Book Review: Swords of Steel Vol. I & II

DMR Books
2016


The excellent "Swords of Steel" and it's worthy 2016 follow-up, "Swords of Steel II", are collections of short stories, poems and even an essay from some of the heavy metal's best writers. They were both sent my way some while back and in all honesty it has taken me longer than I expected to get through them. Given the sheer depth of these two books that is understandable, but even so I would like to apologize to DMR Books for the delay. Of course it should probably be mentioned that by "sheer depth" I am not talking about the overall size of these two paperbacks, but rather the overwhelming quality and in-depth nature of the source material at hand. In book one you have amazing stories from members of Bal-Sagoth, Manilla Road, Twisted Tower Dire, Cauldron Born, Walpyrgus, Funeral Circle and Solstice (to name just a few!) and it is topped off with a great introduction from writer David C. Smith (author of the Red Sonja and Oron novels)! Meanwhile book two features a stand-out short story from The Lord Slough Feg's Mike Scalzi and a solid introduction by David DeFeis of Virgin Steele fame! Some of the same talented authors from book one show up and in book two (E.C. Hellwell, Howie K. Bentley, Byron A. Roberts, and Scott Waldrop!) and that makes for a nice and consistent reading experience. Each volume features tales of "of terror and heroic adventure" (their words) or if you will "sword-play and ass kicking adventures!" (my words!). Again, as far as the quality of these stories and poems is concerned both "Swords of Steel" and "Swords of Steel II" offer plenty of bang for your buck. The fantasy and horror elements that you will find in these two paperbacks are great and the stories are easy to comprehend and follow. In other words they are both highly enjoyable and they make for great reading no matter if you are old or young! I know this because not only did I read through these two well-assembled paperbacks, but so did my two teens! For me at least the only downside was the small print of "Swords of Steel II", but that has more to do with my failing sight than anything else! A better pair of glasses on my end would easily fix that small concern, but in no way WHATSOEVER does that take away from how good these collections are! Hopefully there will be a part three to this series as this is such a great idea. You can find both anthologies by visiting DMR Books Storeny page and as a final word of praise I'd just like to add this little tidbit. These short stories come from artists that have already given us some incredible traditional and epic metal songs so if you like the actual song lyrics of some of these unbelievable bands then chances are you will love what these musicians have to offer as far as storytelling goes.

Amy Yates Wuelfing and Steven DiLodovico-No Slam Dancing, No Stage Diving, No Spikes: An Oral History of the Legendary City Gardens

DiWulf Publishing
2014

Authored by Amy Yates Wuelfing and Steven DiLodovico, "No Slam Dancing, No Stage Diving, No Spikes: An Oral History of the Legendary City Gardens" is a (recently-released) book covering the history of New Jersey's unheralded music venue, City Gardens. As someone though who has amassed quite the collection of post-punk and alternative rock encyclopedias, history books, reference sources and even pocket companions, and (incidental) someone who actually lived through the time period this covers (eighties to nineties), I will say that whether or not you were at all familiar with the (should have been legendary!) City Gardens is of little to no concern when it comes to this exhaustive novel. For "No Slam Dancing, No Stage Diving, No Spikes" makes you see City Gardens as if it could have been any club in any city. Or rather your favorite club in your local town! And even if it wasn't your club, authors Amy Yates Wuelfing and Steven DiLodovico make you feel as if you are right there, right in the heart of the action as they have crafted a work of art in regards to an era that many of us will always hold firm to and consider to be the defining moment in the history of punk, hardcore and heavy metal! Working your way through the pages of this book you find yourself transported back to a time when music was exploding and the scene, both national and local, held endless possibilities and there was always some new sound to discover! As far as actual coverage of this well-loved and highly-respected club is concerned the book is broken down into different time periods even if the sentiment is all the same! Through interviews with a who's who of the alternative rock, punk rock and hardcore scene (as well as club workers and club goers!) we're given insight into a live venue which hosted some absolutely amazing talent during it's run! And yes it wasn't just about post-punk rockers and slam-dancing hardcore kids as this was a club which never discriminated (music-wise). Whether it was the punk and hardcore scene, heavy metal or hip-hop, pop-rock or reggae it was all fair game and treated equally! And in the confines of this book it's all entertainment as you read about a club which would go on to become the life-blood of New Jersey. No spoilers of course, as this one should be read in the comfort of one's own home (suggestively-speaking) with a glass of wine for maximum enjoyment, but the huge array of interviews (from the Butthole Surfers to Black Flag) and personal memories from shows (everyone from the Lords Of The New Church to the Circle Jerks played there and man alive, what I wouldn't have given to have seen both!) is just crazy making "No Slam Dancing, No Stage Diving, No Spikes: An Oral History of the Legendary City Gardens" another book that I will be adding to my personal collection  as soon as humanly possibly! This is one book which deserves special mention and should hold a special spot in any self-respecting collection of music-related material. With that I say kudos to Amy Yates Wuelfing and Steven DiLodovico for what amounts to a well-researched and highly-informative book and one which I have no reservations whatsoever about recommending!

Rock and roll children by Michael LeFevre

2010


Rock and Roll Children is the first novel from Michael LeFevre Michael D. LeFevre although he has published articles and book reviews in the “Times Education Supplement.” Most of Rock and Roll Children is based on his experiences during the 1980’s. The 80's were certainly the golden era of metal in many people's minds including mine. It was great time to be a fan of the music because there was so much material coming out and many great bands hit their peak during the decade. LeFevre's book follows friends Frankie, Bob, Rick and Jeff through the mid late 80's with an emphasis on their love of many different metal acts of the day. Concerts are a major focus of the story and in the introduction LeFevre states that he attended all but three of the concerts mentioned in the book. So he recalls some personal experiences for those parts of the book. The concerts mentioned are many and include a number of top acts of the day including Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Dio and many others. I am actually jealous of the author for getting to see so many great acts of the time. Fans of metal who were living for the music back then will be able to relate to being so excited over these bands and the albums that are mentioned as well those who were fortunate enough to hear the Metalshop show on the radio back in the day. However there are some real problems with "Rock and roll children". It's a very slow read because of several reasons. There is some build-up for every concert the friends attend and the first few times this happens I even felt kind excited. Then they get to the concert and it just reads like a bare bones account. These should major events in the book and they tend to lack the kind of description and detail that would build them up. After each concert was mentioned I felt an empty feeling like there just wasn't enough going on. The same empty feeling hangs over the characters ever more so. They are enjoying the music and following these bands, but it's all rather flat with pages and pages of he did this and he did that. I just never felt attached or very interested in the characters. There is no doubt that the author was a fan because his love of the music comes through right away, but the characters and the story just have the depth to sustain one's interest for 400 and some pages. I think if these entries had been written say in a blog form with each concert being an entry and more details had been provided then I may have been far more interested. The author has real memories and hopefully he keeps writing and working at expanding his ideas and developing his style. As it was this was a tough read to get through.