The Encyclopedia of Heavy Metal

Rating:
Summary: This book rocks!
Review: "The Encyclopedia of Heavy Metal" is a fantastic book. I like the way it is set up with the bios and discographies. And there are some truly amazing photographs inside!

Mr. Bukszpan must have done years of research for all the info that is included in this encyclopedia. It really seems a shame people would concentrate on what bands should or shouldn't be included. I guess it would be impossible to satisfy everyone. But for my money, this is the best book on Heavy Metal that I've come across. If you are or were a fan of metal, do yourself a favor and pick this book up as soon as you can!

Rock on!

Rating:
Summary: Highly entertaining guide to metal
Review: At first glance, a casual fan of metal will be quite impressed by this books size, weight, and comprehensiveness. It does cover a very wide variety of metal bands, ranging hard rock bands (Aerosmith and AC/DC), hair metal bands (Bon Jovi and Poision), classic metal bands (Black Sabbath and Judas Priest), speed metal bands (Metallica and Megadeth), industrial metal (Lard and Nine Inch Nails), and even 'nu-metal' bands (Korn and the Deftones). The entries for each band provide a thoughtful, concise, and often humorous history of the band and it's output. Smaller bands get small entries, while monsters of the genre get several pages. There are many large pictures, sometimes gory, sometimes cheesy, always entertaining.

The author clearly has a great deal of love and respect for the genre of heavy metal. It's a refreshing change to read a book about metal that doesn't (often) make snide remarks about the bands and the quality of the music. The foibles of certain famous stars are tweaked a bit (but really, how could you write this kind of book without teasing Gene Simmons a bit about his non-stop merchandising or Dave Mustaine about his constantly on-again, off-again drug habit?)

As a fan of speed/thrash metal, I was a bit disappointed by the lack of some of the great bands in that subgenre (no Forbidden, Death Angel, Strapping Young Lad, or Nevermore.) Others may be disappointed by the lack of newer bands (no Disturbed, Linkin Park, or System of a Down.) And I can offer no explanation for the lack of an entry for Dream Theater, who are an amazingly talented, reasonably popular, and important metal band.

The author clearly realizes that his list will come under heavy dispute from fans, stating that his list comes from a list of his favorite bands, bands he felt were important, bands he felt people would like to see, and bands suggested by his editor. The author clearly has a preference for the little-noticed subgenre of "doom metal" (think Black Sabbath, then think even slower and heavier) with extensive coverage for even the most obscure bands who play this style. This is perhaps understandable as the author himself plays in a doom metal band, Slow Horse.

For a long time fan of the genre, this is a fun read, but you probably won't learn a lot that you didn't already know (except perhaps about those oh-so-obscure doom metal bands!) But for someone who is new to metal and is interested in it's history, this book would be invaluable.

Rating:
Summary: It's only rock and roll but I like it...
Review: Cheap Trick? The Sweet? Grand Funk Railroad? KID ROCK?? Heavy metal??? Uh...OK. But, if you can get past some of those inclusions and some of the exclusions (no Nirvana but yes to Alice in Chains and Soundgarden? no Triumph as a previous reviewer has stated?), this is a pretty good book picture-wise and for that I don't regret buying it and I like it also for three other reasons, one is mutiple pages are accorded to the "grandfathers" of the genre, i.e.: Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin, etc.; two is many groups from the "stoner rock" sub-genre are included, i.e.: Nebula, Kyuss, etc.; and finally, although you would be right in arguing AGAINST their inclusion, it was nice to see both GWAR and Insane Clown Posse as I don't feel they get enough respect OR attention. Final word: if you don't want to get angry, DON'T read the "list" section at the end of the book, ESPECIALLY the 10 best guitarists one--I warned you!

Rating:
Summary: For those about to rock - READ THIS BOOK!!!
Review: Do you like good writing? Do you like heavy metal music? Do you like interesting musical tidbits & facts alongside glorious live rock photos? Then pick up this book NOW...NOW...NOW!
I think this is one of the best written books on the subject of METAL music you will ever find. The author is a diehard fan and musician himself who isn't discussing the subject matter as a uninformed spectator, but as someone who has lived and breathed the metal scene for many years. I love curling up on the couch and poring thru this MASSIVE catalog of bands, getting lost within the depths of Led Zeppelin or the chaos of Aerosmith. Plus, you get to hear about other bands you might NEVER see mentioned in Rolling Stone ( Cycle Sluts From Hell, Goatsnake, Atomic Bitchwax ) Trust me. You will not be disappointed.
Tell them Dio sent you.

