As well as the metal albums highlighted in my recent blog post, Wellington City Libraries also has a selection of books covering the fascinating history of metal and the larger-than-life figures who drove it.
The rough guide to heavy metal / Berelian, Essi
“With more than 300 artist biographies and band stories, this is the essential heavy metal companion. Additional features include dozens of boxouts and sidebars on topics as diverse and disturbing as Weird Hobbies, Christian Metal, the Japanese Scene, Weird Day Jobs, the Eastern European Scene, Hardcore Crossover and Drummer Jokes. If you love metal, this is the book for you.” (Adapted from Catalogue)
I am Ozzy / Osbourne, Ozzy
“The incredible, frank and moving autobiography by the Prince of F***ing Darkness!” (Catalogue)
Denim and leather : the rise and fall of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal / Hann, Michael
“Between 1978 and 1983, Great Britain spawned a DIY uprising of over 500 heavy metal bands. Many soon became the household names of the 1980s metal invasion…many others did not. For the first time, author Michael Hann captures the whole snout-to-tail story of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal in all its power and glory in over 100 interviews with members of Venom, Def Leppard, Iron Maiden, Diamond Head, Angel Witch, Samson, UFO, Tygers of Pan Tang, Vardis, Judas Priest, Saxon, Whitesnake, Girlschool, Witchfynde, Demon, Thin Lizzy, Rainbow, Gillan, Led Zeppelin, and more. ” (Adapted from Catalogue)
Nöthin’ but a good time : the uncensored history of the ’80s hard rock explosion
“The definitive, no-holds-barred oral history of 1980s hard rock and hair metal. 1980s hard rock was a hedonistic and often intensely creative wellspring of escapism that perfectly encapsulated–and maybe even helped to define–a spectacularly over-the-top decade. From the do-or-die early days of self-financed recordings and D.I.Y. concert productions that were as flashy as they were foolhardy, to the multi-platinum, MTV-powered glory years of stadium-shaking anthems and chart-topping power ballads, to the ultimate crash when grunge bands like Nirvana forever altered the entire climate of the business. ” (Adapted from Catalogue)
Enter night : Metallica, the biography / Wall, Mick
“Mick Wall moves on from Led Zeppelin to produce a definitive doorstop on Metallica” (Catalogue)
Louder than hell : the definitive oral history of metal / Wiederhorn, Jon
“Featuring more than 250 interviews with members of Black Sabbath, Megadeth, Pantera, Korn and many others over the past 25 years, this examination of the cultural phenomenon provides an expert analysis of the heavy metal scene from the ’60s to the present.” (Catalogue)
Appetite for destruction : legendary encounters with Mick Wall / Wall, Mick
“Collected interviews of Mick Wall from the eighties heyday of Kerrang!” (Catalogue)
Rainbow in the dark : the autobiography / Dio, Ronnie James
“Prior to his tragic death in 2010, Ronnie James Dio had been writing his autobiography, looking back on the remarkable life that led him from his hometown in upstate New York to the biggest stages in the world, including the arena that represented the pinnacle of success to him — Madison Square Garden, where this book begins and ends. ” (Adapted from Catalogue)
What does this button do? : an autobiography / Dickinson, Bruce
“Pioneers of Britain’s nascent Rock & Metal scene back in the late 1970s, Iron Maiden smashed its way to the top, thanks in no small part to the high-octane performances, operatic singing style, and stage presence of its second, but twice-longest-serving, lead singer, Bruce Dickinson. Dickinson turns his unbridled creativity, passion, and anarchic humour to reveal stories from his life, including his thirty years with Maiden, his solo career, his childhood within the eccentric British school system, his early bands, fatherhood and family, and his recent battle with cancer.” (Adapted from Catalogue)
Mustaine : a heavy metal memoir / Mustaine, Dave
“From his early, crazy days as a founding member of Metallica, Dave Mustaine has seen and experienced everything in the world of rock n’ roll. From his young triumphs and ignominious ouster from the band for his hard-partying ways to his later rule over Megadeth, one of the most successful heavy metal bands of all time, Mustaine tells it all.” (Adapted from Catalogue)
