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The Encyclöpedia öf Heavy Metal
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 Mötley 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 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 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.
300 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 2003
11 people are currently reading
214 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
October 25, 2007
Thank goody Jesus (Sterling) I found this book lying on our coffee when I was reading that other metal piece. THIS is what a history of heavy metal should be. Illustrated, big pictures. Complete band member listings (by album and date), complete history of each band, album/genre/artist lists at the end of the book, and so on, as well as an informed opinion that is partial to what contemporaries of the artists were actually feeling when they were making music.
This book provided a wonderful counterpoint to the "Headbanger's History." Some opinions coincided between the two books, but overall there was a more genuine and honest feeling about the Encyclopedia's diagnoses of the bands and the scenes. Yes, Metallica has a four-page spread (along with Zepplin and Aerosmith and a few others). That's O.K. Metallica was a really important band before they became totally lame with success and they deserve four pages. They just don't deserve the entire history of heavy metal attributed to them.
Good points:
The Encyclopedia includes not just metal bands but also major influences (chiefly, Hendrix, plus Zepplin, Blue Cheer and so on) and peripheraries of the metal scene (ICP, NIN, DRI, so on). It even includes Fred Durst (part of history I say is better left forgotten). Hugely influential on me, it also delves into the overlap between metal and the hard, trippy rock of "Stoner Doom" music, a genre I didn't know existed and probably the genre that I have enjoyed the most throughout my life without knowing that it had a name. Thank you for introducing me to Kyuss.
Bad points:
Well, I can only think of one band they forgot to include right now: Helmet. What the fuck man? Something tells me they might have forgotten Rage, as well, but I could be wrong.
This book provided a wonderful counterpoint to the "Headbanger's History." Some opinions coincided between the two books, but overall there was a more genuine and honest feeling about the Encyclopedia's diagnoses of the bands and the scenes. Yes, Metallica has a four-page spread (along with Zepplin and Aerosmith and a few others). That's O.K. Metallica was a really important band before they became totally lame with success and they deserve four pages. They just don't deserve the entire history of heavy metal attributed to them.
Good points:
The Encyclopedia includes not just metal bands but also major influences (chiefly, Hendrix, plus Zepplin, Blue Cheer and so on) and peripheraries of the metal scene (ICP, NIN, DRI, so on). It even includes Fred Durst (part of history I say is better left forgotten). Hugely influential on me, it also delves into the overlap between metal and the hard, trippy rock of "Stoner Doom" music, a genre I didn't know existed and probably the genre that I have enjoyed the most throughout my life without knowing that it had a name. Thank you for introducing me to Kyuss.
Bad points:
Well, I can only think of one band they forgot to include right now: Helmet. What the fuck man? Something tells me they might have forgotten Rage, as well, but I could be wrong.
September 21, 2009
This is an incredibly fun coffee table book. There are a lot of great things about it - it's exhaustively researched, pretty accurate for a book in this genre, and loaded with hundreds of amazing photos. The best thing about the book, however, is Bukszpan's writing, which is laugh-out-loud hilarious. The photo captions alone could be compiled into an epically funny book about heavy metal. I come back to this book again and again for reference, fact-checking, or just plain entertainment.
The down side, and what cuts the book from a 5-star classic in my opinion, is Bukszpan's band selection. Obviously, space is at a premium in a book like this, and someone had to be cut somewhere; I can understand that. But the author's love for obscure stoner doom bands overcomes his good sense. This book has all you ever wanted to know about such luminaries as Abdullah (huh?) and Zebra (who?) and Slow Horse (his OWN band!), at the expense of far more significant acts such as Bathory, Dream Theater, and Winger, just to name a few.
The down side, and what cuts the book from a 5-star classic in my opinion, is Bukszpan's band selection. Obviously, space is at a premium in a book like this, and someone had to be cut somewhere; I can understand that. But the author's love for obscure stoner doom bands overcomes his good sense. This book has all you ever wanted to know about such luminaries as Abdullah (huh?) and Zebra (who?) and Slow Horse (his OWN band!), at the expense of far more significant acts such as Bathory, Dream Theater, and Winger, just to name a few.
July 9, 2009
one of these days i'm going to go through this cover to cover.
okay - i'm only in the g's and i've already found mistakes.
found a few more mistakes - and that's just the stuff i KNOW. i've never heard of this daniel guy and don't know how he got this gig. but okay - so you're the editor of the ency. of heavy metal and no one knows who the heck you are...do NOT include your band that no one has ever heard of!!!!!
done. found one last mistake for good measure. then in reading the top 10 lists at the end - notice the author included one of his songs on a list. higher than black sabbath, etc. while the book on a whole is nice to have - this guy needs to get over himself.
okay - i'm only in the g's and i've already found mistakes.
found a few more mistakes - and that's just the stuff i KNOW. i've never heard of this daniel guy and don't know how he got this gig. but okay - so you're the editor of the ency. of heavy metal and no one knows who the heck you are...do NOT include your band that no one has ever heard of!!!!!
done. found one last mistake for good measure. then in reading the top 10 lists at the end - notice the author included one of his songs on a list. higher than black sabbath, etc. while the book on a whole is nice to have - this guy needs to get over himself.