Rating:
Summary: Well..
Review: I have read most of this book in various bookstores around Chicago. Once I finally decided to purchase it they were all gone. Now Amazon dosen't even stock it. Great book for any metal fan, except for Frehley's Comet fans who will not be able to read or see any photos of this band because it was left out! Anyway if you can get your grubby hands on this book do it! You won't be dissapointed.

Rating:
Summary: From Abdullah to Zebra
Review: I saw Daniel Bukszpan's Encyclopedia of Heavy Metal in a book store and was intrigued by the cover. I skimmed through it and saw the tons of glossy color photos of metal bands and memorabilia (many I had not seen before). When I saw a photo of Judas Priest roller skating in Central Park, I knew I had to have this book. It is a very entertaining guide to tons of bands with side info on such things as metal magazines, metal genres, and top ten lists of metal albums, songs, controversial album covers, etc. The author includes symbols by each artist entry to indicate such things as excessive drug use, death in the band, musical content (satanic, political, fantasy, violent, sexual, etc.). The sexual symbol is two sets of feet facing each other (although, for some bands, they may need to be turned around). Symbols for metal genre next to each metal act would have been helpful. The entries are informative and often funny ("...when [Rob] Halford came out of the proverbial closet. His revelation surprised possibly as many as six people in the entire world..."). Bukszpan even includes some humorous captions under the photos. A photo of Grandfunk Railroad laying in caskets sports the caption: "Where most rock critics wanted to see GFR end up.") The book has a forward by Ronnie James Dio and, when you read the entry on Dio, you will detect some butt kissing on the part of the author, but that's OK because Dio rocks.

There will always be controversy regarding which bands are included in a heavy metal encyclopedia (Bad Company? Kid Rock?) and which bands are left off (where's Keel? where's Annihilator? where's Meliah Rage? where's Death Angel?). But here's who made it: Abdullah, Accept, AC/DC, Acid King, Aerosmith, Alice in Chains, Anthrax, Anvil, Armored Saint, The Atomic Bitchwax, Atomic Rooster, Bad Company, Biohazard, Black Sabbath, Blue Cheer, Blue Oyster Cult, Body Count, Bon Jovi, Budgie, Candlemass, Cannibal Corpse, Carcass, Carnivore, Cathedral, Celtic Frost, Cheap Trick, Cinderella, Cirith Ungol, Alice Cooper, Corrosion of Conformity, Cycle Sluts From Hell, Danzig, Dark Angel, Darkthrone, Death, Deep Purple, Def Leppard, The Deftones, Deicide, Diamond Head, Dio, Dokken, D.R.I., Dust, Electric Wizard, Emperor, Entombed, Exciter, Exodus, Extreme, Eyehategod, Faith No More, Faster Pussycat, Fastway, Fates Warning, Fear Factory, Flotsam & Jetsam, Lita Ford, Fu Manchu, Goatsnake, Godflesh, Grand Funk Railroad, Granicus, Grave Digger, Grim Reaper, Guns n' Roses, GWAR, Hallow's Eve, Hammerfall, Hanoi Rocks, Helloween, Helmet, Jimi Hendrix, Holocaust, Iced Earth, Immortal, Insane Clown Posse, Iron Butterfly, Iron Maiden, Iron Man, Jag Panzer, Jane's Addiction, Joan Jett, Judas Priest, Katatonia, Kid Rock, King Diamond, King's X, KISS, Korn, Kreator, Krokus, Kyuss, L7, L.A. Guns, Lard, Las Cruces, Led Zeppelin, Limp Bizkit, Living Colour, Loudness, Yngwie Malmsteen, Manilla Road, Manowar, Marilyn Manson, Mayhem, The MC5, Megadeth, The Melvins, Memento Mori, The Mentors, Mercyful Fate, Metal Church, Metallica, Monster Magnet, Morbid Angel, Motley Crue, Motorhead, Mr. Bungle, My Dying Bride,

