Tag Archives: metal maniacs magazine

“Metal Maniacs” Founder Katherine Ludwig Passes Away (1/30/2015)

Logo - Metal Maniacs

We would like to take a moment and offer up respectful condolences on the passing of Katherine Ludwig, a former editor and founder of the great “Metal Maniacs” magazine. Katherine left this plane early yesterday afternoon ending her battle with non-Hodgkins Lymphoma and while we had never met in person, her work and zeal for Metal in this role was unparalleled for sure. Cancer really sucks.

Photo - Katherine Ludwig

Katherine started Metal Maniacs magazine back in 1989 with Mike Greenblatt and it focused on the more Extreme side of Metal than its counterpart Metal Edge. Ludwig was no longer involved in the magazine when it was purchased in 2007 and eventually ceased production in 2009. PiercingMetal.com was closing in on being four years old when this magazine went away but its earliest impacting difference upon the scene and the unrelenting efforts for the music that Katherine put out there will forever remain a part of Metal history. That is a great legacy.

On behalf of my PiercingMetal site I wish all of Katherine’s family, friends and business associates some strength at this very hard time. May she Rest In Peace.

PiercingMetal’s “Best Of” 2009: The Books and Videos

I know what you are thinking, gee Ken you guys sure did like a lot of stuff over the course of 2009 and you are not kidding. This will be my last installment from the “Best Of” rundowns and we will not only cover the videos and books that we enjoyed the most but also will line out a bunch of the things that disappointed us here at the Metal Media Command HQ. DVD releases continued to impress and amaze as not only were new and exciting videos being released but also a number of cool historical archives had finally come to see the light of day. We reviewed quite a bit of them this year and still have a number of them to go but the list below focuses on some of our favorites which we made sure to line out first to be a part of this list. Let’s take a look.

The Best DVD’s of 2009:

Iron Maiden “Flight 666” (Universal Music): Maiden’s documentary about their “Somewhere Back In Time” World Tour that discussed how the band flew their own airplane to dozens of countries to deliver the Metal to the faithful believers has to be seen to be believed. Filmed by the famous Sam Dunn of “Headbanger’s Journey” fame.

Anvil: “The Story Of Anvil” (VH1 Classic Records): Anvil finally gets their due and some proper attention based on this fine documentary film by Sasha Gervasi.

Journey “Live In Manila” (Wal-Mart): If you didn’t get enough of Arnel Pineda when Journey delivered us “Generations” then wait till you get a load of him doing his thing in his home country, the Philippines. This show rocks and the crowd was going crazy for their countryman as he led this legendary band into the future.

Rick Wakeman “The Six Wives Of Henry XIII” (Eagle Vision): Former Yes keyboard wizard gets to fulfill a dream performance and we are members of the audience thanks to this special DVD release. A companion CD was also offered and this is a must for the legends fans.

ZZ Top “Double Down Live” (Eagle Vision): This DVD presented not one, but two performances from ZZ Top and while one comes from recently, it is the vintage show from 1980 that is the one to appreciate most. There isn’t a lot of footage of the band that’s been made public, so this was something that many classic rock and blues rock fans can appreciate quite a bit.
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RIP: Metal Edge & Metal Maniacs Magazine (2/3/2009)

Sigh.

They say that all good things must come to an end and I guess that the statement is true because it was just about ten days ago when an email had been sent out by our good friend Liz Ciaravella about the discontinuation of both Metal Edge and Metal Maniacs magazines by their publishers over at Zenbu Media. Having been out all that day I missed the actual message and found out this news while attending a rousing performance by The Answer over at Mercury Lounge later that evening. “Did you hear about Metal Maniacs and Metal Edge???” everyone said; and for those who had not yet heard the news their expression was one of shock and dismay. After digesting this news from the other members of the media I frequently see and break bread with I decided to compose some thoughts about the whole thing but instead of jumping into the fray like some of my fellow websites and blog enterprises I opted to wait and see what came in the immediate days following.

Fast forward to now, and yes it is clearly the truth and quite literally the book was being closed in terms of the apparent future of these two esteemed Heavy Metal magazines that for so many years were cited as being leaders of the pack. While this news does suck for many it does make a lot of sense when one analyzes the way things are moving forward in terms of available technology and how different the consumer acts as opposed to the way they functioned during each of these magazines earlier years. The times are far different today than the way my peers and I satisfied our Metal needs in terms of magazines that is.
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”Metal Edge” & “Metal Maniacs” Magazines by Various Creatives

Artist: Various Artists
Title: ”Metal Edge” & “Metal Maniacs” Magazines
Publisher: Dorchester Media
Release Date:
Genre: Heavy Metal
Rating: Excellent

When you are seeking a hefty dose of Metal in a print publication then there are two places that you can do it – the pages of Metal Edge and Metal Maniacs magazine. These two periodicals are loaded to the hilt with just what the doctor ordered to sate the hungriest of Heavy Metal appetites. Both magazines are published by Dorchester Media and each of them offers a particular reader demographic an excellent focus on the bands that they hold in the highest regard. Each delivers comprehensive coverage on the scene as well as interviews, reviews and photos – here is a little more about each particular magazine to help you better choose which serves your own needs.
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