Entertaining but very Biased

This book details the time line of Heavy metal very well. It’s very entertaining however the author is extremely biased. Most of the book is spent on the beginning of what he calls metal and it’s very very detailed on the stuff he likes (black metal, death metal, British punk rock) anything that was recorded after 1999 is just glanced and skipped over. He mentions pretty popular modern metal bands and either calls them sh!t or passes right over them. I liked the book it kept me entertained but I would’ve liked it to be a bit more comprehensive on a lot more bands than just the ones he liked.

2 people found this helpful

An excellent choice to learn more about metal

Very engaging and fun. The author is at his best when approaching the subgenres he loves most, but his history remains relatively broad and he does a good job of at the very least briefly touching upon any bands that were influential in the broader genre, whether he enjoyed them or not. I learned about a lot of bands I'd never heard of before, and now expect to have listening material the length of this book many times over. Some people may disagree with his opinions (they're generally pretty fair and rooted in skepticism over the commercialization of music), but unless you are extremely thin-skinned and opinionated about metal already, I very highly recommend you buy this audio book. Otherwise, I only highly recommend it.

1 person found this helpful

A funny and opinionated look into metal history

The book could be reviewed as two separate parts that make the whole; the comedy and the history. The comedy should deliver for those who enjoy the dry and sarcastic British approach to comedic delivery. I found the author to generally be rather funny and likeable, and his reading of the work is very excitable and engaging. The historic aspect of the book is quite solid, though one could argue it does seem to be slightly imbalanced in some parts. I was quite surprised that Iron Maiden for instance was merely breezed by as a side notion of the NWOBHM timeline, where as some other sub-genres (particularly death and black metal) receive considerable attention. As a friend of extreme metal, this was not too much of an issue for me, but this could be disappointing for some listeners. As is mentioned in many of the reviews, the author certainly doesn't shy away from making his own views heard in the book. This may be an issue to some, but I mainly thought it brought more flavour to the text. If you are looking for an entertaining look into metal history filled with comedic personal stories and anecdotes, this one is for you.

A MUST READ FOR METAL HEADS

I gave this book a 5-star review. It's funny, highly entertaining and well written. I'm 46-years old and a life long metal head. Andrew O'Neill does a phenomenal job looking back through the origins of heavy metal and beyond. He even introduced me to bands I had never heard of and I have added them to my play lists. Let me say this: he is biased towards Death Metal / Black Metal. He seems to skirt past the fact these bands paint their face, live with their parents / grandparents and sell a significantly smaller amount of music. If the vocals sounds like a painful colonoscopy, he seems to adore the band and lavish them with praise, even if a dozen people have purchased their album. Know that going in and all is well. I still love this book - I have the written and audible versions. - Harry Psaros

Heavy metal 101

Great listen, very informative and interesting. You will learn some thing new about Heavy Metal. Awsome job narrating love British humor.

Lars, sit down!!!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! I didn't however, agree with some of his musical choices, but metal has a wide variety of bands and styles of metal to choose from. Overall, I would recommend this book to any metal head and will probably listen to it several times. Thumbs up!👍

Brilliant, Hilarious

This is a very personal, opinionated and highly entertaining history of metal. I personally wouldn't call myself a metal head (I like glam metal... and a certain amount of black metal) but I date a lot of metalheads and I find the history of the genre FASCINATING and as a Satanist I certainly have some affection for the genre. I love this author's politics and sense of humor, Andrew brilliantly confronts many of the difficult aspects of metal while maintaining a sense of wry humor and a true fan's enthusiasm and opinionatedness.

Best epilog ever

Loved it! I highly recommend it and it's a laugh to boot. Give it a try and enjoy.

I love this

This book kept my attention and cracked me up at times when I didn't agree with his opinion. I think thr time line for metal was well written and executed.

Fuck yeah

FUCKING stellar. -0.0001 star for unconvincing Quorthon impersonation, +several billion for smoothest burn on The Eagles of Death Metal. Weren’t they just touring with Mastodon? Chronos’ therapy session made me burst out laughing and frightened my coworkers with a revelation that I sometimes possess emotions. This was so brilliant. Thank you kindly.