Drawn to Heavy - by Mark DeVito (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

Drawn to Heavy is the unlikely and inspiring story of legendary rock artist Mark DeVito, whose artwork became inseparable from the visual identity of heavy metal's biggest bands--from Metallica and Exodus to Motörhead and beyond--while he fought to survive the unpredictable realities of life as a working artist.

OVERVIEW

Before social media, before digital marketing, and before streaming, heavy metal spread through flyers stapled to telephone poles, hand-painted stage banners, album art, and concert shirts passed from fan to fan like secret handshakes.

For the San Francisco Bay Area thrash scene of the 1980s, much of that imagery came from one artist: Mark DeVito.

Growing up as an outsider in Berkeley, California, Mark found refuge in horror films, comic books, album covers, and the emerging sounds of heavy metal. What began with sketching band logos in school notebooks evolved into designing flyers, banners, and artwork for local bands such as Exodus, Legacy (later Testament), Lääz Rockit, and eventually Metallica as the Bay Area scene exploded into an international movement.

Over the following four decades, DeVito's work would appear alongside some of the biggest names in rock history, including Motörhead, Anthrax, Scorpions, Tesla, Public Enemy, Green Day, The Rolling Stones, and countless others. Along the way he navigated the volatile worlds of music merchandising, corporate art, underground culture, unemployment, family struggles, and personal reinvention.

Part coming-of-age story, part music history, and part memoir of perseverance, Drawn to Heavy offers an unforgettable backstage look at the artists who helped create the visual identity of heavy music while rarely receiving the spotlight themselves.

Review Quotes

"Creativity, intuition, vibe and fun. Working with Mark always gets you all of those things and more. His long history of iconic artwork speaks for itself but the excitement of collaborating in the process and watching him develop and refine his ideas into an amazing final product is equally as inspiring and impressive. Every project we've worked on has turned out better than I could have ever envisioned because of his keen eye and creative spirit. All his initial ideas are killer from the jump and whenever I've had any suggestions, he's come back with something more vivid and exciting than I could have imagined. To top it off, he always goes above and beyond in helping with all the final details of production, like getting the right formats and sizes to the right people when they need it, all the way down to finding the best companies to actually print the products. Mark is the best and I can't wait to work with him again!"----Dave Rude, Tesla, The Servants

"I first met DeVito back in 1982 when he was hired to paint Vic Agnello's Drum riser and some life size Pyro Skullies for an upcoming show in a backyard in Berkeley. He was a young kid who was an aspiring artist and eager to work. I remember him working tirelessly on this project and later did some banners for us as well. Throughout the years Mark has honed his craft digitally and it has been an honor to have him design our DVD cover for Live Untold and the album cover for Left for Dead and countless T-shirt designs and fliers. Watching his artwork evolve over the years has been very impressive fun to watch. We still work together to this day on various shirt projects and designs for all kinds of bands and business."----Aaaron Jellum, Lääz Rockit

"Mark and I have collaborated on different projects and designs over the years. Especially drum designs for Motörhead and Scorpions. Mark is great and an easy guy to work with and is top notch, and professional. I look forward to many interesting projects with my friend, Mark DeVito, in the future. Stay Heavy!"----Mikkey Dee, Motörhead, Scorpions, King Diamond, Dokken

"Mark DeVito has been as much a fixture of the Bay Area metal scene as the bands he created so much art for. Shirts, flyers, posters, for all of us. The thrash scene at home would have a much different look without his amazing artworks to represent the music we all love so much. Still going strong, his art is as timeless as the bands he's worked for all these years."----Gary Holt, Exodus, Slayer, author of A Fabulous Disaster: from the Garage to Madison Square Garden, the Hard Way

"When I think of Mark I think of a time when the ideas were flowing. We would talk about a concept and then he would mock something up and it would hit the bullseye. I loved the creations we did together, especially that Concert shirt with all those crazy artists on one bill We did some fun stuff!"----Charlie Benante, Anthrax

About the Author

Mark DeVito is an acclaimed illustrator and graphic designer whose artwork has appeared on album covers, tour merchandise, stage sets, fan club collectibles, and promotional campaigns for some of the world's most influential rock artists. Over a career spanning more than forty years, he has collaborated with Metallica, Motörhead, Ronnie James Dio, Green Day, Anthrax, Exodus, Testament, Primus, Jason Newsted, the Rolling Stones, Ozzy Osbourne, Tesla, Queensrÿche, and many others. His artwork for Motörhead--including the Motörizer and Bad Magic album campaigns--earned him recognition as one of Lemmy Kilmister's closest creative collaborators. A lifelong Bay Area metal fan whose career grew alongside the thrash movement, DeVito continues to create artwork for musicians while living in Oregon with his family. Drawn to Heavy is his first book.

Alex Skolnick is an acclaimed guitarist, composer, and author best known as the longtime lead guitarist of the pioneering thrash metal band Testament. Widely regarded as one of heavy metal's most influential guitarists, he has also earned international recognition as the leader of the Alex Skolnick Trio, blending jazz, rock, and world music into a distinctive instrumental style. Beyond his work as a performer, Skolnick is a respected educator, columnist, and speaker whose career has spanned decades of recording, touring, and musical innovation. He lives in New York City.