|
Lords of Chaos: The Bloody Rise of the Satanic Metal Underground New Edition | 
 enlarge | Authors: Michael Moynihan, Didrik Soderlind
Publisher: Feral House
Category: Book
List Price: $18.95
Buy Used: $9.27
You Save: $9.68 (51%)
New (32) Used (18) from $9.27
Rating:  136 reviews
Sales Rank: 27715
Media: Paperback
Pages: 405
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.5
Dimensions (in): 8.9 x 6 x 1.1
ISBN: 0922915946
Dewey Decimal Number: 781
EAN: 9780922915941
ASIN: 0922915946
Publication Date: November 1, 2003
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: Expedited shipping available
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: Great condition! no apparent writing in text! Minimal wear and tear from shelving. Lightning shipping, same day in most cases. Order with confidence, check our feedback.
| |
| Also Available In:
|
| Similar Items:
|
| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
"* * * * * *! The most incredible story in the history of music a heavyweight book."-Kerrang! "An unusual combination of true crime journalism, rock and roll reporting and underground obsessiveness, Lords of Chaos turns into one of the more fascinating reads in a long time."-Denver Post A narrative feature film based on this award-winning book has just gone into production.
|
| Customer Reviews: Read 131 more reviews...
A book that tells it like it was... June 26, 2002
Ilker Yucel (Annapolis, MD United States)
43 out of 45 found this review helpful
"Lords of Chaos" is a very well-written book that documents certain key events in the rise and fall of the Satanic movement in extreme metal. Beginning with a slight history of the proto-black/death metal bands of the '80's (i.e. Bathory, Venom, King Diamond, Slayer, etc...), and bringing the reader to the early '90's when the Norwegian black metal scene declared its supremacy, this book tells it like it was. Everything from the church burnings (for which Samoth of Emperor was imprisoned), to Faust's (Emperor's drummer) murder of a homosexual fan, to the suicide of Dead (Mayhem's vocalist), to the murder of Oystein "Euronymous" Aarseth (Mayhem's guitarist) at the hands of friend and Burzum mainman Varg Vikernes, to the German band Absurd's own transgressions in the following years, this book is pretty much a black metal historian's dream. The philosophy is not elaborated on as much as it should, but there are several chapters that deal specifically with Anton LeVay's brand of Satanism (right down to an interview with him) to several notes on Nordic/Viking mythology, and plenty of rare photos and interviews with key personalities in the scene, including Ihsahn (Emperor), Varg (Burzum), and even the guys in Cradle of Filth (a.k.a. black metal goes pop). It is definitely not for all tastes, and even fans of black metal may find it horrid to find that a scene that carries so much enjoyment also carried such terror and insanity. Not for the weak of heart. Other than that, it is an interesting read...
The most disturbing thing about this book..... February 14, 2000
34 out of 43 found this review helpful
...are some of the customer reviews I have just read, from impressionable, probably disturbed youngsters writing things like "Hail Sathanas" and recommending this book to all black metal scenesters as a "how-to" guide. Obviously these kids have MISSED THE POINT. Sure, the music is compelling--having worked in a record store that sells recordings by Burzum and Emperor, amongst others, I agree that black metal is quite unlike anything else out there and musically ingenious. But the philosophy behind it--NO WAY. I have no love for Christian belief systems, either, but this does not mean I condone the sort of blind, unrelenting, emotionless hatred and destruction perpetrated by the followers of black metal philosophy. The two journalists who wrote this book did a fine job of researching, interviewing and trying to be objective, but nothing in this book acts as an encouragement to embrace national socialism, or Satansism, or murder and church-burning--nothing. The most intriguing part of this book, which unfortunately the authors did not address in detail, is how little jail time and punishment was given to these black metal criminals. They are continuing their message of hate from jail, inciting their (very young) followers, and they'll be out in a matter of years, with every intention of committing other crimes. Even Vikernes will only be 42 when he is released. It saddens and frightens me that some people see this work of research into destruction and violence as some sort of handbook. I urge those people to read this book again, more carefully, without focusing only on the bloody murders and the nihilistic spoutings, and at least try to understand what happens to these people, what the consequences of their actions are. The best example is the interview with Ihsahn of Emperor--I don't agree with his beliefs, but he is one of those people who would understand that I don't have to--he seems to have his head on straight, at least, and a good grasp of what his beliefs actually mean. Read this book as the sociological study that it is, and hear the music as works of art, not as incitations to violence, and understand what it is that drives these people to embrace heathenism and Satanism--which is the best way to distance yourself from the actual violence, as the authors of the book have done. I congratulate them on a well-researched, intelligent account of black metal, and regret that there are those who cannot see beyond the hatred and gore to understand their objective account.
 Sophistry ain't complimentary November 13, 2001
Blauth (West Africa)
22 out of 29 found this review helpful
Disclaimer: the author of this review is a serious Burzum fan.
