Lemmy's name was synonymous with notorious excess. His blood would have killed another human being. This is the up-to-date story of the heaviest drinking, oversexed speedfreak in the music business who tragically passed away earlier this year. Lemmy had quickly outgrown his local bands in Wales, and tripped through his early career with the Rocking Vicars, backstage touring with Jimi Hendrix, and his time with Hawkwind. In 1975 he went on to create speedmetal and form the legendary band Motoerhead. Motoerhead stand firm as conquerors of the rock world, their history spanning an insurrectionary forty years. While the Motoerhead line-up saw many changes, Lemmy was always the soul of the machine. In the words of drummer Mikkey Dee, 'Lemmy was Motoerhead.' White Line Fever has been completely updated post Lemmy's untimely death in 2016, and offers all Motoerhead fans who loved his music a sometimes hilarious, often outrageous, highly entertaining ride with the frontman of (what was) the loudest rock band in history. A truly epic finale, and tribute, to Lemmy from those who loved him best.

On June 27, 2012, the long-running, hard-touring, and world-renowned metal band lamb of god landed in Prague for their first concert there in two years. Vocalist D. Randall "Randy" Blythe was looking forward to a few hours off,a rare break from the touring grind,in which to explore the elegant old city. However, a surreal scenario began to play out at the airport as Blythe was detained, arrested for manslaughter, and taken to Pankrac Prison,a notorious 123-year-old institution where the Nazis' torture units had set up camp and where today hundreds of prisoners are housed in claustrophobic, sweltering, nightmare-inducing conditions.What transpired during Blythe's incarceration, trial, and eventual acquittal is a rock'n' roll road story unlike any other, one that runs the gamut from tragedy to despair to hope and finally to redemption. Blythe is a natural storyteller and his voice drips with cutting humour, endearing empathy, and soulful insight. Much more than a tour diary or a prison memoir, Dark Days is D. Randall Blythe's own story about what went down,before, during, and after,told as only he can.

(Book). Nirvana is one of the most influential bands in rock history, and even now, nearly 20 years after Kurt Cobain's death, the reverence in which they are held is undiminished. Books have been written about Nirvana before, but they tend to concentrate on the band's superstar period and Kurt Cobain's demise, while skating over the early years. In Entertain Us, Gillian Gaar redresses the balance by examining in forensic detail the band's rise to fame, and their first album, Bleach . Drawing on archive material and interviews with many key people in the story, she traces Nirvana's formation, its early recordings and many personnel changes, and the arrival of Dave Grohl to complete the familiar three-piece line up. By critiquing every song the band recorded in this period, tracing influences and unpicking complex relationships between band members, associates and record labels, Gaar gets to the heart of a compelling story.

It is common to hear heavy metal music fans and musicians talk about the "metal community". This concept, which is widely used when referencing this musical genre, encompasses multiple complex aspects that are seldom addressed in traditional academic endeavors including shared aesthetics, musical practices, geographies, and narratives. The idea of a "metal community" recognizes that fans and musicians frequently identify as part of a collective group, larger than any particular individual. Still, when examined in detail, the idea raises more questions than answers. What criteria are used to define groups of people as part of the community? How are metal communities formed and maintained through time? How do metal communities interact with local cultures throughout the world? How will metal communities change over the lifespan of their members? Are metal communities even possible in light of the importance placed on individualism in this musical genre? These are just some of the questions that arise when the concept of "community" is used in relation to heavy metal music. And yet in the face of all these complexities, heavy metal fans continue to think of themselves as a unified collective entity. This book addresses this notion of "metal community" via the experiences of authors and fans through theoretical reflections and empirical research. Their contributions focus on how metal communities are conceptualized, created, shaped, maintained, interact with their context, and address internal tensions. The book provides scholars, and other interested in the field of metal music studies, with a state of the art reflection on how metal communities are constituted, while also addressing their limits and future challenges.

A grinding celebration of the metal gods Judas Priest in all their sumptuous glory. A photo-stuffed coffee table book with the entire fifty plus year history in meticulous timeline order - a rock-hard reference book, with the facts presented mostly soberly and efficiently. This book contains all manner of facts that also takes a detailed look at offshoot bands and side-projects throughout the visually stunning pages.

