Founded in 1989 by Mike 'G' Greenblatt and Katherine Ludwig of Metal Shop. Where its sister publication
Metal Edge largely covered
glam metal,
Metal Maniacs focused largely on covering the more extreme sub-genres of heavy metal such as
thrash and
death metal genres. Originally a
Sterling publication, it was acquired by
Zenbu Media in February 2007. The magazine's editorial board was based in
Manhattan,
New York City, and published ten issues per year. In contrast to
Metal Edge, which largely consisted of pinup photos of the era's more commercial stars such as
Bon Jovi and
Poison,
Metal Maniacs focused predominantly on
thrash metal bands and aimed to "treat (metal fans) like human beings that might possibly have something to say," according to Ludwig. The magazine featured a letters section in which serious discussions about the metal scene and politics could take place. Ludwig also used the publication as a personal pulpit of sorts, stating "I also liked to get in something about vegetarianism, hemp, feminism, and freedom of speech when I could." In February 2009, it was announced that publisher Zenbu Media would cease publication of
Metal Maniacs, along with the magazine's larger, more renowned sister publication,
Metal Edge. == Digital relaunch ==