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SOUND OF THE BEAST

Name: SOUND OF THE BEAST
Author: Ian Christe
ISBN: 0-06-052362-X

THE COMPLETE HEADBANGING HISTORY OF HEAVY METAL

by Ian Christe ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 1, 2003

More for headbangers than outsiders.

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Fevered history of the underdog genre that has sold 75 million records in the US alone.

In the decades since Black Sabbath’s 1970 debut launched heavy metal, says freelance journalist Christe, “100 million listeners sought refuge in the resounding cultural boom, finding a purity unmitigated by doubts or distractions.” By the late ’70s, critical disdain was countered by the rising commercial presence of “protometal” bands like AC/DC, Kiss, and Led Zeppelin. During the ’80s, the popularity of the New Wave of British heavy metal (Motorhead, Def Leppard, Judas Priest, Iron Maiden) inspired a frantic tape-trading network in the US, from which arose numerous thrash and power metal bands, including Metallica, Megadeth, Slayer, and Anthrax. While these bands stealthily developed large fan bases in Middle America without radio play, Los Angeles “glam metal” generated chart-toppers for image-obsessed bands like Motley Crüe and Poison. Christe also delves into the fresher territory of black and death metal—hyperfast, youthful music obsessed with perverse decay, supported by worldwide underground networks—and other regional phenomena that defy the stereotypes, such as the grass-roots “nu metal” of Slipknot and “digital metal” like the author’s own project, Dark Noerd. Christe discusses nearly all of it with a sense of uncritical wonder, mostly ignoring the seamy side of a genre notorious for misogyny and substance abuse, yet finds little positive to say about arguably more important forms like punk, funk, and rap except when they intersect with his beloved metal. David Konow’s greatly superior Bang Your Head (2002) approaches metal from a nuanced, humanized perspective; Christe, by comparison, offers a streamlined, unquestioning fan’s overview. Still, his command of the genre’s many detours and obscurities is admirable, and he sneaks in some shrewd analysis between hormonal commentary, e.g., his comparison of classic Gibson guitars to “magic wands for unlocking the power of a mighty wall of Marshall amps.” Some pages are occupied by Spin-style charts and Top-10 lists.

More for headbangers than outsiders.

Pub Date: April 1, 2003

ISBN: 0-06-052362-X

Page Count: 400

Publisher: HarperEntertainment

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2003

Categories:

GENERAL NONFICTION

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NUTCRACKER

by E.T.A. Hoffmann ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 28, 1996

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This is not the Nutcracker sweet, as passed on by Tchaikovsky and Marius Petipa. No, this is the original Hoffmann tale of 1816, in which the froth of Christmas revelry occasionally parts to let the dark underside of childhood fantasies and fears peek through. The boundaries between dream and reality fade, just as Godfather Drosselmeier, the Nutcracker's creator, is seen as alternately sinister and jolly. And Italian artist Roberto Innocenti gives an errily realistic air to Marie's dreams, in richly detailed illustrations touched by a mysterious light. A beautiful version of this classic tale, which will captivate adults and children alike. (Nutcracker; $35.00; Oct. 28, 1996; 136 pp.; 0-15-100227-4)

Pub Date: Oct. 28, 1996

ISBN: 0-15-100227-4

Page Count: 136

Publisher: Harcourt

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1996

Categories:

GENERAL NONFICTION

- BOOK REVIEW
THE NUTCRACKER AND THE MOUSE KING
by E.T.A. Hoffmann ; adapted by Natalie Andrewson ; illustrated by Natalie Andrewson

- BOOK REVIEW
THE NUTCRACKER
by E.T.A. Hoffmann & illustrated by Julie Paschkis

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TO THE ONE I LOVE THE BEST

EPISODES FROM THE LIFE OF LADY MENDL (ELSIE DE WOLFE)

by Ludwig Bemelmans ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 23, 1955

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An extravaganza in Bemelmans' inimitable vein, but written almost dead pan, with sly, amusing, sometimes biting undertones, breaking through. For Bemelmans was "the man who came to cocktails". And his hostess was Lady Mendl (Elsie de Wolfe), arbiter of American decorating taste over a generation. Lady Mendl was an incredible person,- self-made in proper American tradition on the one hand, for she had been haunted by the poverty of her childhood, and the years of struggle up from its ugliness,- until she became synonymous with the exotic, exquisite, worshipper at beauty's whrine. Bemelmans draws a portrait in extremes, through apt descriptions, through hilarious anecdote, through surprisingly sympathetic and understanding bits of appreciation. The scene shifts from Hollywood to the home she loved the best in Versailles. One meets in passing a vast roster of famous figures of the international and artistic set. And always one feels Bemelmans, slightly offstage, observing, recording, commenting, illustrated.