August 26, 2017
Enjoyable look at many hard rock and heavy metal bands. Bukszpan included all the mainstage groups as well as many bands that you've probably never heard of. While the information was excellent, I thought his attempt at being funny throughout the book was lame. Next time I hope he simply sticks to the facts and history of the music. My only other complaint would be that Bukszpan makes it obvious who his favorite bands are by explaining their history more than is really needed (including his own worthless band). Any die-hard metal/hard rock fan should check this out!
August 16, 2009
This is a pretty well done book covering the genre of metal. I wouldn't really label some of the bands it covers metal though such as limp biskit, or slipknot.
unowned-to-buy
May 18, 2010May 16, 2010 - RIP Ronnie James Dio
June 14, 2022
Heart? Queen? Bon...Jovi!?
October 22, 2022
What can I say about this one? It's pretty much as advertised... I mean, it's a decade old at this point, so some of the information is a little outdated, but overall, it is just as it claims.
There were some choices made that I didn't fully agree with (some pretty obscure extreme metal groups earned an entry, while other more mainstream groups barely got a mention in other bands' entries; similarly, while I love Joan Jett, I'm not sure she is any more heavy metal than Ministry -- but she had a full write-up, where Al Jourgensen was just mentioned in connection with Nine Inch Nails and some other industrial metal entries), but my understanding is that the first iteration of this book also overlooked some musical acts that fans pointed out. Those oversights were fixed for this edition, but I guess it's a given that no physical book that can be held in human hands will ever contain EVERYTHING everyone believes should be mentioned.
It should also be pointed out, for the thin-skinned, that in many places Daniel Bukszpan really adopts the persona of a true metalhead. Literally, there are passages in which you can almost hear Beavis and Butt-head saying things like, "This sucks, because it doesn't rock!" "This rocks, because it doesn't suck!" I'm more of a holistic music fan -- liking metal, for me, does not mean I can't like Erasure or Neil Diamond. It simply means that I can like more than one thing, for more than one reason.
Overall, though, whether you're into glam metal, death/gloom/black/whatever metal (I'm still unsure where the delineations lie), British New Wave of Heavy Metal, Nu Metal, proto-metal, or just hard rock that verges on heavy metal, you'll find much to enjoy here. Lots of information, plus illustrations, sidebars, appendices, etc. It's definitely worth picking up, to skim or to read like a heavy metal bible.
There were some choices made that I didn't fully agree with (some pretty obscure extreme metal groups earned an entry, while other more mainstream groups barely got a mention in other bands' entries; similarly, while I love Joan Jett, I'm not sure she is any more heavy metal than Ministry -- but she had a full write-up, where Al Jourgensen was just mentioned in connection with Nine Inch Nails and some other industrial metal entries), but my understanding is that the first iteration of this book also overlooked some musical acts that fans pointed out. Those oversights were fixed for this edition, but I guess it's a given that no physical book that can be held in human hands will ever contain EVERYTHING everyone believes should be mentioned.
It should also be pointed out, for the thin-skinned, that in many places Daniel Bukszpan really adopts the persona of a true metalhead. Literally, there are passages in which you can almost hear Beavis and Butt-head saying things like, "This sucks, because it doesn't rock!" "This rocks, because it doesn't suck!" I'm more of a holistic music fan -- liking metal, for me, does not mean I can't like Erasure or Neil Diamond. It simply means that I can like more than one thing, for more than one reason.
Overall, though, whether you're into glam metal, death/gloom/black/whatever metal (I'm still unsure where the delineations lie), British New Wave of Heavy Metal, Nu Metal, proto-metal, or just hard rock that verges on heavy metal, you'll find much to enjoy here. Lots of information, plus illustrations, sidebars, appendices, etc. It's definitely worth picking up, to skim or to read like a heavy metal bible.
June 27, 2019
During my first year of getting into metal, I relied mostly on the internet and CD stores such as FYE and Hot Topic. Both of these resources were useful, but I think once I got a hold of this book in the spring of 2014, I really gained more knowledge on the genre.