My Bloody Roots is the brutally honest story of life in two of the world s best-known heavy metal bands, Sepultura and Soulfly, by one of the global metal scene s most respected musicians. Max Cavalera s has a unique and extraordinary story to tell, and My Bloody Roots is an autobiography like no other. Much more than just another tale of rock n roll debauchery, it s a story of heartbreak and loss and, ultimately, triumph. In it, Cavalera offers an unflinching account of life growing up in hardship in Brazil a country not previously known for heavy metal and the multi-million-selling success, against all odds, of the band he founded with his brother, Iggor: Sepultura. Then, for the first time, he reveals the full story behind his split with the band after which he did not speak to his brother for years and the formation of his Soulfly, one of the most critically and commercially successful metal bands of recent decades. He also goes into unflinching detail on the devastating impact of the deaths of his father, stepson, and grandson; his struggles with drugs and alcohol; his eventual reunion with Iggor in Cavalera Conspiracy; and more. This revised and updated edition continues to trace Max s career to the present day, covering the formation of his new band Go Ahead And Die as well as the supergroup Killer Be Killed, making it truly essential reading for all fans of metal.

Lifting Shadows, the authorized biography of Dream Theater - the American progressive-metal band comprising James LaBrie, John Petrucci, Jordan Rudess, John Myung and Mike Mangini - traces the band's history from their mid-1980's Long Island origins through to the arena filling act that they are today. This revised and updated edition features all-new interviews with the band and a host of others who have played their part in the rise of the pioneering prog-metal act. It covers the departure of founding drummer Mike Portnoy, the search for his successor and the band's spirited return. Their tale is one of musical integrity, strong professional perseverance and a deep-rooted belief in their direction. The five-piece has enjoyed major success (notably with "Pull Me Under") while remaining essentially an underground band. They thrive on the support of a growing and loyal fan base. As guitarist and founding member John Petrucci writes: "It's incredible, and we are all very blessed and fortunate to have such a long career - not only where we started in America but all over the world." -- .

(Play It Like It Is). Matching folio to the double album. Nine smashing metal songs, including: Eye of the Beholder * One * The Shortest Straw * and more. Also includes an introduction by Wolf Marshall.

Focusing on key elements surrounding a group that stands alongside legends such as Black Sabbath, Deep Purple, and Led Zeppelin, this book reveals the phenomenon that is AC/DC. Covering past and present members, songs, gigs, events, albums, bootlegs, producers, and numerous other subjects, this exhaustive overview spans an extraordinary 35-year musical career--from the very earliest incarnations of the band prior to Bon Scott's arrival, through the era in which he fronted the band and his untimely death, to the wildly successful landmark record "Back in Black," all the way to their 2003 induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and beyond. Detailing a group that has sold an estimated 150 million albums worldwide, this is the definitive reference of one of music history's most notable pioneers of hard rock.

Metal music has long nurtured an obsession with visions of the Middle Ages, with countless album covers and lyric sheets populated by Vikings, knights, wizards, and castles. Medievalism and Metal Music Studies: Throwing down the Gauntlet addresses this fascination with all things medieval, exploring how metal musicians and fans find inspiration both in authentically medieval materials and neomedievalist depictions of the period in literature, cinema, and other media. Within metal music, the medieval takes on multiple, and even contradictory meanings, becoming at once a cipher of difference and grotesque alterity while simultaneously being imagined as a simpler, more authentic time, as opposed to the complexities and stresses of modernity. In this fashion, the medieval period becomes both a source for artistic creativity and a vector for countercultural social and political critique. The contributors in this book hail from a wide range of fields including medieval history, music performance, musicology, media studies, and literature, and computer linguistics, bringing a variety of critical perspectives to bear on the topic. Engaging in analyses of cover art, liner notes, lyrics, and musical style, the contributors investigate issues of research methodologies, crucial concerns over identity and nationalism, and the recontextualisation of historical materials, all aimed at critically examining how and why medievalism has permeated heavy metal music and culture. Hearken to our tales!

An indelible and irresistible portrait of the crucial formative years of the legendary rock band KISS and the music scene they changed forever--culminating with the groundbreaking success of their classic 1975 album Alive and the smash single "Rock and Roll All Nite"

Including original interviews with: Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons, Ace Frehley, Peter Criss, Bob Seger, Alice Cooper, and Ted Nugent, as well as members of Aerosmith, Black Sabbath, Rush, Slade, Blue Oyster Cult, Mott the Hoople, Journey, REO Speedwagon, Styx, Raspberries, the James Gang, the New York Dolls, Iggy & the Stooges, the Ramones, Suzi Quatro, Argent, and Uriah Heep.

As a twenty-five-year veteran of the Ozzy Osbourne band and Black Label Society, golden god Zakk Wylde has managed to stay alive against all odds. Now Wylde and his brother-in-Metal Eric Hendrikx take you on a Crusade of World Tour Domination, sharing deranged tales of booze-fueled destruction, laying out battle-tested Rules of the Road, and offering exclusive tips on how not to make it in the business. If you aspire to new heights of Metal mayhem, Bringing Metal to the Children will make you laugh, weep, vomit--and maybe even soil yourself.

