Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #231184 in Books
• Published on: 1993-08-31
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 254 pages

Customer Reviews

Heavy Metal art-form explained through social & artful view.
As many people in the general populus consider Heavy Metal as more entertainment than art, this book tends to bring to light more of the social & artful aspects of the music. As the title suggests, there's much to do with sociological issues of power, gender, and emotional views. But there was also a large undercurrent of the musical talent and influences of those who make H.M. music. Moreover, the view that H.M. is/not dominantly popular due to lyrical content alone was another interesting topic discussed (among other topics). It is true that some of the topics lack the proper explaination they ought, but for the most part, the details given are good & helpful. If you are a musician, this is a MUST HAVE book! For those trying to understand H.M. (parents, teachers, etc) - open your mind and open this book. Includes indepth looks at musical styles of: Eddie Van Halen, Randy Rhodes, and others.

Overcomprehensive, yet a needed study.
Walser attempts to cover too much ground in this book. Still his treatments of gender and madness as content of Heavy Metal lyrics are worthwhile. He covers music and some imagery; these tend to distract from his central ideas rather than add. Yet, this may be the academic reference book on HM that others are judged by, simply because it has primacy and is comprehensive. It was a needed work in the field. A major criticism is that he does not adequately account for the various sub-genres of the music.

Excellent Book
I bought this book after seeing Robert Walser on Sam Dunn's `A Headbangers Journey' film, the book contains everything you could need to know about the genre and beyond (speaking as a dedicated fan of heavy metal for over 15 years)... Written largely in an academic fashion, it was immensely useful for my dissertation (Note: Some of the text can be a bit wordy, perhaps read in sections). I would recommend the book to anyone who is interested in the social study of the genre, or generally any issue covered in the book; such as censorship, empowerment, semiotics etc...