Got very listy by the end. Just lists of black metal bands. Would have really benefited from being half the length

this is a biased history of heavy metal, and other than that of ranking ac/dc’s back in black as a top 25 heavy metal album of all time, ian christes bias aligns with my bias so i support it.

the afterwards in this book was good and almost bumped it up to 5 stars, but i had to be realistic because this book wouldnt have taken me over four months to finish if it was a 5 star read

also a lot of this just revolves around metallica. it could have gone so much more into depth on motorhead and black sabbath and death and so many others but only glosses over them briefly before coming back to metallica

I LOVE books like this. Tons of history, great quotes, stories and in this case a lot insight and some great writing. I was really sad that it wasn't written more recently so I could hear the author's take on more modern metal and current situation. But really this was about nostalgia for the "glory days". This book reminded me about bands I had loved in the past and forgotten and got me listening to bands I either missed somehow or didn't really care for back in the day. It made me regret missing concerts from some of these bands and reminded me of some of the amazing shows I've been too.

Another cool thing about this book is that it covers the entire world and metal starting from Iommi's first power chord (and even before that somewhat) until around 2003 when the book was published. Hearing about how restrictive some countries are about visiting bands and even their citizens owning heavy metal albums was saddening and interesting, but also exciting to think of metalheads in other countries fighting the good fight to keep their artistic freedom.

It's been quite a ride, now I can't wait to pour over this book and look up all the bands he mentioned that I have never heard before or don't remember.

Absolutely fascinating history of heavy metal. In Sound Of The Beast, author Ian Christie mentions many bands, spends time examining how various metal subgenres formed, and spends way too much space writing about Metallica. Nonetheless, this well-written and enthusiastic book is a very useful metal primer. I learned many cool details, such as the fact that Wendy O. Williams and Motörhead teamed up on a cover of Tammy Wynette's "Stand By Your Man." I spent most of my time reading Sound Of The Beast with my headphones on listening to the bands as Christie was discussing them. This made reading-time extra fun and awesome. \m/ \m/

This was an excellent read when I was a teenager and beginning to absorb the classic albums and learn the history of heavy metal. Going back to it today is admittedly hard as a learned fan because it focuses way too hard on the biggest-name bands, but it does an admirable job of covering all the sub genres. If this was ever updated for the last 20 years (djent, atmo-black, etc) I would read it again.

If you love metal then you will love this book. Christie does a great job weaving the history of a scattered movement into a cohesive narrative. I was pleased to find it even more nerdy with details than I had anticipated.

This book has been criticized for concentrating too much on Metallica. If you are still mad at the band because of their vehement anti-Napster stance in 2000 then you might not care for this book. However, anyone who lived through the 80s and loved metal in the 80s has to concede that Metallica was the most influential metal band after Black Sabbath.

Christie also spends a fair amount of time exploring a number of metal sub-genres like black metal, death metal, techno metal, nu metal, and rap metal.

Amazingly written and has definitely fueled my metal obsession.

A great read for anyone with a passion for the music or who's chewed through the numerous rock star autobiographies on the market. Motley Crue's "The Dirt," for example, is a compelling story about one band's experience of what it was to ride the wave of metal stardom in the 1980s. While both books are focused on heavy metal, Ian Christie's functions at the macro level, examining heavy metal as a cultural force that grew out of and into something that goes beyond the sound. Commencing with Black Sabbath, Christie deftly traces metal's roots, utilising a formidable knowledge of important musicians, albums, songs and sub-genres. The book has been criticised for a middle section that comprehensively discusses Metallica, however, this was no less interesting to me and was entirely relevant; it cannot be denied that Metallica's global dominance represented a watershed moment for heavy metal (for better or worse, depending on who you talk to) and the band succeeded not only as pioneers of thrash but also with critics and legions of fans. In particular, Metallica is often cited as being the bridge that brings fans to metal when they had never listened to it before. Christie's broad history is punctuated with interviews, photos, lists of must-have records and most importantly, the passion of an author who is obviously a die-hard heavy metal fan.