Rating: 
Summary: The History of (Hollywood) Heavy Metal
Review: I read this back to back with _Sound of the Beast_ by Ian Christie and was pleased to find that they (mostly) cover different material. The first thing you'll notice is that except for obligatory coverage of Black Sabbath, Zepplin, AC/DC, Kiss and Metallica, this book focuses mostly on the LA metal scene, AKA the MTV Bands. This may leave you wondering, "Where the heck is the Black Metal?" even though Konow does cover Venom somewhat, as the progenitor of this style. Europe is pretty much ignored, and it'll probably feel like your favorite band got short shrift. Furthermore, the writing isn't very smooth - the book is mostly a collection of anecdotes and factoids. X did this, Y said that, Z was released and did well but not well enough...
With all that said, though, I enjoyed the book quite a bit. The fact density means that you're learning new things every page, at least if, like me, you weren't really into the scene itself, just the music. And if the book had been as wordy as _Sound of the Beast_, it would have been twice as large without giving you much more information. I had no idea Gene Simmons was born Chaim Witz in Israel. Funny bits like Henry Rollins's description of how bad Venom was on tour ('I expected them to break into Sex Farm Woman at any moment') amused me quite a lot.Furthermore, Konow's concentration on a smaller population of LA Bands gives this book more depth than Chistie's in several areas. _Sound of the Beast_ just mentions that Quiet Riot's first cd sold 4 million, their second 1 million. Finis. _Bang Your Head_ goes into all the scheming and politics behind this, why their second record doing 'only' 1 million was a disaster, and how Quiet Riot leader DuBrow shot himself in the foot repeatedly. Even though I never particularly cared for the hair bands (which is what most of the LA Bands were, especially in the tarnished Golden Age of MTV Metal), you certainly couldn't escape them, and it's quite fascinating to find just /how/ self-centered and talentless a lot of them were. Find out just /how/ bad a bass player Nikki Sixx was. Learn why Guns 'n' Roses hasn't released _Chinese Democracy_ yet after almost a decade, though Axl's put $8 million into it. Konow also touches on bands that never quite broke through, like Dokken and Armored Saint, and the whys and the wherefores. So read _Sound of the Beast_ for a global but shallow view of metal, and then _Bang Your Head_ for a more in-depth focus of a few of the bands and more of the Why instead of the What. I had a hard time setting either down.
Rating: 
Summary: Not enough insight
Review: I wish I had read these reviews before I purchased this book - Bang Your Head fell a little flat in telling the rise and fall of heavy metal. I had so hoped for more in depth information, more insight, and more focus on "heavy metal." Instead the book was full of stuff that most people would already know, have already heard, and focused greatly on the glam rock of the 1980's. There is an audience for this book - people who are just getting into metal will love it. Unfortunately it wasn't the right book for me.
Rating: 
Summary: Bang Your Head...Against a Wall
Review: If you are a true fan of heavy metal, or even a lover of music, you will hate this book. The Author seemingly did no research short of watching a VH-1 Behind the Music Marathon. Everything, but every single fact, story, anectdote in this book, comes from a Behind the Music episode, or a myth told by your father, or is just common knowledge, even to the musical layman. i.e. Black Sabbath and Led Zepplin were the fathers of heavy metal. If you are looking for some serious in depth, insightful writing on the heavy metal scene, and the 'rise and fall' thereof, I urge you to read another book, because this one will not satisfy. On the other hand, if you are a novice to the field, you may find this book a good stepping stone to further study. On the whole, poor research, and disappointing reading from what is an interesting topic, could have been a fascinating book.
Rating: 
Summary: Entertaining and Provocative
Review: Konow's exploration of the rise and fall of the heavy metal scene is a rich social and cultural exploration that reads like an oral history, which, in many respects, is exactly what the book is, given the voluminous musicians and social observers that Konow had access to in preparing his opus. It's fascinating to see how metal became, in the 80s, a parody of itself with the emergence of the "hair bands". And, as if that wasn't enough to ensure the demise of the metal sound,the Seattle grunge musicians were lurking in the background, about to unleash their own musical revolution with a little help from MTV. A swift read that should appeal to any reader with an interest in the pop culture of the 1980s.
Rating: 
Summary: METAL IS NOT DEAD
Review: Metal is bigger now than it has ever been....Saxon, Megadeth, Primal Fear, Hammerfall, Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, etc...
This writer has no idea what he is talking about. Just another case of somebody on the outside, trying to tell everyone else what the deal is. A total waste of time!
