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The Rough Guide to Heavy Metal
With more than 300 artist biographies and band stories, this is the essential heavy metal companion. Additional features include dozens of boxouts and sidebars on topics as diverse and disturbing as Weird Hobbies, Christian Metal, the Japanese Scene, Weird Day Jobs, the Eastern European Scene, Hardcore Crossover and Drummer Jokes. From Alien Ant Farm to Biohazard – and yes, all the way to ZZ Top – the Rough Guide to Heavy Metal is the ultimate brain-warping A to Z. If you love metal, this is the book for you.
416 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2005
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
February 18, 2023
What a joy. This 2005 edition has well written mini biographies of all my favourite bands, although I'm still not sure how The Ramones crept in, brilliant though they were. As a member of this tribe, this is our bible, although following a popular trope, our Crowley. As Ozzy Osborne says "They accused me of conjuring up the devil- I can't even conjure myself out of bed in the morning
February 19, 2017
update: Having read much more of the book, I am giving it an extra star as the enjoyment has outweighed the frustration, but the wide definition of "metal" still drove me up the wall...foreigner, foo fighters, jet, meat loaf, queen etc. Ridiculous!
I find this work equally fascinating and frustrating.
fascinating as it gives insights into bands I know little about, or encourages me to go back and explore in depth albums where I only know 1 or 2 tracks.
frustrating for various reasons. firstly and mainly because it has cast its net soooo wide. this is the rough guide to HEAVY METAL yet almost any band who wields a guitar at all is included. the list of bands discussed who have nothing to do with metal, who are just plain rock, are too many to mention.
the second element is of course the bands who are missing. I normally don't expect mainstream music to deal with Christian metal, a subject dear to my heart because of my faith and because it's high point coincided with my teenage years, but this book specifically references Christian metal on the back cover. Inside, however, the only entry I could find was for P.O.D., along with one paragraph covering the whole genre. that no room could be found for adv entry for even Stryper, when we have entries on bands like Jet, who aren't close to metal and were here and gone in two seconds, is crazy!
I find this work equally fascinating and frustrating.
fascinating as it gives insights into bands I know little about, or encourages me to go back and explore in depth albums where I only know 1 or 2 tracks.
frustrating for various reasons. firstly and mainly because it has cast its net soooo wide. this is the rough guide to HEAVY METAL yet almost any band who wields a guitar at all is included. the list of bands discussed who have nothing to do with metal, who are just plain rock, are too many to mention.
the second element is of course the bands who are missing. I normally don't expect mainstream music to deal with Christian metal, a subject dear to my heart because of my faith and because it's high point coincided with my teenage years, but this book specifically references Christian metal on the back cover. Inside, however, the only entry I could find was for P.O.D., along with one paragraph covering the whole genre. that no room could be found for adv entry for even Stryper, when we have entries on bands like Jet, who aren't close to metal and were here and gone in two seconds, is crazy!
October 20, 2009
No Bolt Thrower- unforgiveable.
I was given this as a birthday present from a relative and was wary from the start. While only in my mid 20's I am very much a snob when it comes to heavy metal, particularly death metal and grindcore, so I was rather appalled to read that biographies of Coal Chamber, Drowning Pool and Meat Loaf (??) were included, whilst legions of superb bands from the 80's and 90's have been overlooked. Perhaps it is a sign of the times (this is the first edition and was published in 2005), but most of the bands are limp late 90's MTV wank.
Coverage of metal as a genre in this type of coffee table book almost always flat (I'll get that Swedish Death Metal book one day though...) and this is no exception. Weakly researched drop in segments about the history of various metal subgenres and one of "Drummer Jokes" (oh my aching sides) are painfully obvious filler. Bruce Dickinson says in the foreword that "To write a book of this nature requires passion, determination and years of patient research" but even a cursory skim through shows you that the great man cannot have read this tawdry volume.
Metal is for nerds, and that is why I love it-genuinely passionate people into this music can fill hours with conversation about its various nuances but this reads more like it was written by somebodies bored dad. I'm not going to name drop a list of bands or information that have been omitted because it would be boring to read, but anyone who has expressed a genuine interest in metal outside of listlessly flicking through music television channels in suburban bedrooms will spot this for what it is. Perhaps Rough Guides felt they had to cover every musical niche but this is just embarrassing.
I was given this as a birthday present from a relative and was wary from the start. While only in my mid 20's I am very much a snob when it comes to heavy metal, particularly death metal and grindcore, so I was rather appalled to read that biographies of Coal Chamber, Drowning Pool and Meat Loaf (??) were included, whilst legions of superb bands from the 80's and 90's have been overlooked. Perhaps it is a sign of the times (this is the first edition and was published in 2005), but most of the bands are limp late 90's MTV wank.
Coverage of metal as a genre in this type of coffee table book almost always flat (I'll get that Swedish Death Metal book one day though...) and this is no exception. Weakly researched drop in segments about the history of various metal subgenres and one of "Drummer Jokes" (oh my aching sides) are painfully obvious filler. Bruce Dickinson says in the foreword that "To write a book of this nature requires passion, determination and years of patient research" but even a cursory skim through shows you that the great man cannot have read this tawdry volume.
Metal is for nerds, and that is why I love it-genuinely passionate people into this music can fill hours with conversation about its various nuances but this reads more like it was written by somebodies bored dad. I'm not going to name drop a list of bands or information that have been omitted because it would be boring to read, but anyone who has expressed a genuine interest in metal outside of listlessly flicking through music television channels in suburban bedrooms will spot this for what it is. Perhaps Rough Guides felt they had to cover every musical niche but this is just embarrassing.
April 16, 2015
A lot of Metal groups are missing, especially from the Thrash era. Not sure I would've called the book Heavy Metal...is Nirvana Metal, Bush, Rammstein, RHCP!!!! I respect those bands but they don't belong to this book OR they haven't picked the right title. Where are Nuclear Assault, Coroner, Sodom, Bolt Thrower, Metal Church, Overkill, Obituary and the list goes on. The Rough Guide should stick to what they know best; World Music and Jazz.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews