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Louder Than Hell: The Definitive Oral History of Metal Paperback – April 29, 2014

4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 444 ratings

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The definitive oral history of heavy metal, Louder Than Hell by renowned music journalists Jon Wiederhorn and Katherine Turman includes hundreds of interviews with the giants of the movement, conducted over the past 25 years.

Unlike many forms of popular music, metalheads tend to embrace their favorite bands and follow them over decades. Metal is not only a pastime for the true aficionados; it’s a lifestyle and obsession that permeates every aspect of their being. Louder Than Hell is an examination of that cultural phenomenon and the much-maligned genre of music that has stood the test of time.

Louder than Hell features more than 250 interviews with some of the biggest bands in metal, including Black Sabbath, Metallica, Megadeth, Anthrax, Slayer, Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Spinal Tap, Pantera, White Zombie, Slipknot, and Twisted Sister; insights from industry insiders, family members, friends, scenesters, groupies, and journalists; and 48 pages of full-color photographs.

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Editorial Reviews

Review

“Whether you’re the sort of man who knows everything from who first threw the Devil Horns to the correct pronunciation of Yngwie Malmsteen, there is something fascinating to learn from Louder Than Hell . . . Shed[s] new light on the making of Satan’s Music.” — Esquire

“Presents the collective memory of heavy metal through the ages and eras in the voices of the men who lived it . . . It’s an aficionado’s delight.” — New York Daily News

Louder than Hell is a love letter to the misunderstood genre of heavy metal music, written by trusted companions who had a front row seat on the devil’s rollercoaster. The definitive chronological testimony by the people who were there, including some who are no longer with us.” — Mark McGrath, Sugar Ray and co-host Extra

“A great read and an instant classic.” — The Onion's A.V. Club

“This is the best oral history I’ve read since Please Kill Me. Louder than Hell is the first book that really delivers the brutal truth from the mouths of the artists and key players themselves! I couldn’t put it down.” — Matt Pinfield

“Two devil horns up!” — USA Today

A compelling, first-person account of a seemingly unstoppable force . . .the book reads like an extended, uncensored, shockingly satisfying episode of VH1’s Behind the Music. — Washington Post

“An amazingly comprehensive book on all eras and genres of hard rock and heavy metal. The stories and attention to detail make it an instant must for anyone who ever was or is a fan.” — Eddie Trunk, DJ and host of That Metal Show on VH1 Classic

Often hilarious, occasionally, ‘God, I wish I hadn’t read that!’, sometimes profound, sometimes heartbreaking, sometimes infuriating . . . no one holds back on any subject. . . you come away from this book with a crystal-clear vision of this world — The Huffington Post

“The authors inclusiveness give this examination a weight that is just as heavy as the music.” — Publishers Weekly

“A who’s who of heavy music . . . What makes Louder Than Hell un-put-down-able are the stories . . . Essential.” — Revolver (4 stars)

“No one’s gone quite as deep into the genre’s recesses as this 746-page oral history, which covers everything from the birth of Black Sabbath to Dave Mustaine’s departure from Metallica to the disaster that was Woodstock ‘99.” — Rolling Stone, four stars

“Jon Wiederhorn and Katherine Turman know metal. Louder Than Hell is an amazing gathering of different breeds of heavy metal rockers telling the tales metal fans want to hear.” — Tom Morello, Rage Against the Machine

“If you love metal, great stories, and music history told by the people who made it, then Louder than Hell is a must-read. This is the book every metal fan should own. — Alice Cooper

Louder Than Hell comes straight from the twisted minds of rock icons and flows seamlessly through various eras of heavy metal. . .I really dig this book.” — Riki Rachtman

“I’ve said thousands of times that reading ‘totally sucks.’ But this book does indeed not suck. Books on the history of even something as cool as metal can be a bit antiseptic and boring-not this one.” — Brendon Small, Dethklok

“Who likes rock n roll here?? Well if you do, this is the book for you! . . . This is the definitive chronicle of all that is heavy metal and I’ve read them all!” — Chris Jericho, Fozzy

“As definitive as it gets, bonding historical anecdotes to pieces of debauched mythology from the scene’s platinum superstars and fringe icons . . . as indispensable as a skull-adorned leather jacket.” — Entertainment Weekly, A-

From the Back Cover

Louder Than Hell is the definitive oral history of heavy metal, crafted from more than four hundred interviews with icons of the genre from its inception to today, including Ozzy Osbourne, Eddie Van Halen, Tommy Lee, Lars Ulrich, Vince Neil, Axl Rose, Corey Taylor, Dave Grohl, Trent Reznor, Marilyn Manson, Rob Zombie, and Dimebag Darrell. From groundbreaking innovations such as the dawn of distortion and the birth of cookie monster vocals to amazing tales of destruction and wild sexcapades, Louder Than Hell is packed with raw, unflinching stories, eye-opening admissions, and the truth behind some of metal's wildest moments.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ It Books; Reprint edition (April 29, 2014)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 768 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0061958298
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0061958298
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.76 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 1.32 x 9 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 444 ratings

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Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
4.5 out of 5
444 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Reviewed in the United States on July 28, 2013
I could easily write an essay about this book because there are so many points to bring up, but one really needs to buy the book for him or herself for a look into a corner of the entertainment/artistic world that is equal parts brilliant, depraved, inspired, juvenile and self destructive, sometimes all at once, or it would seem. A largely anecdotal book, "Louder Than Hell" spares no quarter as the authors primarily allow the musicians themselves tell their stories, and the reader gets a much more personal look into the behavior and habits of their favorite bands, which can be good or bad, depending on your point of view.
While the book isn't perfect, with very little time spent on doom metal, it nonetheless avoids the standard ass kissing of Metallica, giving other bands equal time. Unfortunately I learned more about my favorite music's personal histories than I really wanted to. While the old axiom of sex, drugs and rock and roll is alive and well, even after hearing infamous tales of sordid adventures some of the deeds done by far too many rockers went past traditional "partying" into deviant psychotic and enormously addictive episodes that would kill an average person. It is indeed a wonder some rock stars are even alive.
Parents, this is touchy material. While I am an enemy of censorship and believe stories should be truthful, the examples by some of these interview subjects, like Dave Mustain and Megadeth, who were absolutely wasted for several years and horrendous heroin junkies to boot, to tales of sexual exploits that sink to new lows in disgust, "Louder Than Hell" will no doubt be seen as an affirmation of the party life to youngsters looking for answers or some kind of approval in some of the worst places they could possibly look. There is balance, as some who were a breath away from death lament their close calls and enjoy life on the sober side now, but clean and sober stories are not as fun to read about. Metal fans must understand that their heroes can be enormously talented and gifted artists, but at the same time playing with mortal fire by delving into every intoxicant and drug their bodies can take. These people will pay for their excesses - you can't abuse your body the way some of the people in this book have and not expect major heart problems and God knows what else as they age. Rock and roll is fun, but it is not the ticket to immortality.
The history of metal is up to date and accurate, and when they do focus on music, it's quite informative. "Louder Than Hell" is a good book that one hopes the reader will regard as a positive experience and not imitate some of the incredibly stupid behavior their heroes possess. It is one of the most personal books about the metal life written so far and valuable for that fact alone.
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Reviewed in the United States on December 2, 2019
Read a preview of this book in the Village Voice and decided to pick it up. Definitely a great read - lotsa funny stories, some drama, copious amounts of shit talking and sex stories. Well worth the price. Noticed three mistakes in this book. 1) pg. 289, Mike Clark says that Suicidal opened for Black Flag and Fuhrer at The Whiskey in 1987 but that's impossible because Flag's last show was 27 June 1986. Not doubting the story, probably the date is wrong. 2) pg. 414 it says that the "I'm The Man" EP from Anthrax came out in 1990, but it came out in 1987. 3) The story that Scott Ian tells about Public Enemy and Flava Flav and the tour bus with the groupies is repeated twice in this book almost verbatim copied paragraphs. Anyway, didn't come here to nitpick. This book is well written and I kinda liked how the authors divided up the era's into chapters. This book could have been 90000 pages long if the authors didn't cull the interviews - and they did a fantastic job choosing soundbytes that really told a story from multiple perspectives. The book is fair: they let Neil Turban trash Joey Belladonna, they let Paul Dianno trash Bruce Dickinson and it's refreshing to hear their perspectives even if I don't agree with their assessments. Best of all, they let the humor, the sadness and the raw energy of these bands seep through into the pages by letting the interviewees speak their minds uncensored.
6 people found this helpful
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Reviewed in the United States on November 26, 2023
If your into heavy metal THIS IS A MUST READ! All small paragraphs of our favorite metal heroes telling their stories. I can't put it down! Very easy and entertaining read!!
Reviewed in the United States on December 1, 2013
The book is in the same vein as Please Kill Me, and truth be told, after reading that book I was hungry for more books written in the same style - oral history. It covers a great deal of metal history and does it quite well. It doesn't favor one type or era over another and as a huge fan of extreme music I was pleased to see that equal attention was given to death metal and thrash as was given to new wave of british heavy metal and early metal such as black sabbath. The book tells a more or less linear story of each genre from roots to the climax or pinnacle of its popularity. It reads a bit like a VH1 behind the music and less like Please Kill Me, which is almost impossible to NOT to compare it to. Unlike the Please Kill Me book which examines a much smaller movement in a single geographical area mostly over about 10 years, Louder Than Hell stretches from Black Sabbath in the late 60s to current metalcore - so it scratches the surface of a lot of stories but doesn't deeply delve into the artists lives outside playing music and partying hard. That being said, its a very fun read and allows you to appreciate many of the nuances of different scenes that you were unaware of. If your exposure to metal is purely guns n roses and motley crue, I can happily say this book is not for you. I give it 5 starts because it doesn't dumb down the music so many of us love into a few bands that crossed into the mainstream pop charts, but focuses on the artistic input unique to each genre, no matter how far from pop airplay they have ever come.
One person found this helpful
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Reviewed in the United States on September 12, 2017
Awesome book for any metal fan I'm 48 and grew up with Sabbath and Kiss and then went through the thrash era and saw the big four start and also overkill and exodus it should be the big 6. Great book highly recommended for anyone who loves metal or music in general . Write a second edition go more into metals roots ( Blue cheer , vanilla fudge, etc) and also power metal ( how do you do a book on metal on not mention Manowar? Fantastic book packed full of great information and inside stories I loved it.
2 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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Leia
5.0 out of 5 stars Great book!
Reviewed in Sweden on November 17, 2022
I really loved this book and it was so interesting to read about my favourite bands and artists. I also feel like anyone could enjoy this, metalhead or not. 10/10 would recommend this to anyone!
Gabriele
4.0 out of 5 stars Un libro sul metal senza essere un libro
Reviewed in Italy on May 4, 2022
La particolarità di questo libro è che... Non è un libro ma una raccolta di aneddoti, storie e retroscena dalla viva voce dei protagonisti, organizzati in modo coerente dall'autore. Fantastico
GP Joa
5.0 out of 5 stars Great read
Reviewed in Canada on September 17, 2019
The book is well written and put together in a way that keeps it interesting. Definitely a good read for those interested in the various metal genres.
Lilafel
5.0 out of 5 stars A great buy.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 9, 2020
A collection of vignettes taken from interviews over the years, this book tells the history of heavy metal from its birth onwards.
With excerpts from the likes of Ozzy Osbourne, Ronnie Dio and Dimebag Darrell, you can hear the stories from those who were there and lived them.
Put together in a style that flows beautifully, this book is an essential addition to the library of every discerning heavy metal fan.
Cliente de Amazon
5.0 out of 5 stars Lectura obligada
Reviewed in Mexico on May 29, 2017
Sencillamente un excelente libro que te hace conocer el desarrollo de la historia de metal directamente de la voz de sus principales protagonistas.