Half a Ton of Heavy Metal: 50 Years of the Loudest Music on Earth

by Gareth Endean

Friday the 13th of February 1970. Something dark, sinister and powerful is about to be unleashed on the world. A monster that will be maligned, mocked and misunderstood for the next 50 years. It is a monster that will grow far beyond its humble beginnings, and will spawn and mutate a million times over. It will be loved and hated in equal measure and will recruit devoted legions in every corner of the world. That monster’s name Is Heavy Metal. With the release of Black Sabbath’s debut album a whole new genre was born and nothing would ever be the same again. For many, metal music would remain baffling and incomprehensible, but for those who got it, it became more than just a style of music, it became a way of life; a badge of honour recognised around the world and an instant membership to a global community. There have been internal schisms, external prejudice and no one - even within the community - will ever truly agree exactly what constitutes ‘metal’, but once you’re in, you’re in. For life…and beyond. It is now 50 years since the release of Black Sabbath and heavy music has changed and evolved beyond all expectations. Half a Ton of Heavy Metal attempts to chart the course of metal’s long and convoluted journey, from its early days as an offshoot of hard rock to the modern all-encompassing behemoth it has become. Choosing a single album to represent each year, the book covers the formative years, the rise of NWOBHM, Hair vs Thrash, the battles with punk and grunge, the dark extremities, the nu-metal boom, the metalcore aftermath and (almost) everything before, during and since. From its most controversial moments to its multi-platinum mega bands, no stone is left unturned on the journey through the loudest music on Earth. The metal monster lives on… 50 Years of Metal 50 Influential Bands 50 Incredible Albums What's made the cut?

154 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 25, 2020

Reviews

[Darren-lee · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Katie Endean-Pitt · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought it was bloody brilliant! Before reading the book I wouldn't have classed myself as a metal fan but having realised the breadth of the genre, from this book, I'm certainly more willing to explore the 'metal' category. Having seen the conversation this has sparked in the 'Half a ton of heavy metal' Facebook group highlights the extensive research by the author while still keeping it interesting for somebody who may not be aware of many of the bands or sub genres. I'd highly recommend this book to anyone with an interest in music history, particularly metal. An absolute page turner that I'd worked through in just a few evenings.

[bazz wetton · Rating 4 out of 5]

While it’s all about perceptions and opinions, we didn’t all turn into death or extreme metal fans at the turn of the century and Black Stone Cherry and Halestorm appealed to new audiences and Royal Blood hit the mainstream charts and airplay but were omitted.

A very good read though, and although I won’t be listening to many of the artists referenced after the turn of the century. Rock and Metal are very much alive and the scene is flowing with bands. Get out to the small venues and find them. 🤘🤘🤘🤘

[Alan · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5/5

Reads a little bit amateurish and its obvious its self-published, but its hard to deny that this is a great idea done really well and I'd be lying if I said I didn't have a lot of fun reading it and revisiting some of these albums