I'm the Man is the fast-paced, humorous, and revealing memoir from the man who cofounded Anthrax, the band that proved to the masses that brutality and fun didn't have to be mutually exclusive. Through various lineup shifts, label snafus, rock'n' roll mayhem, and unforeseen circumstances galore, Scott Ian has approached life and music with a smile, viewing the band with deadly seriousness while recognizing the ridiculousness of the entertainment industry. Always performing with abundant energy that revealed his passion for his craft, Ian has never let the gravity of being a rock star go to his shaven, goateed head. I'm the Man is a blistering hard rock memoir, one that is astonishing in its candour and deftly told by the man who's kept the institution of Anthrax alive for more than thirty years.

This book defines the key ideas, scholarly debates, and research activities that have contributed to the formation of the international and interdisciplinary field of Metal Studies. Drawing on insights from a wide range of disciplines including popular music, cultural studies, sociology, anthropology, philosophy, and ethics, this volume offers new and innovative research on metal musicology, global/local scenes studies, fandom, gender and metal identity, metal media, and commerce. Offering a wide-ranging focus on bands, scenes, periods, and sounds, contributors explore topics such as the riff-based song writing of classic heavy metal bands and their modern equivalents, and the musical-aesthetics of Grindcore, Doom metal, Death metal, and Progressive metal. They interrogate production technologies, sound engineering, album artwork and band promotion, logos and merchandising, t-shirt and jewellery design, and fan communities that define the global metal music economy and subcultural scene. The volume explores how the new academic discipline of metal studies was formed, also looking forward to the future of metal music and its relationship to metal scholarship and fandom. With an international range of contributors, this volume will appeal to scholars of popular music, cultural studies, and sociology, as well as those interested in metal communities around the world.

(FAQ). Unlike any Sabbath book thus far, Black Sabbath FAQ digs deep into quirks, obscure anecdotes, and burning questions surrounding the Sabs. In a fast-moving, topical format, this book covers a tremendous amount of information, delectable to any Sabbath fan, but hard to find in a traditional biography. This rich history lives and breathes and shouts right here. And the voice behind it could not be stronger: Martin Popoff is a heavy metal expert who has authored over 30 books on the subject, including Doom Let Loose, which is widely considered the definitive biography of the band. In Black Sabbath FAQ, Popoff is like a rabid detective unearthing (and sometimes debunking) ancient lore, valiantly covering new ground, applying academic rigor, but then wildly sounding off with lurid opinion. The pendulum swings, and, though disoriented, the serious Sabbath studier is better for it come the book's doomy conclusion. Dozens of images of rare memorabilia make this book a must-have for fans.

Heavy metal is a mythical genre of heroes, outlaws, ominous gods, grotesques, and monsters. It is a proud world of intense battles with chaos and confrontation with modern alienation. Myth pervades heavy metal. Its visual elements draw upon the horror story or film, suggesting chaos and disruption. It calls forth images of Promethean rebellion and mythic heroism, adopting a proud and determined oppositional stance to the conventional. It often intends to appear ominous, threatening, and disturbing. Heavy metal is in dialogue with our contemporary world. When its discourse of power and imagination appeals to ancient mythology, heavy metal offers us fresh perspectives on our current situation. Myths seek to take us beyond ordinary perception. Mythic stories, however fantastic, connect with human experience. They are revised and retold across generations and these revisions bring the myths alive within each new cultural context. Myths, legends, and folk tales may be recited or sung for the delight of audiences. They are entertaining and also can be told for a serious purpose. Rock song lyrics are a form of popular literature that suggest attitudes or tell stories and continue myth's involvement in creating meaning. Previous book-length studies have tended to investigate heavy metal from the perspectives of sociology, musicology, or cultural studies. There has also been much work in psychology on the impact of heavy metal on youth. This study of myth and metal is an attempt to approach heavy metal primarily from a mythological and literary perspective.

