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Review of "Encyclopedia of Heavy Metal Music"
By: Terry Bunch
Date: May 11, 2010

Publisher: Greenwood Press
Writer: William Phillips and Brian Cogan
Genre: Biography / Encyclopedia / History
Format: hardcover
Review Rating: 9/10

We know what you are thinking, "Oh no, another metal encyclopedia that will be inaccurate and useless". However, this book is first of it's kind that actually works. The authors researched, they learned the metal scene and they debated on the content before deciding on including it. This work is an incredible collection of information that will be of use to the seasoned metal fan as well as the uninitiated. Written to be a college level textbook for a music class, this book is more "grown up" than a lot of other similar works.

To give you an idea of why we thought this book was worth telling you about, read this passage from the preface:

"To be a heavy metal fan or band is to try and live metal in the most authentic way possible."

Those are powerful words and they ring true. This is the attitude that the authors used to create this tome and it is because of that understanding, that this book is worth owning.

The book starts off with a preface and some acknowledgments detailing the amount of effort that spent on this encyclopedia. The authors describe their struggles with what to include, which bands to list, etc. The resulting book is a well rounded and well written view of the world of metal. Obviously, they could not include every band (even some you would think they had to), but some of the bands listed are not what you would find in a typical heavy metal resource book. For example, Belgium's grindcore band "Leng Tch'e" is listed as well as "Agalloch" (black metal from Oregon) and "Goatsnake" (doom metal from Washington, DC). The expected entries are also there such as Metallica, Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, etc. as well as entries such as Deep Purple, Blue Cheer and Iron Butterfly. All of the band entries contain a chronological discography as well. In addition to the listings on bands are entries on metal terminology such as Moshing, Metalheads and The Horns. These entries help flesh out the world of metal and add immensely to the enjoyment of this book. The authors also explore subjects like Festivals, Demos and several metal subgenres. There are even listings on certain movies and key moments in heavy metal history. There is an interesting listing on Electric Guitars that traces the history and changes in technology.

The authors also explore the fashion or metal including piercings, tattoos and the all important leather. There are even entries on the video game "Guitar Hero", record label, "Metal Blade" and key metal DJs such as Diane Kamikaze. Another aspect of this encyclopedia that we liked was the fact that entries on artists such as "Kid Rock", "Marilyn Manson", etc, while included, are explained as to why they are included. For example, the "Kid Rock" entry starts off with "While not technically a metal act by the strictest definition of the term, Kid Rock has demonstrated that American hard rock, country, metal and other fans can be united under the banner of beer drinking and hell raising." This type of explanation and depth of understanding is missing from most other works of this type. The simple fact that the "Kid Rock" entry starts with an explanation is testament to the authors' understanding of the sensitivity of metal fans to the classification of what is and what is not, metal. We each have our own vision of what heavy metal represents to us and those representations are diverse. Metal bonds all of its fans together because of that diversity, we are one worldwide family. We may not always get along with our brothers and sisters, but at the end of the day, they are OUR brothers and sisters in metal.

Overall, the diversity of subject matter and the bands included paint a fairly complete picture of the world of heavy metal. The authors have lived up to their introductory statement about being authentic and they have given the metal world the first truly worthwhile work of this type. "The Encyclopedia of Heavy Metal Music" delves deep into the world of metal while allowing the novice to understand what they are experiencing. We can only hope that William Phillips and Brian Cogan may one day work together again and write more on the subject that is our lives, Heavy Metal.

NOTE:
There are some inaccuracies here and there, as there always are when researching numerous sources. For example, Ronnie Munroe (vocalist) is missing from the entry on Metal Church as is their 2008 release, "This Present Wasteland". One can only assume that the research for Metal Church was based on out of date material. Another example is the incomplete discography of and mis-listing of The Great Kat. She is listed under Kat, instead of Great Kat. They also missed her releases, "Rossini's Rape" (2000) and "Guitar Goddess" (1997). One more error is simply a missed typo and may be in our pressing of this book and not in others... Brian Slagel is listed as Brian Sclagle in the Metal Blade entry. While we have not verified every detail of every entry, these types of errors are common in encyclopedias and are almost unavoidable. They do not detract from the overall value and should not affect your enjoyment of this book.

About the Authors: (provided by Greenwood Press)

WILLIAM PHILLIPS is an independent scholar. He has written extensively on music, technology, and culture. He is currently at New York University, writing his Ph.D. on digital technology and music culture, where he teaches courses on media, communication, and culture. He also works on a variety of musical projects as a guitarist and producer out of his Brooklyn home recording studio.

BRIAN COGAN is a professor who has written extensively on music and popular culture as well as music criticism. He received his Ph.D. in Media Ecology in 2002 from New York University. He teaches at Molloy College and has taught at New York University and the College of Staten Island. Cogan is the author of Greenwood's Encyclopedia of Punk Music and Culture (2006).