Synopses & Reviews
Welcome, all ye who dare enter
Sound of the Beast, the first definitive look at the madness and mayhem of heavy metal. From its cataclysmic beginning with Black Sabbath over 30 years ago to the hyperactive nu metal bands ripping apart the charts today, heavy metal has become the dominant musical force around the globe. Yet despite selling over a quarter-billion albums and breaking into new markets wherever it can be heard, there has never been a complete overview of metal's dark, powerful, and untamed history -- until now.
Pieced together through countless hours of research and first-hand accounts from the masters of met al themselves, Sound of the Beast reveals the underground history to the first three decades of headbanging mania. Included here are heavy metal's primitive origins; the rise and fall of MTV hair metal; Metallica's successful quest for world domination; the devilish frenzy of Florida death metal; the church-burning fever of Scandinavia's morbid teen terrorists; and metal's return to center stage at the hands of Ozzfest and Ozzy Osbourne. Plus, readers will get:
- 20 chapters based on interviews with Black Sabbath, Metallica, Slayer, W.A.S.P., Slipknot, and over 100 of heavy metal's greatest bands
- A timeline of the most explosive happenings in metal from 1970 to 2002
- Never-before-seen color photos and over 100 images from the metal revolution
- A listing of 25 heavy metal masterpieces that changed music history
- Genre boxes breaking down dozens of metal styles, from thrash and black metal to avant-garde and beyond, including essential CDs
- Exclusive insight from Chuck D of Public Enemy, Iron Maiden artist Derek Riggs, the directors of Paradise Lost, and more
With hairs bristling and fangs bared, Sound of the Beast is the must-read story of heavy metal for die-hard fans, fresh new converts, and musical thrill-seekers alike. Hear the call of the wild as this extreme, elusive, and ear-splitting form of music finally gets its justice, and leaves everyone in its wake banging their heads and flipping the devil sign for years to come.
Synopsis
More than 30 years after Ozzy Osbourne's Black Sabbath released the first complete heavy metal album, heavy metal CDs and ticket sales continue to dominate the charts. In this first comprehensive, chronological history, expert and journalist Ian Christe talked to the biggest bands of the genre -- Black Sabbath, Metallica, Judas Priest, Twisted Sister, Slipknot, Kiss, Megadeth, Public Enemy, Napalm Death, Anthrax, Slayer, Iron Maiden, and more -- to provide a rousing three-dimensional account of heavy metal music and the people who made it legend.
Ranging from metal's bootlegging beginnings to sold-out stadium tours, MTV hair metal to courtroom controversies, black metal murderers to Ozzfest, Sound of the Beast is the final word on music's elusive, extreme, and far-reaching genre -- complete with a historic timeline, chapter information boxes, and a list of the greatest metal albums of all time.
Synopsis
Heavy Metal began in chaos. A warpedguitar chord here, a battery of drums there, and the howling cry of painful souls that had never been heard before. Alone in their private darkness, these strange notes and twisted lyrics slowly began to converge, until one day they formed a new and wholly powerful musical force. To some it was the dark and frightening chant of the devil himself. But to the countless legions of heavy metal fans everywhere -- it was the ultimate explosion of thoughts, feelings, and images they could never verbalize for themselves.
It was the Sound of the Beast inside them all, and finally, it was allowed to come out and play -- with demonic eyes, razor-sharp claws, and a toothy smile that led the way to a headbanging revolution.
About the Author
Ian Christe grew up in the metal strongholds of New Mexico, Switzerland, Indiana, Germany, and Washington, his love of heavy metal beginning with his stint as a 13-year-old radio DJ. He co-wrote a policy book on electoral reform in 1992, then moved to New York City, and has since covered emerging technology and fringe culture for Reuters, Wired, and Salon.com. His hundreds of articles on heavy metal have appeared in Spin, AP, CMJ, Metal Maniacs, and the Trouser Press Guide to '90s Rock (Fireside, 1997) and been cited by the New York Times. His own digital metal as Dark Noerd is featured on the Gummo movie soundtrack (London Recs., 1996).