Heroes of the Metal Underground
The Definitive Guide to 1980s American Independent Metal Bands
Alexandros Anesiadis
Feral House
With his first two titles, Crossover the Edge (2019) and We Can Be the New Wind (2022), European author Alexandros Anesiadis proved his personal passion for and vast knowledge of the old-school underground hardcore / punk scene. In 2023, Anesiadis sums up his entire current mission statement with crystal-like clarity in the title of the recently-released Heroes of the Metal Underground: The Definitive Guide to 1980s American Independent Metal Bands.
To say that Anesiadis’ latest work is “exhaustive” would be to understate his impressive effort. Clocking in at over 500 pages, Heroes features entries on a staggering 130 bands. Packed with informative bios, promo pics, album art, live shots, artist interviews, and author insights, Heroes reminds us of, and pays tribute to, the unsung “heroes” — the hard-working DIY underground American metal bands that dragged their creative dicks boldly and bravely through piss, gravel, and broken glass during the oft-less-than-receptive, more-embarrassing-than-ever Bon Jovi-crazed era.
Kicking off with a fascinating foreword from Virgin Steele frontman, David DeFeis, Heroes is a thorough encyclopedia-type account, resulting in a riveting and authentic, one-of-a-kind read — an absolute must for many like-minded enthusiasts — and just in time for the heavy metal Christmas shopping season. Bravo!