Rating:
Summary: NO RISING, FALLING, or WIT LEAVE THIS BOOK DRY
Review: Now I have "Metal Health (Bang Your Head)" stuck in my head. Maybe that would make Quiet Riot happy, but at the moment, I'm not amused. Neither is this book too amusing. If it wasn't for the metal meisters that Konow interviewed sharing hilarious (at times) anecdotes, the book would be dry and boring. It never really explained the "rise and fall" of heavy metal, it just had many mini-bios of the genre's biggest names. But what did we all learn? That Axl is a nutcase? We knew that. That Sebastian Bach was an embarassment? We knew that. That Kurt Cobain and his flannel brigade drove a stake through the beast that was metal? We knew that also. He even talked a little bit about Metallica's shockingly sad selling out. All I have to say about that is that there's a reason I will give Dave Mustane credit as putting together the best THRASH METAL outfit ever! They endured!
Readers are better off getting "Fargo Rock City" (and check out Dave Cook's review of the book here at Amazon--it was amazingly accurate and might be enough in and of itself!)--a book that explored the "importance" of metal through the eyes and ears of a midwestern headbanger. The annoying thing about THAT book is he is supposed to be explaining why a band like Poison is important, all the while making excuses for himself so as not to lose his hipster credibility. It's sad. BE PROUD, MAN! (Or not.)
I was saddened by the tales of Van Halen's, Dokken's, and Guns 'N' Roses's demise because as a rocker, one thing you counted on was them being REAL and in the end, these guys could no more offer you a slice of reality than Satan. Upsetting indeed. I was a youngster then and I am now ashamed I fell for it. Now that I am recovered from such geekiness, I can still rock because unlike the hipsters who have tried to embrace metal since its untimely demise, I know all the lyrics, licks, and can Kareoke them better than the artists themselves.
Rating:
Summary: head banging heaven
Review: Overall a very thorough book... some of the bands featured are not exactly what I would define as metal and sometimes there is just too much emphasis on one band and not enough on another...but overall highly recommened for anyone looking for the true start of heavy metal.
Rating:
Summary: Like hair metal -- fun, but not serious enough
Review: The back cover and the author both reference VH1's Behind the Music, and if you've seen any of the episodes, then you'll already be acquainted with the story here: struggle, triumph, excess, decline & fall. It was an enjoyable book, but I can hardly believe his claim it took three years of research to write it; to be blunt, anyone who read Circus and Hit Parader, watches Behind the Music, and owns "Monster Ballads" could have written this book. It would be great for beginners or if you want a pleasant stroll down memory lane, but if you expect the kind of "socio-cultural" work of someone like Deena Weistein, forget it. His chronological approach has merit, but sometimes leaves him to fill in awkward gaps (esp. when he discusses the death of Phil Lynott, in 1985, after his chapter on Bon Jovi's breakthrough, in 1987). I liked it, but once it was over I didn't want to read it again; I just picked up another book. This isn't Black Sabbath or Led Zeppelin (or even early Metallica) -- it's more like Motley Crue, just interesting enough.
Rating:
Summary: Decent but not great.
Review: The best parts in this book are the stories and anecdotes about the bands or the individuals in the bands. Vince Neil is protrayed as the butt of a joke and David Lee Roth is portrayed as a spoiled rich kid turned professional jerk. The stories of the bands are entertaining, because it allows the reader to see just how ridiculous some people can be. However, the book falls short on many levels. Some of the most talented bands of Metal only receive very small sections of the book. I believe that Iron Maiden has a page. Judas Priest has a paragraph. Motorhead, while very influential is only mentioned in sections. The core of the book is made of the L.A. scene, focusing on bands such as Ratt, Motley Crue and Guns and Roses. While these bands were good, they were not the only Metal around in the 80's.
Another disturbing aspect of the book is that Konow claims that Metal was wiped out by the Seattle scene. This is untrue. Konow ignores that Pantera's album, "Far Beyond Driven" debuted at number one the week it was released. Konow also fails to acknowledge that Slayer released some of their most ferocious work in the 90's. I will say that Metal was not as mainstream in the 90's, however to say that it was dead is preposterous. David Konow has written for Guitar World magazine, which I used to read. The late Dimebag Darrel once wrote columns for the magazine well in to the 90's. Dime once said something along the lines of, "Some people think that Metal is Dead, but Metal ain't all assed up yet." I would say to potential readers, that this book is fair. If you want a better read then first check out, "Sound of the Beast" first. That book covers all genre's of metal fairly well and you get more of a history as opposed to the tabloid feaud-like rivalry that "Bang Your Head" offers.
Rating:
Summary: Good Not Great
Review: This book does well in going over the birth and run of the 70's and 80's rock scene, but he gives nothing that was not already covered elsewhere. The back of the book kept saying it was like a Behind the music. Well, I think I might have learned more from the Megadeth and Metallica episodes than I did from this. It is good....but not great
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