Heavy Metal Books
G'day all
A while ago, a thread was posted asking for a collection of books about metal that people recommended as a list for the wiki. I've written most of these examples up and added a few of my own, with a brief note from me or the OP in the thread who recommended it, to give an idea of some of the most essential books out there (as of May 2020) about metal. There's a range of topics here from history, to fanzines, to academic literature with most genres getting a look in, so there's almost certainly something that will pique your interest. I've split the books into three main categories - Non-Academic, Academic, and Fun stuff/misc., with each split into relevant subcategories. Do note that not all of the books from the original thread are in this write-up, so feel free to check that for more recommendations, but I've included most of the ones that were highly rated or I deemed essential, as I've read most of the books in that thread. A massive thank you to everyone who contributed suggestions to the original thread!
Non-Academic
Histories
Sound of the Beast by Ian Christie
This is a great summary of metal history up to about 2003 (though it is dated). It's got a pretty good coverage of most essential metal scenes, though I do find that the focus is almost entirely on Europe (even more so England) and America. What it lacks in scope is made up fairly well in detail though, and if you get the second edition there's an extra chapter on global metal scenes which is a nice bonus. u/automaticfantastic also mentioned that the dated nature of the book actually has a benefit in that it very accurately captures where metal culture was in the early 2000s, which I agree with. It, along with Choosing Death below give a really window in to why some now-maligned bands (e.g. Slipknot) were being seen as a breath of fresh air in metal and how some bands who are now venerated were in a position of being the last hope of metal. A very interesting read.
A History of Heavy Metal by Andrew O'Neill
A notably biased, though hilarious history, this is well-described by u/wbr799 as 'a true love letter to the genre by [a] British comedian'. Very worth reading, but keep in mind that it is very much O'Neill's perspective on metal history and makes no real attempt at objectivity or even-handedness. It's a pretty funny and engaging read though, so I'd definitely pick it up for a bit of fun alongside some of the more accurate examples elsewhere in the thread.
Louder Than Hell: The Definitive Oral History of Metal by Jon Widerhorn and Katherine Turman
Another excellent resource, mostly because of the sheer amount of interviews that make up the bulk of the book. While the narrative itself woven in the book isn't entirely accurate, the interviews are a fascinating look into the history and development of metal from those who were doing the music-making [NB: In general these styles of books are really great IMO. They land somewhere between ethnography and journalism in a really engaging and informative way when done well]. It's a great supplement alongside the other books on this list, giving broad overviews where some might zero-in on a scene or genre in more detail.
Scene Studies
Swedish Death Metal by Daniel Ekeroth
Despite the title, this is far more a study of the Swedish scene in the late 80s-early 90s as a linear history than it is solely about death metal. Though, of course, the Swedish scene during this period was focused on death metal, contextual chapters on black metal and grindcore in Sweden before/during/after this period are also included as a good read. Entombed, Dismember and the rest of the Swedeath bands are at the forefront here, but Ekeroth covers a huge range of bands active at the time, from the big names to the tiny demos. There are extensive quotes from the musicians themselves as well, which adds depth and authenticity and an extensive gallery of album covers (as well as an encyclopedia of bands) toward the end. Be aware that the detailed account ends in about 1993, so later trends in Swedish metal (namely the development of the Gothenburg sound) are only sparsely mentioned, though the background that gave rise to them is discussed in detail). This is one of my favourite metal books and is well worth a read.
Blood Fire Death: The Swedish Metal Story by Ika Johanneson and Jon Jefferson Klingberg
u/jbrav88 notes that this 'studies the development of metal in Sweden, not so much a linear narrative as much as it is a study of certain bands. It also delves into some more sociological aspects of metal, like gender, economics and white supremacy.' This seems like a good counterpoint to Ekeroth's linear approach to Swedish metal and like it has a more analytical and critical approach rather than a historical approach.
