4.0 out of 5 stars
A non-essential but good light read on a fascinating subject, July 9 2011
This review is from: The Official Heavy Metal Book of Lists (Paperback)
This book has been classified by some other reviewers as 'Bathroom reading' and I suppose it could very well be. Eric Danville's The Official Heavy Metal Book of Lists obviously wasn't made in order to make anyone smarter, the content is basically just fun facts put together in the form of lists, facts that you may or may have not already known. I like the introduction by Lemmy, to have him give his approval certainly gives the book some credit. That and the contributions from numerous musician which really contribute in making this book an entertaining read. What's great is you get a paragraph or a comment that explains or goes into detail for every single number on the lists. Often those comments are very funny and tell interesting stories about Hard-Rock/Metal musicians. Some of these lists are hilarious, unpredictable and some are fairly accurate and the content and subject differs from one list to another. Before long you'll find yourself looking for that funny list you read the other day or showing a particular list to your friends. The table of contents is a nice addition, that way you can quickly spot your favorite lists. The drawings that accompany the lists are very well done; they really do look like the artists even if they are done in a comical way. This book of lists is divided into 7 sections that cover a specific subject (except the last one): drugs and alcohol, occult, violence, sex/obscenity, noise, on the road and whole lotta lists. One thing is sure, even the most hardcore metalhead will learn at least a few things he didn't know previously (and also probably some other things he didn't want to know about).
One small complaint aside, it doesn't seem that every sub-genre of Heavy-Metal has been covered or covered adequately like Thrash, Black or even Nu-Metal. However, since this is a book composed almost solely of lists and not a book on the history of Heavy Metal (which it doesn't claim to be) it's understandable and forgivable.
If you're expecting an 'expose' or a book that tells you the story of this type of music you may be disappointed with this book. I don't think this book of lists was made in order to offense anyone love Metal music and its one of my passions but I can also laugh at how over the top it can be. The Official Heavy Metal Book of Lists could also be considered a guilty pleasure because even if you're not attracted to the concept of the book or even this type of music it's a highly entertaining book that is hard to put down. It's far from being an intellectual read as it's a bit on the juvenile and immature side (maybe even a lot) but it's fun and addictive. I must admit that before glanced at this book in the music section of a bookstore I would probably never have bought a book composed only of lists. This is worth the price of admission, it's a fun light and entertaining read that is in some cases, informative. I wouldn't go as far as saying that it's essential to a fan of Heavy Metal but it would still be a good addition to most fans' libraries. It's a quick but fun and entertaining read even for one stranger to 'Heavy Metal', 4/5 stars.
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