At its inception, Powerline was edited by Dean Papazidis and Patrick Prince,[2] also a US correspondent for British publication Metal Forces.

The first issue's cover story was an interview with SPV recording artists Sortilège.

[2] For the first three years, the magazine was distributed independently through record stores across the Tri-State area.

Originally priced at $2 and consisting of a 32-page black and white folio, it started incorporating color photography in year two.

[4] In September 2011, Prince revived the Powerline name with a website, Powerlinemag.com, which mostly features contemporary concert reviews as well as classic interviews from the magazine's archive.