Moynihan comes off as a man with a mission in this one . . . the mission being to prove that the entire second wave of black metal, of which the so-called Norse Black Metal Mafia was an integral part, was an expression of the rebirth of the spirit of National Socialism and Paganism within Scandanavia and people of Germanic/Scandanavian descent. While this may have been the view of a very few select members of "the movement," particularly Varg Vikernes; it certainly wasn't the outlook of others who helped create the medium. The book focuses mainly upon Moynihan's misrepresentations of Varg's anti-Semitic Neo-Pagan philosophies and Moynihan's own biases and views, and completely omits large parts of the entire history in order to make the Black Metal Movement seem like it was a well formed crusade in the name of Quisling influenced Facism and Paganism. The history and role of many key bands, most glaringly Darkthrone and Thorns, are completely omitted, while more interesting and obcure stories such as the death threats levelled against the band Fleurety are completely ignored. Moynihan also turns a blind eye to important non-Scandanavian bands such as Tormentor and Sigh.
"Lords of Chaos" is well written for all of its faults, and is important in that it attempts to chronicle the history and philosophies evolved by an astounding group of musicians. It contains a great deal of photos and does contain a few good interviews - the most exciting of which are probably those with Garm of Ulver. One may wish to take these interviews with a grain of salt, considering to what degree Varg's comments were apparently distorted. The book gets a second star simply for the photos and the fact that Moynihan even bothered to tackle a difficult topic, despite his cheesy paparazzo approach to the subject.
Interesting yet choppy March 6, 2005
Julia Webber (South Bohemia, Czech Republic)
16 out of 16 found this review helpful
I must say that I disagree with the other reviewers about any bias from the authors of this book. It is not written so as to revere or condemn the people who are the subject matter, only to tell their stories. I can figure out that arson and murder are bad things all by my myself, thank you, I don't need the authors to spoon feed morality to me. In fact, I thank them for not doing so.
This book is not a "history" of black metal so much as a series of accounts of individual events in the scene. From here stems my main criticism of the book: it's a bit sloppily strung together. It starts off with a breif background of satanism and occult in non-metal music, and continues with a summary of early black metal bands such as Venom and Bathory. The following section, which makes up the majority of the book, is about the occurances in the Norwegian scene, mainly focusing on Mayhem and Varg Vikernes. Then there's interviews with people trying to explain the psychology behind satanism, heathenism, racism, and general bitterness towards judeochristianity. And finally, there is a bit about the events surrounding Absurd in Germany, and short cameos of black metal scenes and associated crimes in other countries that seem to have been tacked on as an afterthought. The first half of the book is a quick read, the second half requires a bit more patience.
Overall I enjoyed this book, and would recommend it to any fan of metal with an interest in the subject. Non metal fans might enjoy the book as a true-crime account, but I think something would be lost by a reader who knew nothing of the music or had never been to a metal show and therefore knows nothing of the context.
Avoids sensationalism and draws from exhaustive research and visual aids to paint a portrait of crime, politics, and music January 25, 2006
Jessica Lux (Rosamond, CA)
16 out of 16 found this review helpful
Lords of Chaos focuses on the Norwegian Black Metal scene of the early 1990's, and its influence on music fans and political activists both in Norway and around the globe. The central figure in the scene was Varg Vikernes (at least according to these authors), who gained notoriety by murdering his friend, band leader and Black Metal guru/promoter Euronymous of the influential band Mayhem. From jail, Vikernes has made a number of shocking and radical statements, as well as self-published several treatises. Vikernes has toyed with Satanism in an anti-Christianity sense, with traditional Norwegian pagan heathenism, and with nationalist/skinhead ideals. He claims burning churches isn't blasphemy--the blasphemy lies in the churches themselves, which were constructed on top of heathen alters [horg]. He also makes enlightening comments about the need for female groupies to make any political movement attractive to the masses.
The authors carefully explore the Norwegian political climate and the presence of the State Church as part of the environment that led to the rise of Black Metal. Heavy Metal influences from around the world are also painstakingly traced. Several interview subjects expound upon the difference between Norwegian Satanism (dedicated to destroying Christianity) and Anton LaVey's Church of Satan (focused on achieving pleasure through selfish desires and motives). In the closing chapters, the authors explore Black Metal true crime in Germany, as well as copycat pseudo-Satanic rituals, sacrifices, and crimes committed by rabid fans in the US, Finland, England and other parts of the world. While the main figures in Norway and German maintain that Black Metal murders were due to interpersonal conflicts (NOT ritual sacrifices), the younger fans in other countries seem to glorify the music and commit senseless copycat acts in tribute to their heroes.
Moynihan and Soderlind have created an exhaustively-researched treatment of music, politics, and crime. The book avoids sensationalism at all costs and presents multiple points of view, especially in the dozens of interview subjects. The text is interspersed with hundreds of illustrations of band logos, album covers, fliers, traditional religious symbols, band members on stage, growing up, and in prison, media articles, press releases, and letters. The visual accompaniment greatly enhances the reading experience.
|
|
|
|
| |
