Murder in the Front Row: Bay Area Bangers and the Birth of Thrash Metal

During the early 1980s, when heavy metal was defined by MTV and mile-high hair, San Francisco’s small community of dedicated headbangers scorned image and instead risked life and limb in search of the ultimate in musical thrills. Locals Exodus and Los Angeles transplants Metallica reigned in small clubs like the Old Waldorf, The Stone, and the infamous East Bay bastion of heaviness, Ruthie’s Inn. Thrash metal upstarts Slayer and Megadeth found a second home in the Bay Area, while a homegrown breed of tempo-crazed teenagers like Legacy, Possessed, Death Angel, Heathen, and Vio-lence brought Bay Area thrash metal to critical mass.

Photographers Harald Oimoen and Brian Lew were dodging bodies from the very start, in front of the stage, backstage, and on the stage itself. They captured the public victories and private parties of a scene where fans and musical idols were equally hellbent on faster, heavier music and endless outrageous fun. Oimoen and Lew fought on the frontline of a war for individuality, snapping frame by frame as thrash metal was born, along with stagediving, crowd-walking, and countless other magical moments filled with key local personalities. Somewhere along the way, Oimoen and Lew’s friends in Metallica, Slayer, and Megadeth became legends.

Today, the Big Four thrash metal bands pictured in this book are the reigning elder statesmen of heavy metal. Their fellow ragers in Exodus, D.R.I., Testament, Death Angel, Possessed, and Forbidden remain ambassadors of a Bay Area metal scene that continues to thrive and command fascination around the world. This stunning volume collects over 400 amazing color and black-and-white photos, plus passionate personal accounts by Bay Area veterans Harald Oimoen, Brian Lew, Ron Quintana of Metal Mania, Gary Holt of Exodus, Alex Skolnick of Testament, and Robb Flynn of Machine Head. From DIY origins to world domination, the Bay Area thrash metal scene screams to life in these fearless pages.

“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

Top 15 Books of 2011, Guitar World

The Most Metal Books of 2011, Revolver

Book of the Year, 20 Buck Spin

Awesome” Robb Flynn, Machine Head

Awesome” Brian Slagel, Metal Blade Records

"Awesome" Phil Demmel, Machine Head

F------ awesome” Kerry King, Slayer

Great” Lars Ulrich, Metallica

"Great book!" Jean-Yves "Blacky" Thériault, Voivod

AMAZING” Alex Skolnick, Testament

Thank you for writing this book! It’s the definitive story of the scene and what we managed to make of it here in the Bay Area.” Kirk Hammett, Metallica

Murder in the Front Row captures the true essence of thrash metal in its embryonic stage. These photographs take me on a tour down memory lane, bringing back many laughs and prompting comments like: I don’t remember that!’” Dave Lombardo, Slayer

"I strongly recommend this book for anyone interested in the early days of California thrash metal. It's great looking at pictures of myself with that poodle perm I had in 1982!" Ron McGovney, Metallica

"Serious Pulitzer material." Creative Loafing

"By far, the greatest photo book on any music scene I've ever seen. The bands themselves couldn't have put out a more exhaustive and detailed account of the period." The Huffington Post [CA]

A photographic odyssey through the inception of Bay Area thrash” San Francisco Chronicle

Gorgeous” SF Weekly

A collection of stunning, intimate photographs from the infancy of thrash metal.” SF Bay Guardian

Vivid images of thrash bands onstage, backstage, at drinking binges and essentially everywhere else” Metro Silicon Valley

The authentic, heads-down attack of a raft of seminal bands is superbly captured” PopMattters

"This is a gift from the metal gods themselves... you need this book in your life right now." Terrorizer [5/5 review]

"Gaze ye into Harald Oimoen and Brian Lew's tome of the Bay Area's thrash breeding grounds and you might never wake up. It's mostly early Slayer and Metallica gunning, but it still feels like a window onto Asgard." Metal Hammer

"Probably the best photographs of thrash metal's mythic birthing that have ever existed. You should do yourself a favor and pick up Murder In the Front Row immediately." Noisey

"Perhaps the final word on thrash metal’s humble beginnings... a true joy" The Montreal Mirror

"Pure gold for metal fans" Decibel Magazine

"A thick, beautiful book that captures a special moment in time" A.P.

"KILLER photos [a] must read book." AOL Noisecreep

"Granted, much of what’s being shown is beer bottles, sneers and middle fingers, but it sure does tell a story." The Maine Edge

Enormous historic intensity on every page every image in Murder in the Front Row hits you like brass knuckles.” Sweden Rock [10/10 review]

"Awesome... I give this book my highest rating." MAXIMUM ROCKNROLL

Harald O., the craziest photographer of all” BAM