The Encyclopedia of Heavy Metal

A Heavy Read

Daniel Bukszpan's The Encyclopedia of Heavy Metal is the second-heaviest book I've ever read. Now, this is no reflection whatsoever on its contents; at 4 pounds, 7.6 ounces, it literally has the second-greatest mass of any tome I've ever had to carry. (The heaviest was 1994's KISStory, a coffee-table book that was promoted as "weighing nine pounds," just in case you are one of those people who buy books with the intention of crushing rodents.) Sadly, I'm not sure who this oddly punctuated encyclopedia is supposed to appeal to, since most metal fans are either a) completely informed about every detail of every band they've ever liked, or b) getting drunk and rereading The Hobbit. Bukszpan's opinions are a tad sketchy (he consistently uses the modifier unquestionably about highly questionable things), and he's one of those guys who believes bands like Celtic Frost were better than bands like Poison, apparently because Celtic Frost sang about blood and snow. Still, this 300-page opus is worth checking out, and here's why: page 12. On page 12, there is a photograph of Ronnie James Dio holding a crystal ball, and it's just about the most awesome thing I've ever seen. This almost makes up for the fact that Bukszpan never mentions the Vinnie Vincent Invasion. Not even once.

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