Napalm Death, Natas, Nebula, Neurosis, Nine Inch Nails, Nuclear Assault, Ted Nugent, Obituary, The Obsessed, Opeth, Ozzy Osbourne, Overkill, Pantera, Paradise Lost, Penance, Pentagram, Place of Skulls, Poison, Possessed, Prong, Queen, Queens of the Stone Age, Queensrych, Quiet Riot, Rage Against the Machine, Rainbow, Rammstein, Ratt, Raven, Riot, Rose Tattoo, The Runaways, Running Wild, Rush, Sacred Reich, Saint Vitus, Samson, Joe Satriani, Savatage, Saxon, The Scorpions, Sepultura, Sir Lord Baltimore, Skid Row, Slade, Slayer, Sleep, Slipknot, Slow Horse, Sodom, Solitude Aeturnus, Soundgarden, Spinal Tap, Spirit Caravan, Stormtroopers of Death, Stryper, Suicidal Tendencies, The Sweet, The Tea Party, Terra Firma, Tesla, Testament, Therapy?, Thin Lizzy, Tool, Trouble, Twisted Sister, Tygers of Pan Tang, Type O Negative, U.F.O, Unorthodox, Uriah Heep, Steve Vai, Van Halen, Venom, Vixen, Voivod, Warhorse, Warlock, Warlord, Warrant, W.A.S.P., Whitesnake, White Zombie, Winter, Witchfinder General, Y & T, and Zebra. Of course powerhouses like KISS and Judas Priest are going to get many more pages and photos than a lesser known group like Cirith Ungol (who receive no photos) but it is near impossible to find any info on some of these more obscure bands. The photos are amazing and are worth the price of the book alone.

Rating:
Summary: Really informative!
Review: My husband got this book for Christmas. I have been reading it myself and have really enjoyed it! This book is well written, funny and has tons of information. The only bad thing I can say is it should have been longer with even more great info.

Rating:
Summary: you'll be debating for days
Review: This book does, if nothing else, set music fans into a frenzied debate over the inclusion of certain musical acts. Right from he start it is obvious that the book takes a tongue in cheeck look at the world of "heavy metal" form an outsiders point of view. Die hard music fans of this genre will be left scratching their heads at the inclusion of certain bands(Insane Clown Posse and Limp Bizkit) and wonder why other more serious artists were left out. But overall the book does serve its purpose of entertaining with hilarious pictures of some of the more ridiculous bands of the heyday and rare bands that some younger listeners may never have heard. The book is well worth the 20 dollar cover price and will in the end satisfy most with its full page pictures of some of your favorite artists. Still, dont be decieved by the word encyclopedia in the title, as this is not an extensive in depth look at the genre.

Rating:
Summary: Great book, but why Limp Bizkit, Kid Rock, etc?
Review: This is actually one of the only books I will read for my choice. It gives you bios and discographys for >>almost<< every band from Abdullah to Zebra, and everything in between. Like other people said, the writer of this book missed a few great bands, like Dream Theater, Amorphis, In Flames, Dark Tranquility, Krisiun, and many more. But there are many other great bands that DID make the book, so that's pretty forgivable, I guess. Why did I give it 4 stars and not 5? Well, it's beacauseof the inclusion of 3 specific bands; Limp Bizkit, Kid Rock, and Insane Clown Posse- WTF? I'll confess I like ICP, but they're DEFINATELY not metal, and Kid Rock and Limp Bizkit REALLY sucks and aren't even cose to metal!!! But other than the omissions and head-scratchers, the book is good. But if you want the best book on metal, then go with "Bang Your Head: The Rise And Fall Of Heavy Metal".

Rating:
Summary: Great And Fun
Review: This is the best book I have ever read about heavy metal. The author is funny, there are GREAT photos, discography, band member lists, little symbols on what the band's music is usually about. But there ARE some bands in here that are NOT metal, like Grand Funk Railroad, Jimi Hendrix, and Bad Company. Also, there are some bands that should have been included, like The Cult and Andrew WK. But most of this book is hilarious and good, and introduced me to some never-heard-of bands like Dust and Granicus.