Metal Forces - Background

Background

Metal Forces was created in 1983 by Bernard Doe, with the first issue released in Autumn 1983. Articles covered and promoted mainly bands that were relatively unknown at the time. Metal Forces aided greatly in promoting unknown bands and heavy metal and hard rock during the 1980s and early 1990s, becoming one of UK's top music magazines during that period.

During the early 1990s, Metal Forces changed from their policy of balancing their articles between established and unknown bands, to a style which covered more mainstream and famed rock and heavy metal bands. The changes implemented were not profitable and the magazine lost readers and advertisers. In this period and for a brief time, Metal Forces launched the appreciated spin-off Thrash 'n Burn. Metal Forces released seventy-two issues and ceased publication in 1992. As of 2012, Metal Forces launched its official website online, which has information from its magazine issues and new information and coverage of bands.

In an interview, rock columnist Dave Reynolds indicated that the magazine was created in response to difficulties working with rival publication Kerrang! 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! 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 Kick Ass, "was my Bible... the way I discovered new bands and fed my insatiable appetite for all things emerging in the underground".