Born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, Brian Lew first discovered European heavy metal in the import bins of Tower Records in the early 1980s. Motörhead and Iron Maiden changed his life. While still in high school, he started taking concert photos. He contributed to Ron Quintana’s legendary Metal Mania fanzine, and later published Whiplash fanzine with the late Sam Kress. He currently runs the popular Ümlaut Archives blog. He once had his glasses broken in the pit during an Exodus show at Ruthie’s Inn.