The Devil's Cradle: The Story of Finnish Black Metal by Tero Ikaheimonen
Recommended by u/jarnvidr, this is a history of Finnish black metal based on interviews conducted between 2014-2016. The usual suspects (Beherit, Impaled Nazarene etc) are present, alongside smaller, more obscure bands, providing a thorough account of the scene's development and continued proliferation. I've not yet read this one (it's another 'to-read' of mine) but I've seen it very well-reviewed everywhere from shreddit to metalinjection.
Murder In The Front Row: Shots From the Bay Area Thrash Metal Epicenter by Harald Oimoen and Brian Lew
A detailed account of the 80s Bay Area Thrash scene, recently accompanied by a documentary of the same name. Not one that I've read, but it's following much the same vein as the other ones on this list, and published by Bazillion Points, who have published most of the other high quality books on this list.
Heavy Metal Africa: Life, Passion and Heavy Metal in the Forgotten Continent by Edward Banchs
Recommended by u/Nicholarse_Angle, our resident African metal specialist, this seems to be a fascinating look at existing metal scenes across the African continent in a range of countries. Definitely adding it to my reading list, and it's always cool to see more light being shone on peripheral metal scenes around the globe.
Genre Studies
Choosing Death: The Improbable History of Death Metal and Grindcore by Albert Mudrian
An excellent book that covers the fascinating early development of death metal and grindcore, mostly through the lens of the careers of Napalm Death, Carcass, and Morbid Angel (among others). Mudrian is intimately familiar with the bands he covers and his account is bolstered by extensive interviews. The scope isn't super broad beyond the above mentioned bands (with a few nods to other big scenes like the Swedish one), but the detail is impressive. Do note it's a little out of date, first published in 2004, so keep that in mind with regard to later developments in death metal.
Black Metal: Evolution of the Cult by Dayal Patterson
Black Metal: The Cult Never Dies Volume One by Dayal Patterson
Evolution of the Cult is one of the definitive books on black metal. Patterson's roster of interviews is impressive, and he avoids much of the sensationalism that other texts that deal with (Norwegian) black metal often indulge. It provides a thorough context to the full spectrum of black metal, with u/hermaphroditicspork noting proto-bands, the Norwegian scene, Les legiones Noires and the Swedish scene among those covered. The Cult Never Dies is the next in what looks to be a developing series, featuring more interviews and more black metal.
Mean Deviation: Four Decades of Progressive Heavy Metal by Jeff Wagner
This is on my to-read list and I know Jeff Wagner has a good reputation as an author and journalist/scholar, so I expect quality. u/upthegates describes it as 'A comprehensive overview of progressive metal, from the trinity of Fates Warning, Queensryche, and Dream Theater, to the sci-fi cacophony of Voivod, through the virtuoisic innovation of Watchtower, Cynic, and Spiral Architect, to the idiosyncratic oddness of the Norwegian post-black metal scene that birthed In the Woods and Solefald, among others. Thoroughly researched, with dozens of new interviews, and engagingly written by one of the best writers in metal journalism.'
Academic Literature
NB: Some of these books have also been discussed in my post on academic metal literature, so I've only included new things and some essentials here. Have a look at that post for more information, more books, and for non-book academic literature if that interests you. I've copied some of the stuff across from there and added some comments by others.
General
Global Metal Music and Culture: Current Directions in Metal Studies by Brown, Spracklen, Kahn-Harris and Scott, (eds.)
This is probably the best book to get if you want to get a current idea of metal studies. Both introductory chapters, one written by the editors and one by Deena Weinstein, give a great picture of where metal studies began and where it has gotten to while the final two mini-chapters are a bit of a debate about the future of metal as a genre and metal studies as a field. Most chapters in here are fairly accessible to read as well, so if you look into anything on this list I'd recommend it be this book.
Death Metal and Music Criticism by Michelle Phillipov
This is a great book because it interrogates several assumptions about death metal thoroughly. u/Publius_Romanus explains that it's about 'how we talk / write about death metal and good for looking at how new musical forms require new types of analysis.' In particular, Phillipov makes the case that metal doesn't need to be politically aware or engaged, comparing the academic reaction to punk, hip-hop and EDM with the academic reaction to death metal. Phillipov's overarching point is that extreme metal has its own pleasures for listeners and listeners need to reorient their own perspectives and listening practices if they are to fully engage with death metal on its own terms.
