Murder In The Front Row

Murder In The Front Row "The definitive story of the scene and what we managed to make of it here in the Bay Area.”—Kirk Hammett, Metallica

http://www.murderinthefrontrow.com

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

Today in 1985 in Oakland. The day that changed everything... IYKYK. Photos by Harald O. from this day can be seen in the...
08/31/2026

Today in 1985 in Oakland. The day that changed everything... IYKYK. Photos by Harald O. from this day can be seen in the pages of Murder In The Front Row!

Band name: MetallicaDate: August 31, 1985Event name: MTV's Day On...

Congratulations to our friend and the narrator of the Murder In The Front Row movie Brian Posehn on his latest hit show!
08/23/2026

Congratulations to our friend and the narrator of the Murder In The Front Row movie Brian Posehn on his latest hit show!

The type of love they write songs about.

Today at the legendary Day In The Dirt show in Berkeley: The artist Pushead was in the crowd watching Slayer… Can you fi...
08/20/2026

Today at the legendary Day In The Dirt show in Berkeley: The artist Pushead was in the crowd watching Slayer… Can you find him? Photo by Harald O.

Today in 1984 at Aquatic Park in Berkeley: Day In The Dirt! The legendary “Woodstock moment” for the original Bay Area M...
08/20/2026

Today in 1984 at Aquatic Park in Berkeley: Day In The Dirt! The legendary “Woodstock moment” for the original Bay Area Metal Scene. Were you there? Photos by Harald O. and Brian Lew from the pages of Murder In The Front Row.

Did you know there are 28 bonus features on the Murder In The Front Row DVD / Blu-Ray that total over 90 minutes of addi...
07/11/2026

Did you know there are 28 bonus features on the Murder In The Front Row DVD / Blu-Ray that total over 90 minutes of additional footage? This is basically a 2nd movie! What's your favorite bonus segment? We'll start: Ruthie's Inn Bathroom!

Today in 2012 at Metallica's Orion Fest: Murder co-author Brian was invited to participate in a Q&A with fans moderated ...
06/23/2026

Today in 2012 at Metallica's Orion Fest: Murder co-author Brian was invited to participate in a Q&A with fans moderated by our old friend Steffan Chirazi. Who else was in Atlantic City that epic weekend?

“Battery is found in me.” Who knows what legendary venue was on this street?
06/19/2026

“Battery is found in me.” Who knows what legendary venue was on this street?

40 years ago tonight: Cliff played his final hometown show.
06/17/2026

40 years ago tonight: Cliff played his final hometown show.

Happy Birthday to Tom Araya! Photos from the pages of Murder by Harald Oimoen and Brian Lew
06/06/2026

Happy Birthday to Tom Araya! Photos from the pages of Murder by Harald Oimoen and Brian Lew

Gary Holt gave a cool shout out to some of the old Bay Area OGs - including Murder co-authors Harald Oimoen and Brian Le...
06/03/2026

Gary Holt gave a cool shout out to some of the old Bay Area OGs - including Murder co-authors Harald Oimoen and Brian Lew - at the return of Exodus to the legendary Mabuhay Gardens last weekend.

ExodusHell's Breath/ImpalerLive @ Mabuhay GardensSan Francisco, California5-30-26

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