'Absolutely hilarious' - Neil Gaiman 'One of the funniest musical commentators that you will ever read . . . loud and thoroughly engrossing' - Alan Moore 'A man on a righteous mission to persuade people to "lay down your souls to the gods rock and roll".' - The Sunday Times 'As funny and preposterous as this mighty music deserve' - John Higgs The history of heavy metal brings brings us extraordinary stories of larger-than-life characters living to excess, from the household names of Ozzy Osbourne, Lemmy, Bruce Dickinson and Metallica (SIT DOWN, LARS!), to the brutal notoriety of the underground Norwegian black metal scene and the New Wave Of British Heavy Metal. It is the story of a worldwide network of rabid fans escaping everyday mundanity through music, of cut-throat corporate arseholes ripping off those fans and the bands they worship to line their pockets. The expansive pantheon of heavy metal musicians includes junkies, Satanists and murderers, born-again Christians and teetotallers, stadium-touring billionaires and toilet-circuit journeymen. Award-winning comedian and life-long heavy metal obsessive Andrew O'Neill has performed his History of Heavy Metal comedy show to a huge range of audiences, from the teenage metalheads of Download festival to the broadsheet-reading theatre-goers of the Edinburgh Fringe. Now, in his first book, he takes us on his own very personal and hilarious journey through the history of the music, the subculture, and the characters who shaped this most misunderstood genre of music.

A new addition to the "Guides for the Perplexed series", this new book on Tillich will analyze, clarify and connect the most central and difficult of Tillich's theological concepts.Tillich's main contribution to theology was to offer an account of the significance of human agency within the history of God's salvation of the world. Amidst the hopelessness of a world twice at war, Tillich introduced an apologetic theological approach, which he deemed a necessary counterpoint to the resulting despair of existentialism on one hand and the reaction of religious fundamentalism on the other. In order to address both the human situation and the Christian message, Tillich articulated the consonance not only between the disciplines of theology and philosophy, but also between some of their major concepts and the daily experience of them in religion and culture. The result was an approach to theology that spanned an unparalleled breadth of philosophical concepts and discussions.While some historical and contextual introduction is provided, this new "Guide for the Perplexed" is focused on analyzing, clarifying and connecting the most central and difficult of Tillich's theological concepts. We consult major works, like the Systematic Theology, The Courage to Be, Dynamics of Faith and The Protestant Era, but also some of Tillich's lesser known works, such as "The Interpretation of History" and his earliest writings on German philosophy. Additionally, some of the more prominent critiques of Tillich's approach help to understand the complexities of his theology."Continuum's Guides for the Perplexed" are clear, concise and accessible introductions to thinkers, writers and subjects that students and readers can find especially challenging - or indeed downright bewildering. Concentrating specifically on what it is that makes the subject difficult to grasp, these books explain and explore key themes and ideas, guiding the reader towards a thorough understanding of demanding material.