLAYER usually comes down to their passionate fans yelling out "F-KING SLAYER!" or people on the other side that dismiss them as childish. D.X. Ferris has delivered a fascinating read with much more substance.

Focused on the undeniable classic thrash album "Reign in Blood", Ferris explores everything about the band from the musical recording of the album, the always bizarre behind the scenes record industry maneuvering, and puts the career of a legendary band into perspective.

A thorough book about an iconic album which is their brutal masterpiece, with quotes from not only the band members and people who worked on the album, but a never-ending stream of metal peers and those influenced by this musical touchstone.

A mandatory (suicide) read for every SLAYER fan, and hopefully for those who write them off as Satanic Nazis and don't bother to learn more. A great read.

Mustaine: A Heavy Metal Memoir (Book)

Book review by Ben Apatoff at Metal Injection.

Even if his leering mug didn't greet you on the cover, any headbanger worth his horns could tell who wrote this book from the first sentence of its first real paragraph: "JAMES HETFIELD, who used to be one of my best friends, as close as a brother, once observed with some incredulity that I must have been born with a horseshoe up my ass."

MEGADETH's DAVE MUSTAINE never forgot that he was expelled from METALLICA years ago, and he won't let anyone else forget, seemingly unable to get through an interview without mentioning his former bandmates. It's also the tip of the iceberg for Mustaine, whose brashness, ego and flat-out craziness makes him one of metal's most fascinating figures, and makes his memoir a blast to read. "Meet the real me," indeed.

Calling Dave Mustaine a drama magnet would be an understatement. From growing up under an abusive father in California to a nearly-fatal amount of drug use to an arm injury that nearly ended his career, he's had anything but a smooth ride. He fires musicians the way that George Steinbrenner fired coaches, seems to get in at least two fistfights per chapter, tags groupies like he's competing with MOTLEY CRUE and stands by his refusal to play with Satanic bands. Somehow he finds time to lead one of the greatest metal bands in history and reshape modern music with albums like Rust in Peace, but music is secondary here–Mustaine focuses more on debauchery and an almost comical amount of trash talk.

Few characters make it to the end of the book unscathed. AEROSMITH, Howard Stern, BILLY RAY CYRUS (!?) and scores of bandmates, girls, producers and music biz folks are subjected to Mustaine's venom, and poor DAVE ELLEFSON is labeled "a pathetic, ungrateful asshole." Some of Mustaine's rants seem fair (imagine JELLO BIAFRA being a long-winded moonbat!) and some of them probably aren't (the infamous "Hetfield kicked my dog" story is here in all its gossipy glory), but it never stops being entertaining.

Of course, there's plenty of bitterness about the other "M" word. Mustaine can't resist calling "Enter Sandman" a ripoff, enlightening us that he banged KIRK HAMMETT's "semiserious" squeeze, reminding us that he wrote the best songs on Kill 'Em All and going out of his way to detail more unflattering James and Lars stories than necessary. Maybe he needs to let go, but remind yourself that his desperate need to compete with Metallica resulted some astonishingly great music. Could there be a Rust in Peace if he weren't trying to outplay ...And Justice for All, or a Countdown to Extinction is he weren't trying to outsell the Black Album?

Unlike The Dirt or I am Ozzy, Mustaine isn't revelatory enough hold much interest to anyone who isn't already a fan. But for those of us who grew up in awe of MegaDave's talent and embarrassed by his tactlessness, Mustaine is a perfect summer read.

To Live Is to Die: The Life and Death of Metallica's Cliff Burton (Book)

By P. Rodriguez (Amazon.com book review)

Well, it has taken nearly 23years, but Clifford Lee Burton has finally gotten some of the respect he deserves, a book dedicated to his life, thanks to Joel McIver. All these years, we only had the Cliff 'Em All Video and brief commentary that you would see on Metallica documentaries. Sadly enough, Cliff was just a mere side note and almost always glossed over, which gave the newer Metallica fans a false sense of how the band developed their style and attitude, which in return, outraged the old fans.

The book did a good job detailing Cliff's days before he joined Metallica, with his musical training that was inspired by the death of his older brother and the support he had from his parents Jan and Ray Burton. The book also touches on his bands prior to Metallica, which were Easy Street and most notably Trauma. McIver details all of the tracks that Cliff played on, with moderate bass detail from Kill 'Em All through Master of Puppets. The only omission would be the Creeping Death 12" single, in which Am I Evil? and Blitzkrieg were on the B-side.

A lot of the quotes from Cliff and other people, I had heard many times and could practically finish the sentence, but there is very little to go on, being that Cliff didn't do many interviews. I only wished there were more recounts from people and bands he had toured with. I also found some date inconsistencies in the book. It was refreshing to hear some of the more recent recounts from people like Ron Quintana, Harold O, Brian Slagel, Fred Cotton and some of his earliest friends.

To me, the memories and testimony from Corinne Lynn, Cliff's girlfriend, is what made the book special. The last part of the book unfortunately dealt with a lot of "what if" scenarios that I could of done without, but it ended on an extremely heart felt recollection from Corrinne, that shed more insight on Cliff Burton the human being, which left me very sad.