Love Metallica, not so keen on Mick Wall. Most of the information here is readily available online, its only his personal view you're getting. Still enjoyable reading about the early days of the band, even if it is through Wall's eyes. ( )

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“No party music, no girl magnet ballads. Just brutal, attack-oriented, audio death”.

..and with that quote, it becomes impossible to really sum up Metallica better. I’ve been a big fan of these guys since I was 15 years old and finally welcomed the chance to read an official biography on the band. Although, while it’s true I did have preconceived notions that I knew as much about the band as I was ever going to learn, that quickly went out the window in the first few chapters.

As it turns out, I had known next to nothing. I especially didn’t realize that even as late as 1986 and following the release of their critically acclaimed album, Master of Puppets, the guys were still looking for a lead singer. It was revealed that Mr. Hetfield wasn’t all that comfortable being the front man and the face of the band. This totally blew my mind! James has since grown into a force of nature on stage and I can’t imagine anyone else bringing that kind of a presence to a live show.

The stories of the band’s origin were interesting. Everything from the selection of the name, to the troubles with future Megadeth front man Dave Mustaine to the lasting effect their original bassist Cliff Burton had on the group. In-fighting, stories of alcohol and drug-fueled debauchery as well as the madness that the band’s second bassist, Jason Newsted, had been subjected to were surprising and endlessly ridiculous.

While I did like this biography, it did take me quite a while to finish it. At times, it felt pretty anti-climatic especially since I had just watched “Some Kind of Monster” (the 2003 documentary chronicling the band) a few weeks prior. If this book assured me of anything, it’s that Dave Mustaine is a bitter jerk.

Cross Posted @ Every Read Thing ( )

Metallica are one of my favourite bands, even though I did not discover their music until after they had completed the two mid-1980s albums that in my opinion remain their best work, "Ride the Lightning" and "Master of Puppets". They have had many commercial highs - not always matched by creative highs - since then, but unlike their 1980s peers, have kept on trying to do new things musically even when it would have been easier all round to confine themselves to the nostalgia circuit.

Mick Wall's biography of the band is excellent on their early years, and very strong in discussing the influence of the presence, and then the absence, of bassist Cliff Burton, killed in a bus crash in 1987 - but as the years and the albums go by, the book becomes less and less informative. There's a lot more to be gleaned about their 'grown-up' struggles from the "Some Kind Of Monster" documentary, which documents the making of their worst album "St Anger" in a remarkably unsparing and revealing way - the complete opposite of the typical megastar musicians' vanity project - than there is in this book.

Still, because 2/3 of the book is so good on the band's early years and on their musical as well as personal roots, it is worth the attention of anyone with a more than casual interest in Metallica and their music. ( )

Inspired by the New Wave of British Heavy Metal (NWOBHM), Metallica emerges from San Francisco's bay area thrash metal scene to become one of the biggest hard rock bands in the world. Defining moments for the band include their move from LA to San Francisco, the ouster of Dave Mustaine, the death of bassist Cliff Burton, the huge breakthrough into mainstream success with "the black album," the lawsuit against Napster, coming to the verge of breaking up, and their return to form with "Death Magnetic."

I remember wishing for a definitive bio of Metallica after reading the Dave Mustaine memoir, and this is it. Through this book I gained a greater understanding of Cliff Burton and just how important he was to the band, and how they never really recovered from his death. They brought in Jason Newstead far too quickly as a replacement, and used him as a whipping boy for their anger and grief until he left the band 14 years later. The Metallica story is fascinating, as they are a band in a constant state of evolution, never satisfied to keep doing the same old thing over and over again. ( )