Ronnie James Dio was a heavy metal icon and frontman of three of the best-selling, most influential and famous rock bands in history: Rainbow, Black Sabbath and his own multi-million selling band, Dio. Rainbow in the Dark is a rollercoaster ride through the extraordinary highs and lows of Dio's life, and takes us from his early days as a street gang leader and Doo-wop singer in '60s Vegas through to his breakout success with Rainbow and Black Sabbath in the '70s and the stadiums of US metal in the '80s - ending in Dio's dressing room at Madison Square Garden, in June 1986, at the peak of his worldwide fame with Dio. Tragically Dio passed away from cancer in 2010, but had already begun writing a memoir before his death. Edited by the world-renowned music biographer Mick Wall, with the involvement of Dio's wife of over 35 years and personal manager Wendy Dio, Rainbow in the Dark will honour and feature Dio's never-before-seen original manuscript, while drawing on the extraordinary collection of print and audio interviews with the man himself to produce a vivid, raw and faithful portrait of one of the world's greatest ever rock legends.

When Scott McKenzie was a young man, he thought he saw God . . .

The deity was all in black with knee-high silver boots, a patent-leather breastplate, and full face makeup, clutching a beautiful, custom Les Paul guitar. Ace Frehley, lead guitarist for the rock group KISS, wasn't God--but hearing his piercing, shrieking, screaming, outrageous guitar solos was a transcendent spiritual experience for a boy from rural Kentucky, making him feel uplifted, a witness to a higher power.

Two decades later, a grown-up Scott McKenzie vowed to meet Ace Frehley in the flesh--as well as the other gods and demigods who have held divine power over a generation of worshipful metal fans: legendary guitar champions like Glenn Tipton of Judas Priest and Phil Collen of Def Leppard, hallowed names like Steve Vai, Warren DeMartini, and John 5.

Power Chord is a chronicle of Scott McKenzie's epic quest to stand in the presence of metal greatness--to meet his omnipotent guitar gods face-to-face and get them to divulge their otherworldly secret.

A pioneering "horror-punk" band, the Misfits are legends in their own time. This discography tells the story of the band in all of its incarnations through all of their recorded output-both official and unauthorized releases. Discographies are provided for both present and former members' solo projects and bands, along with a wealth of rare record sleeves, photos and vintage posters documenting the evolution of the band and the brand.

Many bands may lay claim to inventing or popularising the term `heavy metal', but few would deny that Black Sabbath have defined the genre in the minds of many, and have come to embody its popular image. From the `classic' first decade with singer Ozzy Osbourne, through the Ronnie James Dio period and the oft-overlooked later albums, the Sabbath name has always been a trademark of quality, despite some less celebrated, though often fascinating, periods. To commemorate the final retirement of the band, lifelong devotee Steve Pilkington takes the reader through every song on every one of the band's studio albums, taking in the highs and occasional lows, as well as looking at the cover artwork and stories behind the albums. He also discusses live recordings and DVD releases. The result will surely be regarded as the most exhaustive guide to the band's music yet produced, as critical opinion rubs shoulders with facts, trivia and anecdotes to provide the ultimate guide to this legendary band. Whether you are a hard core fan, or simply want a guide to what lies beyond `Paranoid', this book is for you.

Power Metal is Heavy Metal taken to the absolute limit. When the major Metal institutions staked their claim, they engendered a legion of up-and-coming followers, who took the genre in a new, extreme direction. Riffs became labyrinthine, vocals scorched higher altitudes--and they even managed to crank out some more volume. This encyclopedic book documents the Power Metal phenomenon, with exhaustive, unique histories, detailed discographies, and many photos. It covers the British guard such as Iron Maiden and Judas Priest; American metal such as Queensrÿche, Attacker, Jag Panzer, Iced Earth, Liege Lord, and Savatage; European bands such as Helloween, Gamma Ray, Blind Guardian, Running Wild, and Grave Digger; plus Symphonic Metal, Progressive Metal, and more. It also includes a 16-track CD.

The Godfathers of Nu Metal are set for a triumphant return, with the imminent release of their brand new album.

With over 5 million copies of their last record in circulation, these guys have certainly got a huge fanbase already and interest in Korn is sure to expand with their new release, making them the ultimate superstar heavy-metal icons.

'Kreature Komforts' charts this magnificent journey and details the highs and lows of a band as they develop into world-class entertainers. Ideally suited to the average Korn fans taste and budget, with equal parts intelligent text and full-colour photography throughout, the target market of 13-25-year-olds are certain to approve of the first full-length biography on this exceptional group.

Featuring 666 standout metal songs from 1960 to the present day and illustrated with sleeves, flyers, posters and magazine ads, this is a feast for fans who love it loud. 666 Songs to Make You Bang Your Head Until You Die delves into the dark corners of hard rock and metal, unearthing hidden treasures and shining fresh light on old favourites. From pioneers like Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin, through million-sellers like Van Halen and AC/DC, to skull-crushers like Pantera and The Prodigy, and young bucks like Bring Me The Horizon and Paramore, the selection charts the evolution of the genre over the last 60 years. Each entry is packed with reviews from contemporary musicians, quotes from bandmates and fascinating trivia. Written in an informed, entertaining and irreverent style, 666 Songs to Make You Bang Your Head Until You Die is a must-have for metal lovers.

