Choosing Death: The Improbable History of Death Metal and Grindcore

In 1986, it was unimaginable that death metal and grindcore music would ever impact popular culture. Yet this amalgam of hardcore punk and heavy metal would endure for years to come. Initially circulated through an underground tape-trading network by scraggly slackers, this new genre of music spread rapidly as bands rose from every corner of the globe. This exciting history, featuring an introduction by famed DJ John Peel, tells the two-decade-long history of these underground genres through the eyes and ringing ears of the artists, producers, and label owners - past and present - who propelled them. The book covers the scene in every dark detail, from its late '70s beginnings in the U.K.'s anarcho-punk scene, to the early '80s American version that featured unplayable - and to some, unlistenable - riffs, to legendary groups like Napalm Death and Godflesh, to the genre's alleged death and resurrection in the late 1990s.

"Mainstream rock fans may not be familiar with Cannibal Corpse, Napalm Death or Carcass, but over the past 20 years these groups' blend of punk and heavy metal — their grisly lyrics, mile-a-minute rhythms and macabre album art — have found an enthusiastic, loyal fan base of mostly young, almost exclusively male listeners. Mudrian, editor-in-chief of Decibel magazine, condenses painstaking and lengthy interviews to create this informative history of death metal, covering the genre's origin in small clubs and basements on two continents; its spike in popularity and major-label interest circa 1992 ('Godflesh could be the next Nine Inch Nails'); the relative obscurity that followed; and the music's rebirth in recent years. What's astonishing is how normal so many of the featured players seem: behind the facade of Satan-worshipping, gore-flinging aggression, they're mostly a bunch of hardworking dudes who love the music and the outlet it provides for pent-up anger and energy. Mudrian aims largely at fans, and his exhaustive research may tire readers who bring nothing but curiosity to the book. New death metal fans, conversely, will read with an eye to expanding their collections, while older listeners will undoubtedly enjoy the memories and the gossip, along with the fanzine-quality band photos that complement text throughout. John Peel, one of Great Britain's most respected and influential DJs, offers an entertaining introduction. (Nov.) The debate goes on — no, not the election debate, the one about Oprah's Book Club. Was it a positive force in the literary education of American women? Or was it a vote for middle- or even low-brow culture, to be scorned by the truly literate? While two new studies don't agree on every point, they do agree that Oprah's Book Club was revolutionary, and they take a positive view of its 'democratizing' impact." Publishers Weekly (Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information, Inc.)

This exciting history tells the two-decade-long history of the underground death metal and grindcore genres through the eyes and ringing ears of the artists, producers, and label owners--past and present--who propelled them.