The lead guitarist of Grammy Award-winning mega-band KoRn tells the incredible story of his life after leaving the hardcore music scene and of God leading him back to the band-now in paperback. He left KoRn to help himself. He went back to help others. And along the way, he nearly lost everything. A life-changing spiritual awakening freed Brian "Head" Welch from a stranglehold of drugs and alcohol and prompted him to leave the highly successful nu-metal band KoRn in 2005. What followed was a decade-long trial by fire, from the perils of fathering a teen lost in depression and self-mutilation to the harsh realities of playing solo and surviving the shattering betrayal of a trusted friend. In this intensely inspiring redemption saga, perhaps most inspiring is Brian's radical decision to rejoin KoRn and reconcile with the tribe of people he once considered family in the metal music scene. Brian returned to his musical roots with a clear head and a devoted heart. Though his story is wild, hilarious, and deeply poignant, the message is simple: God will love you into the freedom of being yourself, as long as you keep the relationship going and never, ever quit.

"Louder Than Hell" is an examination of the cultural phenomenon of heavy metal, a much-maligned genre that has not only stood the test of time, but has metamorphosed with each new generation of bands and audiences. Unlike many forms of popular music, whose fans are fickle and transitory, metalheads tend to embrace their favorite bands and follow them over decades. Metal is not only a pastime for these people; it's a lifestyle and obsession that permeates every aspect of their being. The book will feature over 250 interviews conducted by renowned journalists Jon Wiederhorn and Katherine Turman over the past 25 years. The book will include candid and confessional commentary from late icons of the genre. In addition, the book will feature comprehensive interviews with established metal musicians discussing their often-traumatic upbringings, musical histories, battles with substance abuse, sexual exploits, plus expert analysis of the heavy metal scene from the '60s to the present. Industry insiders (managers, record label A and R people, family members, friends, scenesters, groupies, journalists, porn stars and tattoo artists) will provide additional insight.

Zakk Wylde - the man, the guitar god, the legend - invites all who dare to follow onto the tour bus for tales of glory, debauchery and metal mayhem. Ever wondered what really goes on behind tour bus windows and backstage doors, or what inspiration fuels a mind-blowing metal display? The content of these pages will make you wish you never asked. Among deranged tales of onstage indecent exposure and booze-fuelled destruction, Zakk leads you on a Journey to Valhalla, where your metal awakening awaits. For the aspiring Metal Musician, you'll be lucky enough to get Zakk's exclusive tips on how not to make it in the music business, how to survive decades on tour with the Prince of Darkness, Ozzy Osbourne, as well as useful tips on how to set up a shooting range on a tour bus and survive the mosh pit. Aspire to reach new heights of metal mayhem. Get on the bus and get ready for the Metal ride of your life.

"DEE'S NOT GONNA TAKE IT"""
As lead singer and songwriter of Twisted Sister, Dee Snider became the poster boy for heavy metal, hair bands, and the wild side of rock. Now, in his twisted new memoir, he reveals the real stories behind the crazy makeup, the big hair, and badass hits like "We're Not Gonna Take It" and "I Wanna Rock."
A classically trained countertenor who sang with his high school choir, Dee remembers the day he decided he was "not gonna take it" and stopped caring what people thought about him. Following in the footsteps of his idols Alice Cooper and Black Sabbath, Dee jumped from band to band before meeting Jay Jay French and Twisted Sister. But it wasn't until he met his costume-designing soul-mate Suzette that they developed his unique style. Dee's hard work finally paid off with an impressive resume that includes: a monster hit record; smash MTV videos; a long-running radio show, "The House of Hair"; appearances in film ("Pee Wee's Big Adventure, Howard Stern's Private Parts, StrangeLand") and television ("Growing Up Twisted, Celebrity Apprentice"); and a starring role in Broadway's "Rock of Ages." He even authored a teenage survival guide that was required reading in Russia
In his journey from every parent's worst teenage nightmare to Renaissance man, Dee avoided the usual pitfalls associated with rock stars. But that didn't stop Tipper Gore and the Parents Music Resource Center from targeting him--a fight that led him to testify before Congress with Frank Zappa. He may have been slapped with a Parental Advisory warning label, but, through it all, Dee stayed positive and focused on being the best he could be.
Filled with entertaining anecdotes and candid confessions, "Shut Up and Give Me the Mic "takes you through the good times and bad with a heavy metal star who worked as hard as he played, and who did it all for his wife, four kids, and millions of "SMF" (Sick Mother F******) fans
"This story is mine."
"I'm the guy that gave it all to beat the odds, left everything he had on the stage each night, didn't screw around on his woman, took care of his kids, and was sober enough to remember it all and write about it . . . myself."
"The one thing that has surprised and confused me, though, is my unlikely transformation into a "beloved public figure." How did the unpopular kid, who grew up to be the angry young man, who became the '80s poster boy for the evils of rock 'n' roll, arrested for profanity and assault, and boycotted by parents and religious groups, become the likeable mensch he is today?"" "