Classical Antiquity in Heavy Metal by Fletcher and Umurhan (eds).
I haven't read this one, but it comes recommended by u/Publius_Romanus, who I believe contributed to it. Their description is as follows: 'An edited volume with papers showing how Greek and Roman myth and history have always been a part of metal, and keep becoming a bigger and bigger part as metal spreads around the world and bands write about their local history. Shows how metal has always been defined in part by its interest in things beyond daily life as subjects for its songs.'
Australian Metal Music: Identities, Scenes, and Cultures edited by Catherine Hoad
Hey look, there's some academic work on Australian metal! This is a very interesting read, even if it did give me a heart attack when I first heard about it. It's a snapshot of some current trends in research on Australian metal and metalcore, giving you a bit of an idea of where other researchers in Australia are looking. I especially recommend Sam Vallen's (who you may know as the guitarist in Caligula's Horse) chapter on the larrikin identity of Australian metal, it's a fascinating idea that I explore in my own research.
Sociology
Extreme Metal: Music And Culture On The Edge by Keith Kahn-Harris
This, for me, is one of the integral texts of metal literature. Kahn-Harris provides a sociological examination of extreme metal, examining scenes from the US, Sweden, the UK and Israel with some detail. There are some fascinating observations about how extreme metal scenes operate in this book and Kahn-Harris coins a number of terms that describe extreme metal culture really well. Of particular interest are his observation of the ways that 'capital' operates in scenes and the use of 'reflexive unreflexivity', where metal fans only think hard enough about problematic lyrics and themes in order to categorise them as non-problematic [note that this isn't an insult, it's just an observation]. Kahn-Harris manages to stay fairly neutral throughout; while it's clear that the lack of political engagement in extreme metal scenes bothers him, he does a good job of not condemning the whole genre for this, rather recognizing that there are legitimate reasons why fans operate in this way even if it disappoints him personally. It's a fairly short and engaging read, and I'd strongly recommend it.
Heavy Metal: The Music and its Culture by Deena Weinstein
This is the first book-length study of heavy metal and it's still very much worth reading, even if it's a little dated. Weinstein clearly cares a great deal about heavy metal, and catalogues a lot of the extra-musical and cultural elements to the music. It's also interesting as a piece of history because Weinstein proposes a number of stylistic divisions between what she calls 'lite' metal (hair metal, glam, some trad and NWOBHM) and 'thrash' or 'underground' metal that hold up reasonably well as points of division between heavy metal and extreme metal these days - given the initial publication in 1991 (well before 'extreme metal' had taken on the shape it has today), this can seem almost prophetic. Though some of the comments made by Weinstein are dated and can seem a bit inaccurate after the genre developed through the 90s/00s (esp. in regards to the characteristics of the average metalhead), it's still a very interesting read, though I'd definitely recommend the updated and expanded version published in 2000.
Musicology
Metal Rock and Jazz: Perception and Phenomenology of Musical Experience by Harris Berger
This book is a study of various music scenes in Akron, Ohio that uses a combination of ethnomusicology (the study of music and its specific cultures) and phenomenology (the study of perception, conciousness, and experience) as its methodical bases. Of particular interest to this sub is Berger's study of a death metal scene in Akron and the band Sin Eater as well as a study of a trad scene that features the band of Tim 'Ripper' Owens who would later feature in Judas Priest. This is truly an excellent book - Berger is clearly fascinated by death metal in particular and he's got some illuminating perspectives on how death metal operates in musical and cultural terms. While there's a decent amount of music analysis in here, it's fairly straightforward and tends to be explained in prose rather than complicated diagrams. Berger's arguments can be quite complicated at times though, especially when phenomenology is drawn into the mix, but the points he makes about how tonality and harmony operate in death metal are really fascinating.
