LOUDER THAN HELL
THE DEFINITIVE ORAL HISTORY OF METAL
By Jon Wiederhorn & Katherine Turman
On the COVER of THE VILLAGE VOICE this Week!
Buy Your Copy NOW at Amazon.com – First Day: RATED #1 in Heavy Metal Books, #2 in History & Criticism Books!
Barnes & Noble Touts LOUDER THAN HELL as a Great Father’s Day Gift!
Read the Featured Article HERE
“…as indispensable as a skull-adorned leather jacket.”
-ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY
“…no one’s gone quite as deep into the genre’s recesses as this 736-page oral history…”
– ROLLING STONE (4 star review!)
“It’s an aficionado’s delight.”
– NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
“…an amazing account of the four-decades-old genre…”
– LA WEEKLY
“If you want some debauchery and demonology to go with your gentle summer breezes, Louder Than Hell is the tome for you.” – YAHOO SUMMER MUSIC GUIDE, “ROCK’S BEST BEACH READS”
“…a flawless authoritative history of metal straight from the mouths of the men and women who lived it, and you’ll feel like you are right there beside them.” – LOUDWIRE.COM
“Essential.” — REVOLVER (4/4 stars review!)
“An indispensable oral history of an often misunderstood musical genre.” — KIRKUS REVIEWS (a starred review!)
“I’m not saying this just because I’m in the book, but . . . if you love metal, great stories, and music history told by the people who made it, then Louder than Hell is a must-read.” — ALICE COOPER
“…the authors’ inclusiveness give this examination a weight that is just as heavy as the music.”
—PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
This week, LOUDER THAN HELL: The Definitive Oral History of Metal is featured on the cover of New York City’s influential and legendary weekly paper, The Village Voice! The cover feature highlights the book’s chapter of NYC’s Metal/Hardcore crossover scene. The piece features everyone from Agnostic Front to the Cro-Mags to Biohazard, and includes special excerpts from the book. Can’t pick up a copy? Check out the article here: http://blogs.villagevoice.com/music/2013/05/nyc_metal_hardcore_crossover.php.
“When we found out weeks ago that the Village Voice wanted to run an excerpt from the crossover metal chapter of ‘Louder Than Hell,’ we were thrilled,” states LOUDER THAN HELL co-author Jon Wiederhorn. “Then we heard it might be a cover story and we got even more excited. But we never imagined it would look as cool or come out as great as it did. As a reader of the paper for the past 20 years, this was especially exciting for me, and the Voice’s online coverage has been just as great. In addition to the article, they posted an essay of photos from the book (see here). We can’t thank them enough.”
Co-author Katherine Turman adds, “To be on the cover of the Voice is the ultimate compliment and lends instant credibility. It’s just the coolest to be on every street corner in New York!”
LOUDER THAN HELL: The Definitive Oral History of Metal is in stores NOW! Compiled from over 400 interviews conducted by respected music journalists Jon Wiederhorn and Katherine Turman, LOUDER THAN HELL: The Definitive Oral History of Metal (It Books; May 14, 2013; Hardcover; $32.50) is a chronological history of heavy metal, told through the words of the men and women who created it, played it, re-invented it, and continue to rock it.
This past Wednesday (May 15), co-authors Jon Wiederhorn and Katherine Turman threw ANOTHER successful party for friends, family, close supporters and notable press at Bowery Electric in NYC. The party was sponsored by The Village Voice, Asahi, Pisco, !t Books and Marshall Headphones. There was a special performance by Iraqi thrash metal band (and stars of the movie “Heavy Metal in Baghdad”) Acrassicauda, a set of tantalizing burlesque dancing, and more! All in attendance had an excellent time celebrating the release of the book.
“We were absolutely stoked that so many people showed up to celebrate the release of our book,” adds co-author Jon Wiederhorn. “It was the perfect way to cap four years of work that was alternatively enthralling and exhausting. Clearly everyone who attended shares the passion and dedication that Katherine and I have for metal. We hope that ‘Louder Than Hell’ will become the go-to reference guide for the evolution and insanity of the genre much like ‘Please Kill Me’ is for punk rock.”
See below for some great photos from the party, taken by renowned music photographer and highlighted LOUDER THAN HELL contributor Stephanie Cabral.