How Music Empowers argues that empowerment is the key to unlocking the long-standing mystery of how music moves us. Drawing upon cutting-edge research in embodied cognitive science, psychology, and cultural studies, the book provides a new way of understanding how music affects listeners. The argument develops from our latest conceptions of what it is to be human, investigating experiences of listening to popular music in everyday life. Through listening, individuals have the potential to redefine themselves, gain resilience, connect with other people, and make a difference in society. Applying a groundbreaking theoretical framework to postmillennial rap and metal, the book uncovers why vast numbers of listeners engage with music typically regarded as 'social problems' or dismissed as 'extreme'. In the first ever comparative analytical treatment of rap and metal music, twenty songs are analysed as case studies that reveal the empowering potential of listening. The book details how individuals interact with rap and metal communities in a self-perpetuating process which keeps these thriving music cultures - and the listeners themselves - alive and well. Can music really change the world? How Music Empowers answers: yes, because it changes us. How Music Empowers will interest scholars and researchers of popular music, ethnomusicology, music psychology, music therapy, and music education.

Motley Crue were formed in Los Angeles in 1981 and have since gone on to become one of America's biggest-selling and notorious heavy metal acts, with nine studio albums and over 80 million album sales. Acquiring huge success by the end of the 80s with their mixture of heavy metal and glam rock, singer Vince Neil's 'glam' look even supposedly inspired the hit Aerosmith song 'Dude (Looks Like A Lady)'. In 1992 Neil left the band to pursue a solo career before returning in 1997. The band went into hiatus in 2000 before reuniting in 2004. In this book, Vince Neil chronicles his personal experiences as singer and frontman for Motley Crue, and his time as a participant on reality shows. Motley Crue were a band who always lived up to the typical image of the 'rock and roll' lifestyle and this is captured first-hand by Neil, who writes candidly about the band's struggles with drugs, alcohol and the law. These include incidents such as bass guitarist Nikki Sixx's near fatal heroin overdose in 1987. He also details his marriages to date, as well as movingly writing about the death of his daughter Skylar from cancer in 1995. The result is a compelling look at a band and a man who have seen many highs and lows in their career.

From original Guns N' Roses drummer Steven Adler comes the inside story of Guns N' Roses through a new perspective and his own intense struggle with addiction. Guns N' Roses are one of America's most successful rock bands, with estimated sales of 90 million albums worldwide. Steven Adler is the original drummer, with an infamous past of sex, drugs, and rock 'n roll that led to his removal from the band. And here, for the first time, Steven Adler tells it all. In My Appetite for Destruction, he reveals his personal struggles with drug addiction, including the financial ruin he faced after being kicked out of Guns N' Roses and the health problems that almost claimed his life several times - two heart attacks, a suicide attempt, and a debilitating stroke, as well as an epic 20-year addiction to crack and heroin. Now clean and sober under the watchful eye of family friend Dr. Drew Pinsky, Steven wants to set the record straight on his life for all Guns N' Roses fans and anyone else who is interested in discovering what really happened during the rise and collapse of one of the greatest rock bands of all time.