Theory and Analysis of Classic Metal Harmony by Esa Lilja
u/Publius_Romanus explains that this is a 'great discussion of the music side of things from a musicological perspective. Can get a bit technical at times, but a good analysis of metal vocal styles.' Do note that this is focused largely on CLASSIC metal - mostly bands from the 1970s and 1980s with a handful of bands that are closer to hard rock thrown in. Still, there are some great insights here in terms of typical modes, chord progressions, voice leading progressions etc. that apply to metal. While these observations are great, keep in mind that they're very music-theory-heavy and can get somewhat dense and complicated if you're unfamiliar with common-practice music theory and music notation.
Running With The Devil: Power Gender and Madness in Heavy Metal Music by Robert Walser
Walser's book responds to some of the shortcomings he found in Weinstein's initial studies and also provides the first musicological examination of metal. Walser is quite clearly fascinated by metal and how it engages with texts and culture and he weaves together a number of musical and sociological elements in his study. Like Weinstein, he's mostly focused on metal from the 70s and 80s, and Walser includes several bands that I would absolutely call hard rock; as such, his comments on genre will likely sit somewhat uncomfortably with a contemporary metal audience. I'd strongly recommend reading this, it's quite accessible, Walser is an engaging writer, and it doesn't rely too heavily on notated music or complicated music theory to follow many of the arguments. u/Publius_Romanus notes 'One of the first academic books on metal. It's outdated, but some of his basic comments on metal's fascination with power are still valuable. One of the more interesting parts is a serious musicological analysis of a heavy metal song—which turns out to be Van Halen's "Running With the Devil"! Despite the oddity of that choice, it's still worth reading.'
Fun stuff/misc.
Metalion: The Slayer Mag Diaries by Jon Kristiansen
This has to be one of the most fascinating reads I've ever experienced. This is a complete collection of Slayer zine, an infamous zine to anyone familiar with Norwegian black metal, with reflections, musings and notes from the author included. Of particular interest to me was the huge influence that Australian band Sadisitik Exekution had on the magazine, its aesthetic and Norweigan black metal (via Slayer zine). The content and interviews range well beyond just the Norweigan scene and I'd strongly recommend it for anyone interested in black metal, metal history or fanzines. /u/an_altar_of_plagues notes that the full issue of Slayer X seems to be missing from this compendium, so make sure to track that down if you want to complete collection.
Metal Cats by Alexandra Crockett
Good for a bit of a laugh and some cute metal-cat photos. u/sass253 describes it as 'A coffee table book of photos of heavy metal musicians with their cats. Provides essential context for the nihilism found in parts of the metal scene, and the less documented, violent tendency among fans of pushing small objects off of countertops'.
And Justice for Art: Stories About Heavy Metal Album Covers by Ramon Martos
Another coffee table art book, with slightly more depth. u/captaincrunchey describes it as 'high-quality prints of album art for a variety of classic metal albums from all subgenres, plus a lot of behind the scenes commentary about how the pieces came together and the meaning behind them. There's a Vol. 2 that follows the same format as well.'
Svartmálmur by Verði ljós (AKA HV Lyngdal of Wormlust)
Lots of books on metal art - this one a collection of photos of various Icelandic black metal musicians and the Icelandic landscape. u/FutureWeapon describes it as 'an aesthetic guide to Icelandic Black Metal. It contains lots of spooky promo shots of Icelandic bands as well as some other surreal photos and landscapes. Nice to flip through.'
Lords of Chaos: The Bloody Rise of the Satanic Metal Underground by Michael Moynihan and Didrik Søderlind
This is mostly here out of obligation, it's a real mixed bag of a book. While it's pretty infamous as a 'history' of Norwegian black metal, it's very skewed. It's an easy read and it gives a decent introduction to some of the events of the Norwegian scene, but has some big misses. Of note are the big focus given to Varg, poorly made arguments about the inherent fascist-ness of black metal, and the suggestion that Gene Simmons invented all corpse paint. Read it if you're curious, but the above-mentioned Evolution of the Cult book is a much better introduction to and history of Norwegian black metal.
Thanks again to everyone who contributed to the original thread, hopefully, this gives everyone something to read while in lockdown! /u/kaptain_carbon, let me know if anything needs to be adjusted to add it to the wiki!