LOUDER THAN HELL co-authors Jon Wiederhorn and Katherine Turman with Acrassicauda. (photo by Stephanie Cabral)
LOUDER THAN HELL co-authors Jon Wiederhorn and Katherine Turman reading excerpts. (photo by Stephanie Cabral)
Acrassicauda performing at the party! (photo by Stephanie Cabral)
A packed house! (photo by Stephanie Cabral)
The amount of positive reaction that LOUDER THAN HELL has received so far is staggering, as the quotes above can attest to. Not surprisingly, LOUDER THAN HELL was already being used as an official source even before the book release. This book is being recognized as a credible, definitive guide to the history of heavy metal. As published in the New York Times on May 3, the paper of Record referred to the new book LOUDER THAN HELL: The Definitive Oral History of Metal” to gain further insight into their story.
Revolver senior editor Wiederhorn and Nights with Alice Cooper producer Turman dug deep into their extensive list of contacts to uncover never-before-heard stories, eye-opening admissions and the truth behind metal’s most explosive legends. Candid and confessional commentary comes straight from icons of the genre, including: Ronnie James Dio, Ozzy Osbourne, Bruce Dickinson, Eddie Van Halen, Vince Neil, Tommy Lee, Lita Ford, Lars Ulrich, James Hetfield, Axl Rose, Slash, Corey Taylor, Dave Mustaine, Chuck Schuldiner, Lemmy Kilmister, King Diamond, Dave Grohl, Trent Reznor, Slayer’s Kerry King, Phil Anselmo, Rob Zombie and more. With an introduction by Scott Ian of Anthrax and an afterword by Rob Halford of Judas Priest, and with two 16-page photo inserts, with some never-before seen candid shots by celebrated rock photographers Stephanie Cabral and Robert Matheu, this is the book metal fans have been waiting for.
The many musicians interviewed by these veteran journalists offer their take on their influences, touring, the music business, and songwriting, as well as their often-traumatic upbringings, battles with substance abuse, and bizarre sexual exploits. Industry insiders (including managers, record label executives, family members, friends, scenesters, groupies, journalists, and porn stars) provide additional insight.
From the creation of Black Sabbath in the late 1960s, to Judas Priest’s development of the leather-and-studs look, to Metallica introducing the world to thrash, to the inception of Ozzfest, to Faith No More accidentally creating the first hybrid of rap and metal, to the provocative exploits of the Sunset Strip scene, to the death and destruction surrounding Norwegian black metal, LOUDER THAN HELL gets to the meat of the metal matter.
LOUDER THAN HELL explores the transformation of metal culture, with stories and anecdotes straight from the mouths of the most infamous and successful bands. Filled with hundreds of revealing interviews representing every type and era of heavy metal—from metal progenitors such as Blue Cheer, Led Zeppelin, and the MC5 to current day innovators including Slipknot, Mastodon, and Lamb of God—LOUDER THAN HELL is the ultimate look behind the curtain at one of our most dynamic, controversial and enduring musical genres.
To learn more about LOUDER THAN HELL, please visit these official locations:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LouderThanHellTheBook
Tumblr: http://www.tumblr.com/blog/louderthanhellbook
Twitter: https://twitter.com/louderthanhell
Buy your copy of LOUDER THAN HELL on Amazon.com now at this location.
About the Authors:
Jon Wiederhorn is a senior writer for Revolver who also writes for Guitar World, Yahoo.com, eMusic.com and Noisey.Vice.com. His second book, the authorized biography of Ministry’s Al Jourgensen, Ministry: The Lost Gospels According to Al Jourgensen, is scheduled for release in August. His work has also appeared in Rolling Stone, SPIN, Entertainment Weekly, TV Guide, Loudwire.com, AOL Noisecreep, Classic Rock, Metal Hammer, RIP, Alternative Press and Cosmopolitan. Jon currently lives in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, down the street from legendary ‘80s/’90s metal club L’Amour. His greatest accomplishment is teaching his two pre-teens to flash the devil horns long before they discovered Selena Gomez and Justin Bieber.
Katherine Turman is the producer for Alice Cooper’s nightly syndicated radio show, Nights with Alice Cooper. A former editor of RIP magazine and producer at TV’s The Sharon Osbourne Show as well as radio’s Rockline, her writing has been in major publications including Los Angeles Times, Rolling Stone, Mother Jones, SPIN, Billboard, Marie Claire, Guitar World, Metal Hammer, Village Voice and Daily Variety. A Los Angeles native, she now lives in Brooklyn.
For press inquiries and additional information, please contact Adrenaline PR and Maria Ferrero at 732-462-4262 or maria@adrenalinepr.com.