The definition of 'heavy metal' is often a contentious issue and in this lively and accessible text Andrew Cope presents a refreshing re-evaluation of the rules that define heavy metal as a musical genre. Cope begins with an interrogation of why, during the late 1960s and early 1970s, Birmingham provided the ideal location for the evolution and early development of heavy metal and hard rock. The author considers how the influence of the London and Liverpool music scenes merged with the unique cultural climate, industry and often desolated sites of post-war Birmingham to contribute significantly to the development of two unique forms of music: heavy metal and hard rock. The author explores these two forms through an extensive examination of key tracks from the first six albums of both Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin, in which musical, visual and lyrical aspects of each band are carefully compared and contrasted in order to highlight the distinctive innovations of those early recordings. In conclusion, a number of case studies are presented that illustrate how the unique synthesis of elements established by Black Sabbath have been perpetuated and developed through the work of such bands as Iron Maiden, Metallica, Pantera, Machine Head, Nightwish, Arch Enemy and Cradle of Filth. As a consequence, the importance of heavy metal as a genre of music was firmly established, and its longevity assured.

Born into poverty--the entire family slept in a single room--Ozzy Osbourne endured a challenging childhood. It was a struggle from which he sought shelter in music, and his time as a member of Black Sabbath revolutionized heavy metal and catapulted him to worldwide fame. With the acclaim, however, came the excesses and heartbreaks; and in this engaging and revealing autobiography, Osbourne writes as candidly about his struggles with addictive substances and the loss of close friends as he does about his legendary stage performances and tours, and also discusses his more recent reinvention as a reality TV star. This is the definitive insider's account of the heavy metal scene from the 1970s through the 1990s and a more general cultural history of that same period. Heavy metal, rock and roll, and pop culture fans alike will find this essential reading. "Nacido en la pobreza--su familia entera dormia en una sola habitacion--Ozzy Osbourne tuvo una ninez dificil. Fue una lucha de la cual consiguio un refugio en la musica, y su tiempo como un miembro de Black Sabbath sirvio tanto para revolucionar al heavy metal como para catapultarlo a la fama. Con la aclamacion, sin embargo, vinieron tambien los excesos y desenganos; y en esta autobiografia simpatica y reveladora, Osbourne escribe tan francamente sobre su lucha con las substancias adictivas y la perdida de amigos cercanos asi como sobre sus interpretaciones y giras legendarias, y discute tambien su reinvencion reciente como una estrella de la telerrealidad. Este es el relato definitivo del mundo del heavy metal desde los 70 hasta los 90 y una historia cultural general del mismo periodo. Los fanaticos del heavy metal, el rock y la cultura popular consideraran esto lectura imprescindible."

A philosophical look at heavy metal's dark masters of reality, Black Sabbath

Black Sabbath is one of the world's most influential and enduring rock bands. Dubbed "the Beatles of heavy metal" by "Rolling Stone," they helped to define a genre with classic songs like "Paranoid," "Iron Man," and "War Pigs," songs whose lyrics reveal hidden depth and philosophical insight. Their songs confront existential despair, social instability, political corruption, the horrors of war, and the nature of evil. This book explores the wide range of profound ideas in the band's music and lyrics to help you understand Black Sabbath as never before.Discusses and debates essential Black Sabbath topics and themes, such as the problem of evil, "War Pigs" and the nature of just war theory, whether or not Sabbath is still Sabbath without Ozzy, and whether "evil is in the ear of the beholder"Gives you new perspectives on Black Sabbath's music and lyricsProvides a deeper appreciation and understanding of Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler, Bill Ward, and Ronnie James DioBrings some of history's heaviest thinkers to bear on the band's music, from Aristotle and Nietzsche to Schopenhauer and Marx

So . . . "can you help me, occupy my brain?" Yes Start reading "Black Sabbath and Philosophy."