Scott Ian, rhythm guitarist and cofounder of Anthrax and author of I'm the Man, collects all of his craziest hard rock stories into one balls-to-the-wall volume. Access All Areas has tales of humor, excess, fun, debauchery, food, booze, and mayhem from Scott's many years on the road as well as his encounters with celebrities like Dimebag Darrell, Trent Reznor/NIN, Madonna, Lemmy Kilmister, John Carpenter, Robert Trujillo (Metallica), Slayer, David Lee Roth, and many more. In recent years, Scott Ian's "Speaking Words" club tours have drawn a devoted crowd of metal fans who love a good rock story. Ian has perfected his delivery, comic timing, and ability to highlight where the ridiculous meets the sublime. Best of all, Ian seems to lack the ability to be embarrassed, rendering Access All Areas howlingly funny, self-deprecating, and every bit as brash and brazen as one would expect from one of the original architects of speed metal.

Darkthrone's A Blaze in the Northern Sky (1992) is a foundational keystone of the musical and aesthetic vision of the notorious Norwegian black metal scene and one of the most beloved albums of the genre. Its mysterious artwork and raw sound continue to captivate and inspire black metal fans and musicians worldwide. This book explores the album in the context of exoticism and musical geography, examining how black metal music has come to conjure images of untamed Nordic wildernesses for fans worldwide. In doing so, it analyzes aspects of musical style and production that created the distinctly "grim" sound of Darkthrone and Norwegian black metal.

'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.

In his iconic musical travelogue Heavy Metal Islam, Mark LeVine first brought the views and experiences of a still-young generation to the world. In We'll Play till We Die, he joins with this generation's leading voices to write a definitive history of the era, closing with a cowritten epilogue that explores the meanings and futures of youth music from North Africa to Southeast Asia. We'll Play till We Die dives into the revolutionary music cultures of the Middle East and larger Muslim world before, during, and beyond the waves of resistance that shook the region from Morocco to Pakistan. This sequel to Mark LeVine's celebrated Heavy Metal Islam shows how some of the world's most extreme music not only helped inspire and define region-wide protests, but also exemplifies the beauty and diversity of youth cultures throughout the Muslim world. Two years after Heavy Metal Islam was published in 2008, uprisings and revolutions spread like wildfire. The young people organizing and protesting on the streets-in dozens of cities from Casablanca to Karachi-included the very musicians and fans LeVine spotlighted in that book. We'll Play till We Die revisits the groundbreaking stories he originally explored, sharing what has happened to these musicians, their music, their politics, and their societies since then. The book covers a stunning array of developments, not just in metal and hip hop scenes, but with emo in Baghdad, mahraganat in Egypt, techno in Beirut, and more. LeVine also reveals how artists have used global platforms like YouTube and SoundCloud to achieve unprecedented circulation of their music outside corporate or government control. The first collective ethnography and biography of the post-2010 generation, We'll Play till We Die explains and amplifies the radical possibilities of music as a revolutionary force for change.

This updated reissue of Mark LeVine's acclaimed, revolutionary book on sub- and countercultural music in the Middle East brings this groundbreaking portrait of the region's youth cultures to a new generation. Featuring a new preface by the author in conversation with the band The Kominas about the problematic connections between extreme music and Islam. An eighteen-year-old Moroccan who loves Black Sabbath. A twenty-two-year-old rapper from the Gaza Strip. A young Lebanese singer who quotes Bob Marley's "Redemption Song." Heavy metal, punk, hip-hop, and reggae are each the music of protest, and are considered immoral by many in the Muslim world. As the young people and subcultures featured in Mark LeVine's Heavy Metal Islam so presciently predicted, this music turned out to be the soundtrack of countercultures, uprisings, and even revolutions from Morocco to Pakistan. In Heavy Metal Islam, originally published in 2008, Mark LeVine explores the influence of Western music on the Middle East and North Africa through interviews with musicians and fans, introducing us to young people struggling to reconcile their religion with a passion for music and a thirst for change. The result is a revealing tour de force of contemporary cultures across the Muslim majority world through the region's evolving music scenes that only a musician, scholar, and activist with LeVine's unique breadth of experience could narrate. A New York Times Editor's Pick when it was first published, Heavy Metal Islam is a surprising, wildly entertaining foray into a historically authoritarian region where music reveals itself to be a true democratizing force-and a groundbreaking work of scholarship that pioneered new forms of research in the region.