Kirkus Reviews, About.com, and UK pub The Independent
also cite acclaimed tome as one of the “year’s best.”
NEW YORK – Rolling Stone has selected LOUDER THAN HELL: The Definitive Oral History of Metal as one of its “20 Best Music Books of 2013.” The magazine referred to the book, which was compiled from over 400 interviews conducted by respected music journalists Jon Wiederhorn and Katherine Turman, as a “terrific heavy metal history… a classic tale of sex, drugs and Satan that'll thrill even non-headbangers.”
LOUDER THAN HELL (It Books/HarperCollins) was also cited by UK outlet The Independent as a ”book of the year,” “….useful in illuminating the how and the why of events, and frank in confronting heavy-metal controversies.” Meanwhile, the prestigious magazine Kirkus Reviews named LTH one of the “Best Books of 2013 on Sports and Entertainment,” calling it “an indispensable oral history of an often misunderstood musical genre. The most important lesson this mammoth tome teaches us is that metal means far more than one might believe.”
The 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, features an introduction by Scott Ian of Anthrax an afterword by Rob Halford of Judas Priest, and three 16-page photo inserts, with some never-before seen candid shots by celebrated rock photographers Stephanie Cabral, Robert Matheu and others.
An updated paperback version of LOUDER THAN HELL will be released in April 2014.
LOUDER THAN HELL received numerous kudos following its May 2013 release, including:
Time Magazine: “…it is totally unnecessary to be a metalhead to enjoy this book.” A thrilling read for all!”
The Washington Post: "Wiederhorn and Turman turn in a compelling, first-person account of a seemingly unstoppable force... the book reads like an extended, uncensored, shockingly satisfying episode of VH1’s ‘Behind the Music.’ Even when a more sensitive reader might want to look away, the unfettered lifestyle, the continually one-upped definition of extreme, and all the merciless consequences are too fascinating to ignore."
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY (A- review): “…as indispensable as a skull-adorned leather jacket.”
ROLLING STONE (4 star review!): “…no one’s gone quite as deep into the genre’s recesses as this 736-page oral history…”
LA WEEKLY: “…an amazing account of the four-decades-old genre…”
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY : “…the authors’ inclusiveness give this examination a weight that is just as heavy as the music.”
About the Authors:
Jon Wiederhorn is a veteran rock journalist who wrote the authorized biography Ministry: The Lost Gospels of Al Jourgensen, which was recently lauded as a top music book of 2013 by SPIN and BrooklynBased.com. Jon is currently working with Anthrax guitarist Scott Ian on his memoir I'm the Man, due in 2014. In the past, he has worked on editorial staffs at Rolling Stone and MTV and is currently a senior writer for Revolver. Wiederhorn’s work also regularly appears in Guitar World, Yahoo.com, eMusic.com, Noisey.com, and Classic Rock. Jon currently lives in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, down the street from the former legendary ‘80s/’90s metal club L’Amour.
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.