Heavy metal has developed from a British fringe genre of rock music in the late 1960s to a global mass market consumer good in the early twenty-first century. Early proponents of the musical style, such as Black Sabbath, Deep Purple, Judas Priest, Saxon, Uriah Heep and Iron Maiden, were mostly seeking to reach a young male audience. Songs were often filled with violent, sexist and nationalistic themes but were also speaking to the growing sense of deterioration in social and professional life. At the same time, however, heavy metal was seriously indebted to the legacies of blues and classical music as well as to larger literary and cultural themes. The genre also produced mythological concept albums and rewritings of classical poems. In other words, heavy metal tried from the beginning to locate itself in a liminal space between pedestrian mass culture and a rather elitist adherence to complexity and musical craftsmanship, speaking from a subaltern position against the hegemonic discourse. This collection of essays provides a comprehensive and multi-disciplinary look at British heavy metal from its beginning through The New Wave of British Heavy Metal up to the increasing internationalization and widespread acceptance in the late 1980s. The individual chapter authors approach British heavy metal from a textual perspective, providing critical analyses of the politics and ideology behind the lyrics, images and performances. Rather than focus on individual bands or songs, the essays collected here argue with the larger system of heavy metal music in mind, providing comprehensive analyses that relate directly to the larger context of British life and culture. The wide range of approaches should provide readers from various disciplines with new and original ideas about the study of this phenomenon of popular culture.

What have you got when you Got the Life?

From Korn's legendary bassist comes a no-holds-barred look at the extreme highs and drug-and-booze-fueled lows of the biggest heavy metal band of our era

Music was in his bones. From the time he was an infant, Fieldy watched his dad's band perform, and soon enough he found his own calling: the bass. After high school, with a guitar and little else, he left his small California town for the music scene in L.A. Before long, Fieldy, Brian "Head" Welch, James "Munky" Shaffer, drummer David Silveria, and Jonathan Davis would gel together and form a band with a completely new sound--Korn.

What happened next was something Fieldy had always dreamed of but was totally unprepared for: Korn exploded, skyrocketing to the top of the charts and fronting the nu metal phenomenon. Fieldy was thrust into the fast-paced, hard-rocking spotlight. Korn began to tour incessantly, creating intense live shows fueled by wild offstage antics. Fieldy became a rock star, and he acted like one, notorious not only for his one-of-a-kind bass lines, but also for his hard-partying, womanizing, bad-boy ways. The more drugs he took, the more booze he drank, the worse he became: He was unfaithful, abusive, mean, and sometimes violent.

By all appearances, Fieldy had the life. But he was on the dark path of excess, alienating friends, families, and loved ones, nearly destroying himself and the band. It took an unexpected tragedy to straighten him out: the death of his father, a born-again Christian, to a mysterious illness. Following his father's dying wish, Fieldy found God. Filled with the spirit of his new faith, Fieldy quit drugs and drinking cold turkey, and found the best part of himself.

With never-before-seen photos, and never-before-heard stories, Got the Life is raw, candid, and inspiring--the ultimate story of rock and redemption.

Damage Incorporated: Metallica and the Production of Musical Identity offers an interdisciplinary study investigating a range of topics that intersect in the music and cultural influence of Metallica. As part of a collection of heavy metal bands-among them Slayer, Anthrax, and Megadeth-grouped together under the rubric "thrash metal," Metallica's music presents a number of avenues for investigation. Specifically, Damage Incorporated focuses on identity in popular music as a set of performing conventions, with Metallica's place within certain conventions of genre, race, and gender serving as a constant impetus. The book also engages broadly with larger questions of the politics of culture, American history, musical analysis, and the character of musical discourses in the context of commerce. An essential book for students of popular culture, mass media, and music, Damage Incorporated sets a new standard for the study and exploration of issues of class, gender, and race in popular music. About the Author Glenn T. Pillsbury is a recent Ph.D. in Musicology from UCLA and a rising star in the field of popular music studies. He is the author of the "Metallica" chapter in the Encyclopedia Britannica, a founding editor of the online journal ECHO, and a regular presenter of papers at major scholarly meetings in music and the arts.

