Customer Reviews

Lucifer Rising : A Book of Sin, Devil Worship and Rock 'n' Roll

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This book covers the wide spectrum of multi-faceted Satanic beliefs and practices, ranging from the The Church of Satan and Anton LaVey (with interviews) to modern black metal music. It contains interviews with many people involved in Satanism, including:

Boyd Rice, the founder of the Abraxas Foundation and the star of the band Non

An interview with Glenn Danzig and his metal outfit

Blanche Barton, the current High Priestess of the Church Of Satan since Anton LaVey's death on October 1997

Details of Aleister Crowley's sordid life

The myth of Satanic ritual abuse and reasons why the media wanted you to believe every word of it

Marilyn Manson, one of today's premier musicians.

"Lucifer Rising" is immaculately reseached, well written and enjoyable. Most other books on this subject pale drastically in comparison. With that said, I'm awaiting another book by this writer- judging from his past material and this offering, he has an eye for quality and adroitness- more than worth the money!

I found this book to be quite interesting and well balanced. I was pleased to find as much pro-Church Of Satan material as con. The sections on Black Metal were packed with great interviews and rare photos but seemed to lack a logical flow or sense of organization. The book is entertaining but is largely a collection of interviews strung together without a great deal of continuity. Would have been nice to have more on pre-nineteenth century Satanism, but this was still a fine read.

This book by a «card-carrying» member of the Church of Satan has been 8 years in the making. Had it come out before Moynihan and Søderlind's «Lords of Chaos» it would've been viewed as a major addition to the literature on popular, modern-day satanism. But as it stands now, it's mostly an entertaining read, not offering much enlightenment for anyone with a little former knowledge of the field. Also, the author's not very objective position sometimes taint the book, as it paints Anton LaVey and his organization as the «true» satanists and all others as merely wanna-bes.

Having said that, this is a well written book, and very cleverly edited, with short interviews with central figures strategically placed throughout the book, along with a huge amount of photos and drawings. The index is useful, but somewhat lacking. For example, bands like Death In June and Psychic TV are discussed in the book, but not listed in the index.

The book is divided into three parts, the first being the history of satanism, the second deals with satanism in the 20th century, while the third examines today's social darwinist bands and black metal culture. He's trying to cover a lot of ground for a 256 page book, but succeeds fairly well. Among the people interviewed are Kenneth Anger, Anton LaVey, Blance Barton, David Austen (Temple of Set), King Diamond, Abaddon (Venom), Quorthon (Bathory), Boyd Rice, Michael Moynihan, Paul Valentine (Church of Satanic Liberation), Glen Benton (Deicide), Carl Abrahamsson (White Stains), Thomas Thorn (Electric Hellfire Club), Glenn Danzig and Coop.

The interviews with norwegian black-metallers Euronymous/Øystein Aarseth and Count Grishnackh/Varg Vikernes reveal their particular brand of satanic «philosophy» to be some of the most pathetic drivel ever spouted. The only rule seems to be that everyone (including themselves) should suffer as much as possible all the time. They certainly got that fulfilled. Vikernes stabbed Aarseth to death and is now serving a 21 year jail sentence.

Baddaley seems to have been working on the book until last minute before going to press, so it's pretty well updated on recent events like the Colorado school slaughter and the aftermath of LaVey's death.

(I first reviewed this book in late 2001. The following is an updated and remixed version of my review. --WS, September 4, 2008)

Observers of the outer edges of religious and philosophical exploration over the last century may differ in their conclusions or assessments of what they see. But they must surely agree on one thing: the growing and profound dissatisfaction in the Western world with what the purveyors of mainstream religion have to offer. More and more, people simply aren't buying what the preachers are selling anymore.

This dissatisfaction leaves people open and curious as to what their other options might be. For some, "safe" alternatives like Buddhism or Wicca are enough to suffice. For others, mere wandering is not enough, and dissatisfaction becomes full-on rebellion. These are the seeds of the Satanic tradition, and _Lucifer Rising_ by Gavin Baddeley dares to examine the black flowers that bloom from them.

_Lucifer Rising_ is a book about the actual, as opposed to imaginary, Satanic tradition: its history, philosophy, and counter-cultural manifestations from the past to the present. It begins with a brief history of the shadow side of Western culture from its early beginnings to the present day, with particular interest in the Twentieth Century. The forbidden religious movements and magical orders of the early Twentieth Century - and the personalities that drove them - are covered. Satanism's impact on literature, music, cinema, and popular culture in general are examined. The Devil's long association with rock music and heavy metal in particular is given special attention. And significantly, the sensationalist Satanic Panic of the late 1980s and early 1990s - and the "Satanic Ritual Abuse" hoax of that period - are recalled and debunked.

The book aesthetically does not disappoint. From cover to cover you will find illustrations, woodcuts, photographs, and rare artwork that perfectly compliment the text. This is not to say everything you will see here is pretty or pleasant. But, as the text states clearly, that is not the point.

Throughout the book there are interviews with numerous Satanists, occultists, musicians and counter-culture figures in some way or other associated - some more so than others - with what is commonly considered contemporary Satanism. Collectively, these varying and often opposing voices give a sense of the various sub-currents flowing within this culture of spiritual dissent.

