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 Underground profiles 600 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. Fans remember these bands with joy. Collectors seek these records like the Holy Grail. And in Heroes of the Metal Underground, author Alex Anesiadis compiles the details of these bands and their records. Whether you’re a true or baby metalhead, Heroes of the Metal Underground will become your guide to all things metal.

The Merciless Book of Metal Lists is an irreverent and illustrated compendium of the most random, funny, and challenging information about Heavy Metal from the last 40 years. You want to know which Metal albums “jumped the shark”? Curious to know what non-Metal bands Metalheads love, which album covers feature goats, embarrassing Metal fashion faux pas, and the unfortunate original names Metal bands started with? This is the book. In addition to some highly opinionated lists, this energetically designed volume features quotes, short essays, iconic four-color photography, and contributions from notable metal personalities, including Eddie Trunk, Gary Holt (Exodus), and Scott Ian (Anthrax, S.O.D.), among others. Praise for The Merciless Book of Metal Lists: “Authors Howie Abrams and Sacha Jenkins have a fun time in this ‘most opinionated compendium ever written concerning heavy metal.’ The writers are die-hard fans and knowledgeable beyond reproach…the trivia and factoids here will help you hold your own at the next Dokken after-party.” —Newsday.com

"* * * * * *! The most incredible story in the history of music a?| a heavyweight book."-Kerrang! "An unusual combination of true crime journalism, rock and roll reporting and underground obsessiveness, Lords of Chaos turns into one of the more fascinating reads in a long time."-Denver Post A narrative feature film based on this award-winning book has just gone into production.

Featuring over 80 full-color portraits of the pioneering legends of American comic books, including publishers, editors and artists from the industry’s birth in the ’30s, through the brilliant artists and writers of behind EC Comics in the ’50s. All lovingly rendered and chosen by Drew Friedman, a cartooning legend in his own right. Featuring subjects popular and obscure, men and women, as well as several pioneering African-American artists. Each subject features a short essay by Friedman, who grew up knowing many of the subjects included (as the son of writer Bruce Jay Friedman), including Stan Lee, Harvey Kurtzman, Will Eisner, Mort Drucker, Al Jaffee, Jack Davis, Will Elder, and Bill Gaines. More names you might recognize: Barks, Crumb, Wood, Wolverton, Frazetta, Siegel & Shuster, Kirby, Cole, Ditko, Werthem… it’s a Hall of Fame of comic book history from the man BoingBoing.com call “America’s greatest living portrait artist!”

'The Scene That Would Not Die: Twenty Years of Post-Millennial Punk In The UK' is the fifth and final book in Ian Glasper's acclaimed series documenting the UK punk scene, bringing to a conclusion his in-depth analysis of this most underground musical genre, that began with 2003's 'Burning Britain: A History of UK Punk 1980 - 1984'. Featuring 111 bands active since 2000, hundreds of exclusive new interviews and previously unseen photos, this book explores the many insidious challenges faced by the scene: hedonism, nostalgia and apolitical apathy, not to mention coronavirus, Brexit and the rise of social media completely removing the mystique that drew many to punk rock in the first place. All could have derailed lesser genres, and there are indeed many detractors that have pronounced punk as a creative force dead in the water. But the reality - if you scratch beneath the surface - is that punk has gone underground once again, and is as vibrant and relevant as it's always been; there are still thousands of angry youths making vital music the length and breadth of the nation, and they still don't need permission from anyone to have their say. 648 pages. 234 x 156 x 40mm