Damage Incorporated: Metallica and the Production of Musical Identity offers an interdisciplinary study investigating a range of topics that intersect in the music and cultural influence of Metallica. As part of a collection of heavy metal bands-among them Slayer, Anthrax, and Megadeth-grouped together under the rubric "thrash metal," Metallica's music presents a number of avenues for investigation. Specifically, Damage Incorporated focuses on identity in popular music as a set of performing conventions, with Metallica's place within certain conventions of genre, race, and gender serving as a constant impetus. The book also engages broadly with larger questions of the politics of culture, American history, musical analysis, and the character of musical discourses in the context of commerce. An essential book for students of popular culture, mass media, and music, Damage Incorporated sets a new standard for the study and exploration of issues of class, gender, and race in popular music. About the Author Glenn T. Pillsbury is a recent Ph.D. in Musicology from UCLA and a rising star in the field of popular music studies. He is the author of the "Metallica" chapter in the Encyclopedia Britannica, a founding editor of the online journal ECHO, and a regular presenter of papers at major scholarly meetings in music and the arts.

Forty years, twenty-eight ODs, three botched suicides, two heart attacks, a couple of jail stints, a debilitating stroke . . .

Now, Steven Adler, the most self-destructive rock star ever, is ready to share the shattering, untold truth.

Once upon a time, Steven Adler--along with four uniquely talented but very complicated and demanding musicians--helped form Guns N' Roses. They emerged from the streets, primal artists who obliterated glam rock and its big hair to resurrect rock's truer blues roots . . . and took "sex, drugs, and rock 'n' roll" to obscene levels of reckless abandon. By the late 1980s, GN'R was the biggest rock band in the world, grabbing headlines and awards while selling out huge arenas. But there was a price to pay. For Adler, it was his health and sanity, culminating in his brutal public banishment by his once-beloved musical brothers--a humiliating act of betrayal that caused him to plunge into the dark side and spend most of the next twenty years in a drug-fueled hell.

In "My Appetite for Destruction," Adler digs deep, revealing the last secrets--not just his own but GN'R's as well.

Born into poverty--the entire family slept in a single room--Ozzy Osbourne endured a challenging childhood. It was a struggle from which he sought shelter in music, and his time as a member of Black Sabbath revolutionized heavy metal and catapulted him to worldwide fame. With the acclaim, however, came the excesses and heartbreaks; and in this engaging and revealing autobiography, Osbourne writes as candidly about his struggles with addictive substances and the loss of close friends as he does about his legendary stage performances and tours, and also discusses his more recent reinvention as a reality TV star. This is the definitive insider's account of the heavy metal scene from the 1970s through the 1990s and a more general cultural history of that same period. Heavy metal, rock and roll, and pop culture fans alike will find this essential reading. "Nacido en la pobreza--su familia entera dormia en una sola habitacion--Ozzy Osbourne tuvo una ninez dificil. Fue una lucha de la cual consiguio un refugio en la musica, y su tiempo como un miembro de Black Sabbath sirvio tanto para revolucionar al heavy metal como para catapultarlo a la fama. Con la aclamacion, sin embargo, vinieron tambien los excesos y desenganos; y en esta autobiografia simpatica y reveladora, Osbourne escribe tan francamente sobre su lucha con las substancias adictivas y la perdida de amigos cercanos asi como sobre sus interpretaciones y giras legendarias, y discute tambien su reinvencion reciente como una estrella de la telerrealidad. Este es el relato definitivo del mundo del heavy metal desde los 70 hasta los 90 y una historia cultural general del mismo periodo. Los fanaticos del heavy metal, el rock y la cultura popular consideraran esto lectura imprescindible."