Unlike alarmist They're-Out-For-Your-Kids religious books, or dry academic examinations of medieval folklore, _Lucifer Rising_ is written unapologetically from a Satanic perspective, and Gavin Baddeley is quite unambiguous about this from the very beginning. His bias also leans in favor of Anton LaVey, the founder of the Church of Satan in 1966 (and a whole separate topic of controversy in himself). In this updated review I considered downgrading my rating to four stars for this reason.

Then I thought, "Nah." In today's culture, where the average person's idea of Satanism is still based on third-rate horror movies and tabloid-grade propaganda, the record still needs to be set straight in certain quarters. _Lucifer Rising_ accomplishes this in a way the mainstream media would consider unthinkable. However, it is anything but a proselytization tract or "conversion" attempt; from the author's introduction: "...it just doesn't work that way."

The ongoing value of this book is that it is filled with information that to this day simply cannot be found elsewhere, at least not all in one place. It may also be a good gift for someone who still believes the decline of Western monotheism began in the 1960s. I consider this book the definitive reference to the contemporary Satanic landscape, at least from a popular culture perspective. For a more "serious" academic examination of the ongoing philosophical refinements within the stream of spiritual dissent, I recommend this book in combination with _Lords of the Left-Hand Path_ by Stephen E. Flowers, Ph.D.

I have found this book to be an overall fantastic read. It has taken me a little longer than usual to get through it though, partially because of it's small print and text-book heavy details. There is a LOT of material covered here and there are details galore to support it which is all very satisfying.

Reading this book has left me with a much better impression and respect for REAL occultists. The Media Sensationalism of the "Geraldo Rivera-Age" has very poorly and unfairly stained this group of individuals. This book is the text-book remedy AND a very good read!

Extremely well researched. Brings much of the usually-secret Satanic world into public view. If you want to know more about the interesting characters behind this highly misunderstood institution, you must read this.

And not only is it well written, but it is well designed, with great graphics and photos throughout the pages. Wow.

The author holds no bars in his views nor does he conceal the matters that have moved the realm of Satanism. The interviews show the individuality of each person that is involved with or has some knowledge of Satanism. He interviews Anton LaVey, Kenneth Anger, other members of the Church of Satan and those of the Temple of Set and other divisions, but he also interviews Glen Benton of Deicide, Glenn Danzig, and other underground masters of dark musik. I didn't agree too much with the beginning of the book but once you start reading it is hard to put down. There were great pictures and the cover by Diabolos Rex is reason enough to buy this book. I truly enjoyed the mixture of Satanism and Musik, finally, someone got it right.

I have never been particularly fearful of Satanism, as much of it has always seemed to be a bit on the silly side. Most of the people I have seen in the media who call themselves Satanists (I have never met a real-life Satanist) almost unanimously appear to be either extremely bitter ex-Christians or maladjusted geeks who never outgrew Dungeons and Dragons. However, since there are a lot of people who do fear Satanism and see Satanic world conspiracies everywhere they go, it is a subject most people refuse to view objectively. As a result, most books on the topic invariably tend to be hysterically self-righteous Bible-thumping tomes and/or sensationalistic Geraldo Rivera-esque "exposes" that fail to place Satanism in any kind of social/ historical context. Gavin Baddeley's "Lucifer Rising: Sin, Devil Worship & Rock 'n' Roll" is one of the first books (along with Michael Moynihan and Didrik Soderlind's excellent history of "black metal" music "Lords of Chaos," published in 1998) that offers a serious cultural analysis of Satanism.

While it should be noted that Baddeley is a Satanist and is obviously partial to the lifestyle, he maintains a refreshingly objective tone in "Rising." He does not shy away from depicting the hilariously stupid and less savory, truly dangerous people/elements within the movement, while also showing the complexity of a religion with a history that is as rich and diverse (and screwed-up) as any other established faith. As Baddeley explains in the introduction to "Rising," "Satanism is a 'warts and all' approach to existence, a determination to explore extremes of both light and dark."

"Rising" is a detailed, often humorous social history of Satanism, with a broad overview of films and (primarily) music with a Satanic bent. The book features multiple interviews with leading figures in the Satanic world, from late Church of Satan founder Anton LaVey to Misfits/Danzig lead singer Glenn Danzig to musician/author/cultural provocateur Boyd Rice. Baddeley oftentimes jumps from brief interview to essay to brief interview within the scope of a few pages and his scattershot approach is sometimes wearying, but never boring. While many of the Satanists interviewed for "Rising" come across as stupid and as weak-minded as any Jimmy Swaggart-follower, there are many (especially LaVey) who come across as thoughtful and intelligent.

"Rising" did not convert me to the "dark side," but I did find it immensely entertaining and eye-opening. If you are at all interested in pop culture, subcultural studies and/or religious studies, Rising is a must-read.

Quite entertaining and well-researched book about the many links throughout history between rock -- well, popular music in general, really -- and the devil. The photographs and interviews (with various dark luminaries) are worth the price of admission alone.

I had read about this book on the Church of Satan website. Their books never disappoint. Despite all the preconceptions and mumbo-jumbo superstition, it comes down to you either are or aren't. Far from any stereotypes, this is the culmination of history, religion, occult knowledge, pop culture, and philosophy. I wanted the book because it had stuff on bands I love- I got all that and more. Easy to read, too deep for common folk to understand, all hails to a new Satanic Millenium. All mentioned in Lucifer Rising deserve applause for giving Old Scratch more than his rightful due.