Review
“Whether you’re the sort of man who knows everything from who first threw the Devil Horns to the correct pronunciation of Yngwie Malmsteen, there is something fascinating to learn from
Louder Than Hell . . . Shed[s] new light on the making of Satan’s Music.” (
Esquire)
“Presents the collective memory of heavy metal through the ages and eras in the voices of the men who lived it . . . It’s an aficionado’s delight.” (
New York Daily News)
“
Louder than Hell is a love letter to the misunderstood genre of heavy metal music, written by trusted companions who had a front row seat on the devil’s rollercoaster. The definitive chronological testimony by the people who were there, including some who are no longer with us.” (
Mark McGrath, Sugar Ray and co-host Extra)
“A great read and an instant classic.” (
The Onion's A.V. Club)
“This is the best oral history I’ve read since
Please Kill Me.
Louder than Hell is the first book that really delivers the brutal truth from the mouths of the artists and key players themselves! I couldn’t put it down.” (
Matt Pinfield)
“Two devil horns up!” (
USA Today)
A compelling, first-person account of a seemingly unstoppable force . . .the book reads like an extended, uncensored, shockingly satisfying episode of VH1’s Behind the Music. (Washington Post)
“An amazingly comprehensive book on all eras and genres of hard rock and heavy metal. The stories and attention to detail make it an instant must for anyone who ever was or is a fan.” (
Eddie Trunk, DJ and host of That Metal Show on VH1 Classic)
Often hilarious, occasionally, ‘God, I wish I hadn’t read that!’, sometimes profound, sometimes heartbreaking, sometimes infuriating . . . no one holds back on any subject. . . you come away from this book with a crystal-clear vision of this world (The Huffington Post)
“The authors inclusiveness give this examination a weight that is just as heavy as the music.” (
Publishers Weekly)
“A who’s who of heavy music . . . What makes
Louder Than Hell un-put-down-able are the stories . . . Essential.” (
Revolver (4 stars))
“No one’s gone quite as deep into the genre’s recesses as this 746-page oral history, which covers everything from the birth of Black Sabbath to Dave Mustaine’s departure from Metallica to the disaster that was Woodstock ‘99.” (
Rolling Stone, four stars)
“Jon Wiederhorn and Katherine Turman know metal.
Louder Than Hell is an amazing gathering of different breeds of heavy metal rockers telling the tales metal fans want to hear.” (
Tom Morello, Rage Against the Machine)
“If you love metal, great stories, and music history told by the people who made it, then
Louder than Hell is a must-read. This is the book every metal fan should own. (
Alice Cooper)
“
Louder Than Hell comes straight from the twisted minds of rock icons and flows seamlessly through various eras of heavy metal. . .I really dig this book.” (
Riki Rachtman)
“I’ve said thousands of times that reading ‘totally sucks.’ But this book does indeed not suck. Books on the history of even something as cool as metal can be a bit antiseptic and boring-not this one.” (
Brendon Small, Dethklok)
“Who likes rock n roll here?? Well if you do, this is the book for you! . . . This is the definitive chronicle of all that is heavy metal and I’ve read them all!” (
Chris Jericho, Fozzy)
“As definitive as it gets, bonding historical anecdotes to pieces of debauched mythology from the scene’s platinum superstars and fringe icons . . . as indispensable as a skull-adorned leather jacket.” (
Entertainment Weekly, A-)
From the Back Cover
From Sabbath to Slipknot, Louder Than Hell is the definitive oral history of heavy metal, straight from the mouths of those who defined it. The book was crafted from more than four hundred interviews conducted over the past twenty-five years by music journalists Jon Wiederhorn and Katherine Turman. They have unearthed never-before-heard stories, eye-opening admissions, and the truth behind some of metal’s wildest moments, such as the industrial accident that forever changed the sound of Black Sabbath, the experiences that got Dave Mustaine booted from Metallica, and the bloodletting rituals of death metal bands Morbid Angel and Deicide. Louder Than Hell is packed with raw and unflinching commentary from icons of metal from its inception in the late 1960s to the current day, including Ozzy Osbourne, Bruce Dickinson, Eddie Van Halen, Tommy Lee, Lars Ulrich, James Hetfield, Kerry King, Vince Neil, Axl Rose, Jonathan Davis, Corey Taylor, Pete Steele, Dave Grohl, Trent Reznor, Marilyn Manson, Rob Zombie, Dimebag Darrell, and hundreds of others.
From groundbreaking innovations such as the dawn of distortion and the birth of cookie monster vocals to amazing tales of destruction and wild sexual escapades, Louder Than Hell has it all, like the evolution of Judas Priest’s seminal powerchord sound and patented leather-and-studs look; the provocative exploits of the Sunset Strip scene; and the truth behind the Norwegian church burnings and murders that became synonymous with black metal. Discover how Faith No More accidentally created rap-metal and who invented the “devil horns”—and how most people do it wrong.
Louder Than Hell is the definitive look behind the curtain at one of our most dynamic and enduring musical genres. To paraphrase Spinal Tap, how much more metal can you get? None, none more metal.
--This text refers to the
Hardcover
edition.
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