A collection of often hilarious, sometimes poignant, memoirs told from the individual viewpoints of each member of the Osbourne family: Ozzy, his manager wife Sharon, their 15-year-old son Jack and daughter Kelly, 16. It will also feature the couple's third child, Aimee, who declined to take part in the show and lived in the guesthouse during the six months of taping.

Once known as the "Prince of Darkness", Ozzy Osbourne is now in line for Father of the Year following the success of the reality sitcom in which he stars with his family - wife Sharon and children Kelly and Jack. A founding member of heavy metal band "Black Sabbath", Ozzy Osbourne is infamous for biting the head off a live bat and for his legendary consumption of alcohol and drugs. Following his sacking from "Black Sabbath" he pursued a hugely successful solo career, under the management of his wife Sharon, which led to her creation of the annual Ozzfest touring festival in 1996. This biography tells the story of one of the most influential men in rock, covering Ozzy's life from being banned at the Alamo to a guest at the White House, from a Birmingham abbatoir to Beverly Hills, with trivia, quotes and all the parenting tips any father needs to be as good a dad as Ozzy.

The year is 1983, and Chuck Klosterman just wants to rock. The only problem is, he's in the fifth grade, his hair's too short, his pants are too denim, and the town's too small. The Huey Lewis and the News song blaring out of the radio isn't helping, either. That's when Chuck's brother arrives home with a cassette from hell -- Mötley Crüe's Shout at the Devil. And so the twisted journey begins...

In this hilarious, young-man-growing-up-with-a-soundtrack tradition, Fargo Rock City chronicles Klosterman's formative years and the history of rock through the lens of '80s heavy metal. He knows what it's like to slow-dance to a Poison tune; to sleep inno- cently under satanic symbols; to confess your lust for Lita Ford; to understand that Bon Jovi sounds best in a pickup; to shoot baskets as a member of the KISS Army; to get intellectual about Guns N' Roses; and, yes, to have a nasty relationship with your first ATM card.

With a voice like Ace Frehley's guitar, Chuck hacks and riffs his way through this savvy, deliriously funny memoir of growing up as a shameless metalhead in Wyndmere, North Dakota. Against all odds, he parties like a rock star. Your story may be exactly the same or completely different, but if you grew up anywhere close to the 1980s, then your life has been touched by hair metal. Chuck Klosterman is here to explain why this matters.

'A must for fans and rock buffs' The Sun 'Fascinating read' Powerplay Judas Priest formed in Birmingham in 1969. With its distinctive twin-guitar sound, studs-and-leather image, and international sales of over 50 million records, Judas Priest became the archetypal heavy metal band in the 1980s. Iconic tracks like 'Breaking the Law', 'Living after Midnight', and 'You've Got Another Thing Coming' helped the band achieve extraordinary success, but no one from the band has stepped out to tell their or the band's story until now. As the band approaches its golden anniversary, fans will at last be able to delve backstage into the decades of shocking, hilarious, and haunting stories that surround the heavy metal institution. In Heavy Duty, guitarist K.K. Downing discusses the complex personality conflicts, the business screw-ups, the acrimonious relationship with fellow heavy metal band Iron Maiden, as well as how Judas Priest found itself at the epicentre of a storm of parental outrage that targeted heavy metal in the '80s. He also describes his role in cementing the band's trademark black leather and studs image that would not only become synonymous with the entire genre, but would also give singer Rob Halford a viable outlet by which to express his sexuality. Lastly, he recounts the life-changing moment when he looked at his bandmates on stage during a 2009 concert and thought, 'This is the last show'. Whatever the topic, whoever's involved, K.K. doesn't hold back. From the band at the very beginning until his retirement in 2011 (and even still as a member of the band's board of directors), Downing has seen it all and is now finally at a place in his life where he can also let it all go. Even if you're a lifelong fan, if you think you know the full story of Judas Priest, well, you've got another thing coming.