On February 21st, 2015, DMR Books will release their first publication entitled
Swords of Steel, an anthology of fantasy/horror adventure stories in the tradition of Robert E. Howard, Michael Moorcock, George R.R. Martin, and H.P. Lovecraft.
The book will be “mass market” size (6.5” x 4.25”
, 250 pages, in the tradition of the classic paperbacks from the ‘60s and ‘70s. The stories in this collection are written by members of such underground heavy metal bands as Manilla Road, Bal-Sagoth, Solstice, Cauldron Born, Twisted Tower Dire, and others.
“I got the idea while listening to Manowar's "Dark Avenger." I thought the lyrics would make a great story that could have been in an anthology from the '70s like
Swords Against Darkness. Then I wondered if any bands had ever written stories, and the idea took off from there.” - Dave Ritzlin (DMR Books editor and publisher)
"Dave agreed to let me do a Lovecraft-style story instead of heroic fantasy as that's where my heart is right now with writing. I agonized over this story, poured my heart into it, and went temporarily insane during its creation. Many aspects of it were derived from my life. I'm interested to see how the other lyricists approached this project and how it's received in-general by the public." – Scott Waldrop (TTD)
Swords of Steel also includes interior illustrations and maps, poems by Sean Weingartner (Eternal Champion) and Howie Bentley (Cauldron Born), a non-fiction essay by historical novelist M Harold Page, and an introduction by David C. Smith, author of such sword and sorcery novels as
Oron, The Sorcerer’s Shadow, and the Red Sonja series. Cover art is provided by Martin Hanford who has illustrated Warhammer novels for Games Workshop as well as covers for a number of bands including Twisted Tower Dire, Bal-Sagoth, and Slough Feg.
“I'm so honored to be a part of this book. I approached Dave about adding some poetry and he graciously accepted. This is my first writing in 20 years.” - Sean Weingartner (Eternal Champion)
Swords of Steel is planned to be followed annually by more anthologies of fictional stories from bands of the music genre.
“Who better to return traditional fantasy to its former glory than the heavy metal bards?” - Dave Ritzlin
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