You will appreciate this encyclopedia if you love visuals and that’s one of the reasons why I loved it. After all, metal is a genre that relies heavy on visuals. Ever since the 80’s, people have gotten drawn into certain bands because of their album covers alone or even despised it because of the album cover. Every band mentioned in this book has a picture of their album covers and band pictures also, so it’s not like you have to wonder who they are on the internet each time.
The main thing I love about the book is that it takes the format of your average encyclopedia and makes the information easier to digest and more fun to read. The book has chapters on every single metal sub-genre that exists and gives an in-depth history lesson on each that will make you glued to what you’re reading. After the beginning chapters break down the history of the sub-genre, it goes straight to the bands that belong in them and all of the information for each band is short and sweet also.
You will appreciate this encyclopedia if you love visuals and that’s one of the reasons why I loved it. After all, metal is a genre that relies heavy on visuals. Ever since the 80’s, people have gotten drawn into certain bands because of their album covers alone or even despised it because of the album cover. Every band mentioned in this book has a picture of their album covers and band pictures also, so it’s not like you have to wonder who they are on the internet each time.
The main thing I love about the book is that it takes the format of your average encyclopedia and makes the information easier to digest and more fun to read. The book has chapters on every single metal sub-genre that exists and gives an in-depth history lesson on each that will make you glued to what you’re reading. After the beginning chapters break down the history of the sub-genre, it goes straight to the bands that belong in them and all of the information for each band is short and sweet also.
June 14, 2022
Bukszpan makes it clear early on which bands he appreciates and which he doesn't. Of all the books of this type I've read, this one is the most adolescent in terms of its writing. His style oscillates from objective to obnoxious to cringe. Plenty of quality photos though and it did introduce me to some bands I hadn't heard of before.
January 31, 2025
I've loved this book since the first time I read it and it's a good read
January 12, 2011
This is my favorite book!
I admit I haven't read the whole book but some of the bands are just to weird for me to read about, so I just stick to reading my favorite bands biographies.
This book is more of a mix of heavy metal and rock and roll, because some of the bands in here are not heavy metal, like Led Zeppelin. They aren't heavy metal, they are influences to many heavy metal bands and that's all that they have to do with heavy metal. Same with Jimi Hendrix.
Other than that, I like this book mainly because there isn't many like it.
I admit I haven't read the whole book but some of the bands are just to weird for me to read about, so I just stick to reading my favorite bands biographies.
This book is more of a mix of heavy metal and rock and roll, because some of the bands in here are not heavy metal, like Led Zeppelin. They aren't heavy metal, they are influences to many heavy metal bands and that's all that they have to do with heavy metal. Same with Jimi Hendrix.
Other than that, I like this book mainly because there isn't many like it.
February 26, 2018
I enjoyed this giant book of Heavy Metal bands a lot of which I have never heard of. It was furthermore interesting to read more about all the subgenres of metal music. I liked all the pictures of the bands and it was fun to see some of my favorites at such a young age and how they originally started. I never really realized how many times some of or most of the bands changed band members so quickly and frequently. This is definitely a fun keep sake to be able to look back on and be able to share it with daughter as she gets older.
July 17, 2024
Leaves much to be desired. I grew up loving it as a teen. Re-visiting now as an adult, I find it lacking in some content, it cannot be called an encyclopedia if it is missing several popular bands such as Queen, Nirvana, I don't believe Tool is listed in here either. I mean they have ICP listed in here for crying out loud; Primus would have been a far better contender for that spot.
Read
July 1, 2007Haha just sooo great.
December 19, 2007
Great info and amazing photos. I've learned probably 1/4 of everything I know about heavy metal from this book. Highly recommended to anyone who appreciates the genre.
Currently reading
December 4, 2008my birthday present from keith and chrissy. and how did i open it directly to "danzig" without even trying!?
October 14, 2009
I wouldn't classify all the bands in here as metal bands, and some of the descriptions annoyed me, but it's decent.
March 16, 2011
some bands in this book cannot classified as metal but its okay, there's a zillion of metal band out there, it's impossible to cover them all in a book.
June 12, 2010
One of my favorite books - it Rocks!!!
August 2, 2011
Great resource for Heavy Metal fans - and a good way to discover bands that you may not have encountered before. Very thorough and lots of images.
July 4, 2012
This is really good. The author has a great way of explaining the history and perspective of those engaged at the time period.
May 2, 2013
Impossible to have all bands in there, but most are in here. All the greats plus a bunch of not so well known. Quite impressive.
September 8, 2008
one of the best books im reading
January 11, 2009
A good overview with lots of pictures.
Read
October 19, 2010alright, but i don't like how some bands that are nowhere near metal are included
October 12, 2018
one of the best bathrooms books ever. A must have for any heavy metal lover
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews