Product Description

This guide contains 3700 reviews - with many from the original volume rewritten and rejudged. Besides reviewing the vast number of new releases that have transpired over the last few years, genres including punk, alternative, thrash, metal, grindcore, hardcore, death metal, originators from the 1970s, and collectables have been examined in detail. It includes a 19 track heavy metal CD sampler.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1514289 in Books
• Published on: 1997-12
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 544 pages

From the Publisher
Synopsis Of The Collector's Guide To Heavy Metal
...for who can resist the unswerving majesty of the power chord? read about it , as we batter, praise, and otherwise penetrate the essence of over 3,300 bruising records comprising a large wedge of the world’s Most Powerful Music. Designed to guide the discerning fan through the jungle of releases competing for your CD dollar. Hard Rock, Heavy Metal, Grunge, Thrash, Funk Metal, Black Metal, Death Metal, Euro Metal, Prog Metal, Punk, etc etc.384 pp.

From the Author
591,000 words on 3,700 metal records from the past 27 years.
The self-published version of Riff Kills Man!, featuring 1,942 reviews, begat and began life in 1990, seeing light in '93. This adds about 1,750 new reviews for a total of 3,700 (not 3,300, as is mentioned elsewhere!). About 1,000 of those reviews visit records already available in '93, that I missed. The rest are all records from the last four years. Seven years in the making, I'm just glad it's finished! I practically went blind writing and editing the thing. Let's play spot the typo! Biggest improvements include more old stuff, more death/doom/thrash, more AOR, alternative and punk, more solo projects, soundtracks and tributes, and just much wiser (ha!) writing. Plus most of the old reviews have been rewritten and made (ha!) more insightful. Email me if you have any questions or wish to vent your spleen!

Customer Reviews

IF YOU ONLY BUY ONE MUSIC BOOK, BUY THIS ONE!!!
From a letter to Martin Popoff:

"My name is Babe Lloyd and I am in eternal gratitude to you for The Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal. I'm so sick of close-minded imbeciles spouting off their ignorance regarding one of the finest varieties of music existing. It's so nice to find someone other than myself speaking intelligently about Metal, while remaining true to colloquialism and expressive slang. Kudos to you, my Canadian friend!"

This book draws anal-retentive self-important losers out of the woodwork to criticize it, and man, is it a great book! A book for the open of mind and spirit, and those ready to chill out and have some fun! Rock on!

Self opinionated nonsense with glaring ommisions
Whilst I agree that people are entitled to their opion when writing a review it must be remembered that what is good or bad for one person is not necessarily so for another and in order for those people using a guide like this perhaps to even go as far as buying something from the review a writer must endevour to set out in words the sound of the bands involved. It is also fair to say that when a line up changes as can happen and in particular when a band is lesser know the change may not be fundamentally bad. I have been a fan of Hard Rock/Heavy Metal for over 28 years and have been collecting all formats and forms of the genra since then and am a particularly fan of the 80's so I would say I have an extensive knowledge however I would not necessarily set out to write a book about my collection which is effectively what this is.

I bought the book with an open mind having seen a copy in a shop I tracked one down on Amazon. I would say if you have gaps in your knowledge of this most exciting musical era then fine buy the book look a the names and search out the albums but please don't buy on the back of Mr Popoffs score sheet it's not worth the ink its printed with. If you do however understand and love this music and have heard of most names in there then stay away you will learn nothing. Personally that he has managed to write one let alone more is a shock to me its the most nonsesical load of old tosh I have had the misfortune to read and have only continued to do so because it really is making me laugh. Save your money and look for something else.

P.S if the CD attracts you for any reason ( and why not there are good bands on there) forget it, it's a lot of money when the books crap and you could more easily download the songs.

If you havent got the message now "Avoid at all cost" then dont say you havent been warned.

Good. Quite strange in parts, but quite good.
Martin Popoff's book 'The Top 500 Heavy Metal Albums Of All Time' really was great. Yes, his snippy, sarcastic, grandiose and sometimes unwanted reviews of each album could grow tiresome, but on the whole '...500 Albums...' was killer.

Here, he falters slightly; the scope is very broad. Too broad. To try and condense the entire 1980's Heavy Metal movement into one book is daunting. Popoff nearly succeeds in doing so, yet there are vast passages of this book that some will find surplus to requirements.

Also, his personal reviews of some albums are, quite naturally, biased. However, several albums he slates are, in fact, considered classics. The most obvious and glaring example of this is Def Leppard's mega-album 'Hysteria', which Popoff gives 0/10... my God.

On the whole, this does exactly what is says on the tin and is quite comprehensive. A few flaws, but if you're into the Heavy Metal of the 1980's, give this book a try.