There comes a point in every artistic movement that divides what has come before from what will henceforth be. Painting had the Mona Lisa. Cinema had Citizen Kane. Video gaming had the Power Glove. The zenith of nerd metal was reached in 1987, with the release of Anthrax's Among the Living. With two songs inspired by Stephen King, one straight edge anthem, and cover art featuring the scary guy from Poltergeist II, the album was a reflection of everything founders Scott Ian and Charlie Benante were into at the time. However, the band took metal nerd metal into the stratosphere with "I Am the Law." Right down to their Ninja Turtle guitars, Anthrax were well-known as comic book fans. A U. K. tour must have spurred their obsession with Judge Dredd. Dredd, psychotic lawman and fixture of the British anthology 2000 A. D., was an eerily-accurate reflection of American society. His take-no-prisoners style of law enforcement clicked with Ian and Benante in much the same way Clint Eastwood had served as the basis for their earlier song, "Lone Justice." Up to that point, Anthrax had followed more closely in the footsteps of other thrash bands. Among the Living would introduce the world to songs more closely attuned to their songwriters' personalities. Anthrax made it cool for metalheads to flaunt their nerdiness. "I Am the Law" became, arguably, Anthrax's most popular song, a fact that was soon noticed by American comics companies as well as Hollywood. It was the beginning of a ripple effect for the Judge Dredd character, one that continues to this day. Which are your favourite Nerd Metal anthems? Share your own picks below in the comments thread.
Check out "The Champ" by my alter ego, Greg Forrest, in Heater #12, at http://fictionmagazines.com.
I used to do a mean Glenn Danzig impression. Now I just hang around and co-host The Workprint podcast at http://southboundcinema.com/.
