Metal Forces was well known for its coverage of unsigned bands through its Demolition feature and championed the likes of Metallica,[1] Slayer, Megadeth, HellsBelles, Overkill, Death and Poison long before they had secured record deals.

[4] A Metal Forces compiled vinyl album, Demolition – Scream Your Brains Out!, based on the magazine's popular Demolition column, was released in 1988 through Chain Reaction Records featuring Anacrusis, Atrophy, Hobbs' Angel of Death, Aftermath and the Chris Barnes fronted Leviathan.

In this period and for a brief time, Metal Forces launched the appreciated spin-off Thrash 'n Burn (later renamed Xtreme Noize).

In an interview, rock columnist Dave Reynolds indicated that the magazine was created in response to difficulties working with rival publication Kerrang!

[6] The magazine disseminated information about the metal music scene; in 2007, the senior VP of Roadrunner Records indicated that Metal Forces, along with similar publication Kick Ass, "was my Bible... the way I discovered new bands and fed my insatiable appetite for all things emerging in the underground".