Approaching three decades of dominating the heavy metal world, "Metallica" has become the standard bearer for guitar-shredding, riff-bashing rock. From the pages of "Guitar World Magazine" comes this outstanding collection of interviews and insights. Whether you are a fan or a professional musician, you'll be entertained and educated by this comprehensive, in-depth collection.

Headbangers rejoice, because this fantastically illustrated encyclopedia includes all things Metal, from influential bands such as Led Zeppelin, Blue Cheer, Iron Butterfly, Kiss, and Queen, to M�tley Crue, Black Sabbath (before Ozzy became a family sitcom star), Deep Purple, Twisted Sister, and Aerosmith, right up to Jane's Addiction, Las Cruces, Limp Bizkit, and today's most extreme death metal bands. Not a single sub-genre or band goes uncovered. Well-researched and fact-filled, the witty text befits the raucous bands that push musical-and all other-boundaries. From obscure groups like Armored Saint and Norway's Mayhem to pioneers Grand Funk Railroad and Iron Maiden to megastars like Ozzy Osbourne, Alice Cooper, Lita Ford, Van Halen, Joan Jett, and Marilyn Manson, each entry contains vital statistics: a description of the band's history and sound; an essential discography; the most current, comprehensive, popular compilations; and much more. Special features cover such important details as "Metal Fashion" and the various metal genres. Def Leppard, Faith No More, Guns n' Roses, Judas Priest, Metallica, AC/DC, Nine-Inch Nails, Poison, Rage Against the Machine, and Japan's Loudness: all of the favorite (and not so favorite) adrenaline-pumped, bizarre bands that make heavy metal the unique form it is appear in all their glory.

This is the most in-depth exploration of Metallica's songs ever written. From their widely circulated demo, No Life 'til Leather, all the way to their 10th studio album Hardwired... to Self-Destruct - Metallica have earned the title of the biggest heavy metal band on the planet. Their albums, including the hugely influential Master of Puppets, are now considered classics of rock and metal, while singles such as Enter Sandman, Fade to Black and For Whom the Bell Tolls have stood the test of time. Follow the epic journey of the godfathers of thrash metal, song-by-song, and see how they became one of the biggest selling bands in the world. No stone is left unturned across more than 500 pages, illustrated with incredible photography throughout, from the inspiration behind the lyrics and melodies to the recording process and even the musicians and producers who worked on each track. Uncover the stories behind the music in this truly definitive book - a must-have for every Metallica fan.

Annotation. Featuring absolutely no 'cut and paste' compilation of the work of others, this is arguably the finest reference book on Metallica yet to emerge. Presented as an A-Z listing of all the subjects - major or trivial - close to the hearts of the Metallica fans (a grouping that most definitely counts both the writers within its higher echelons), including songs, albums, gigs, personnel, places and much more, this vollume is certain to become a staple of every devotee's bookshelf.

Hit the lights and jump in the fire, you're about to enter the School of Rock! Today's lecture will be a crash course in brain surgery. This hard and fast lesson is taught by instructors who graduated from the old school—they actually paid $5.98 for The $5.98 EP. But back before these philosophy professors cut their hair, they were lieutenants in the Metal Militia. A provocative study of the 'thinking man's' metal band Maps out the connections between Aristotle, Nietzsche, Marx, Kierkegaard, and Metallica, to demonstrate the band's philosophical significance Uses themes in Metallica's work to illuminate topics such as freedom, truth, identity, existentialism, questions of life and death, metaphysics, epistemology, the mind-body problem, morality, justice, and what we owe one another Draws on Metallica's lyrical content, Lars Ulrich's relationship with Napster, as well as the documentary Some Kind of Monster Serves as a guide for thinking through the work of one of the greatest rock bands of all time Compiled by the editor of Seinfeld and Philosophy: A Book about Everything and Nothing and The Simpsons and Philosophy: The D'oh! of Homer

This text presents a comprehensive and up-to-date reference work on popular music, from the early 20th century to the present day.

It has been reviled, dismissed, attacked, and occasionally been the subject of Congressional hearings, but still, the genre of music known as heavy metal maintains not only its market share in the recording and downloading industry, but also as a cultural force that has united millions of young and old fans across the globe. Characterized by blaring distorted guitars, drum solos, and dramatic vibrato, the heavy metal movement headbanged its way to the popular culture landscape with bands like Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath the 1970s. Motley Crue and Metallica made metal a music phenomenon in the 1980s. Heavy metal continues to evolve today with bands like Mastodon and Lamb of God. Providing an extensive overview of the music, fashion, films, and philosophies behind the movement, this inclusive encyclopedia chronicles the history and development of heavy metal, including sub-movements such as death metal, speed metal, grindcore, and hair metal. Essential and highly entertaining reading for high school and undergraduate courses in popular music studies, communications, media studies, and cultural studies, the Encyclopedia of Heavy Metal Music and Culture offers a guide to the ultimate underground music, exploring its rich cultural diversity, resilience, and adaptability. Entries for musicians include a discography for those wanting to start or develop their music collections.

Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth and Anthrax - collectively known as the Big 4 - emerged during the 1980s and dominated the rock and metal scene in the USA. Chiefly inspired by the New Wave Of British Heavy Metal and European metal heavyweights such as Kreator, Sodom and Accept the Big 4 went on to define an incredible era of metal and develop a genre of music known as thrash metal of which they became the most successful and influential exponents. In 2010 the Big 4 took the metal community by storm by appearing together onstage for the first time during seven massively successful Sonisphere Festival concerts around Europe. The Big 4 remain universally popular both as a collective force and as individual bands. From the author of books on Judas Priest and Iron Maiden, Big 4 Encyclopedia is an A-Z guide book that celebrates the thrash metal music of these four legendary headbanging American bands. There are also previously unseen live photographs of the Big 4 as well as contributions from various respected artists and music journalists. A scrapbook of lists, articles and reviews, Big 4 Encyclopedia is essential reading for metal fans.

Metaldata: A Bibliography of Heavy Metal Resources is the first book-length bibliography of resources about heavy metal. From its beginnings in the late 1960s and early 1970s, heavy metal has emerged as one of the most consistently popular and commercially successful music styles. Over the decades the style has changed and diversified, drawing attention from fans, critics, and scholars alike. Scholars, journalists, and musicians have generated a body of writing, films, and instructional materials that is substantial in quantity, diverse in approach, and intended for many types of audiences, resulting in a wealth of information about heavy metal. Metaldata provides a current and comprehensive bibliographic resource for researchers and fans of metal. This book also serves as a guide for librarians in their collection development decisions. Chapters focus on performers, musical instruction, discographies, metal subgenres, metal in specific places, and research relating metal to the humanities and sciences, and encompass archives, books, articles, videos, websites, and other resources by scholars, journalists, musicians, and fans of this vibrant musical style.