Birth School Metallica Death: The Inside Story of Metallica (1981-1991)

by PaulBrannigan (Author), IanWinwood (Author)

New
Paperback
2014
$20.90

Birth School Metallica Death is the definitive story of the most significant rock band since Led Zeppelin, covering the band's formation up to their breakthrough eponymous fifth album, aka The Black Album. The intense and sometimes fraught relationship between aloof-yet-simmering singer, chief lyricist, and rhythm guitarist James Hetfield and the outspoken and ambitious drummer Lars Ulrich is the saga's emotional core. Their earliest years saw the release of three unimpeachable classics (Kill 'Em All, Ride the Lightning, and Master of Puppets), but it was the breakthrough of ...And Justice for All that rent the fabric of the mainstream, hitting the top of the charts without benefit of radio airplay or the then-crucial presence on MTV. And in 1991, with the release of The Black Album, Metallica finally hit the next level with five hit singles and their first album atop the Billboard charts. Veteran music journalists and Metallica confidants Paul Brannigan and Ian Winwood detail this meteoric rise to international fame in an epic saga of family, community, self-belief, the pursuit of dreams, and music that rocks. Told through first-hand interviews with the band and those closest to them, the story of Metallica's rise to the mainstream has never been so vividly documented.

Synopsis

Birth School Metallica Death is the definitive story of the most significant rock band since Led Zeppelin, covering the band's formation up to their breakthrough eponymous fifth album, aka The Black Album. The intense and sometimes fraught relationship between aloof-yet-simmering singer, chief lyricist, and rhythm guitarist James Hetfield and the outspoken and ambitious drummer Lars Ulrich is the saga's emotional core. Their earliest years saw the release of three unimpeachable classics (Kill 'Em All, Ride the Lightning, and Master of Puppets), but it was the breakthrough of ...And Justice for All that rent the fabric of the mainstream, hitting the top of the charts without benefit of radio airplay or the then-crucial presence on MTV. And in 1991, with the release of The Black Album, Metallica finally hit the next level with five hit singles and their first album atop the Billboard charts. Veteran music journalists and Metallica confidants Paul Brannigan and Ian Winwood detail this meteoric rise to international fame in an epic saga of family, community, self-belief, the pursuit of dreams, and music that rocks. Told through first-hand interviews with the band and those closest to them, the story of Metallica's rise to the mainstream has never been so vividly documented.

$20.90

Quantity

20+ in stock

More Information

Format: Paperback
Pages: 392
Publisher: Da Capo Press
Published: 09 Dec 2014
ISBN 10: 0306823519
ISBN 13: 9780306823510

Media Reviews

Classic Rock (UK), October 2013
Introduces us to the boys who went on to be metal kings...[Brannigan and Winwood] have worked closely with the band over the years, and it shows, both in the access they've gained, the anecdotes they witnessed first-hand and the warmth they afford their subjects. No stone is left unturned as the band's insane life is meticulously researched.

Q Magazine, October 2013
Roach shows how thoroughly she has researched her subject...while also giving modern readers something to think about in our own days of social and political witch hunts. Six Women of Salem...will provide a greater sense of the real-world lives of those who engaged in and were victimized by those events.

Metal Hammer
The Metallica story has been told many times before, but seldom as entertainingly or as smartly as this...Ian Winwood and Paul Brannigan's vivid prose makes this well-worn saga seem somehow fresh and fascinating again.

Publishers Weekly, 11/1/13
Brannigan and Winwood dig deep into the band members'' formative years...As former editor of Kerrang!, Britain's popular heavy metal magazine, Brannigan had the opportunity to interview a number of those in Metallica's orbit over the years, this special access and familiarity adds breadth to the book. This objective study is a refreshing approach to the traditional music biography. Even the most knowledgeable fans will eagerly await the second volume.

Kirkus Reviews, 12/1/13
[An] ambitious undertaking...The authors' enthusiasm for their subject is infectious. They're well-placed to show how Metallica learned from their British New Wave of heavy-metal forebears and, in true Oedipal fashion, killed the fathers to create something new. For metal heads and most fans of hard rock.

Mojo, December 2013
It's hard to imagine the tale of San Francisco metal behemoths Metallica being told more authoritatively than it is here...Gripping reading.
Exclaim.ca, 4/22/14
The detail and admirable amount of passion that these British authors lay down in these pages is incredible. Not only have they unearthed mind-blowing tidbits of information that aren't all over every other Metallica biog, but the sheer amount of research they've done for this book is astounding...It's hard to stop reading Birth School Metallica Death, Volume I once you get started, which is huge praise for a book about a band that has already been so documented.
Aquarian Weekly, 12/17/14
The book captures a time before the internet when groups relied on word of mouth, fanzines and self-distributed cassettes and EPs to spread their music across the world. Birth, School, Metallica, Death touches on all the major moments...Despite being apparent fans themselves, the writers pull no punches in detailing the less-favorable elements contained in the Metallica/Alcoholica saga.

Classic Rock (UK), October 2013
Introduces us to the boys who went on to be metal kings[Brannigan and Winwood] have worked closely with the band over the years, and it shows, both in the access they ve gained, the anecdotes they witnessed first-hand and the warmth they afford their subjects. No stone is left unturned as the band s insane life is meticulously researched.

Q Magazine, October 2013
Roach shows how thoroughly she has researched her subjectwhile also giving modern readers something to think about in our own days of social and political witch hunts. Six Women of Salemwill provide a greater sense of the real-world lives of those who engaged in and were victimized by those events.

Metal Hammer
The Metallica story has been told many times before, but seldom as entertainingly or as smartly as thisIan Winwood and Paul Brannigan s vivid prose makes this well-worn saga seem somehow fresh and fascinating again.

Publishers Weekly, 11/1/13
Brannigan and Winwood dig deep into the band members ' formative yearsAs former editor of Kerrang!, Britain's popular heavy metal magazine, Brannigan had the opportunity to interview a number of those in Metallica's orbit over the years, this special access and familiarity adds breadth to the book. This objective study is a refreshing approach to the traditional music biography. Even the most knowledgeable fans will eagerly await the second volume.

Kirkus Reviews, 12/1/13
[An] ambitious undertakingThe authors enthusiasm for their subject is infectious. They re well-placed to show how Metallica learned from their British New Wave of heavy-metal forebears and, in true Oedipal fashion, killed the fathers to create something new. For metal heads and most fans of hard rock.

Mojo, December 2013
It s hard to imagine the tale of San Francisco metal behemoths Metallica being told more authoritatively than it is hereGripping reading.
Exclaim.ca, 4/22/14
The detail and admirable amount of passion that these British authors lay down in these pages is incredible. Not only have they unearthed mind-blowing tidbits of information that aren't all over every other Metallica biog, but the sheer amount of research they've done for this book is astoundingIt's hard to stop reading Birth School Metallica Death, Volume I once you get started, which is huge praise for a book about a band that has already been so documented.
Aquarian Weekly, 12/17/14
The book captures a time before the internet when groups relied on word of mouth, fanzines and self-distributed cassettes and EPs to spread their music across the world. Birth, School, Metallica, Death touches on all the major momentsDespite being apparent fans themselves, the writers pull no punches in detailing the less-favorable elements contained in the Metallica/Alcoholica saga.

Brannigan and Winwood dig deep into the band members'' formative yearsAs former editor of Kerrang!, Britain's popular heavy metal magazine, Brannigan had the opportunity to interview a number of those in Metallica's orbit over the years, this special access and familiarity adds breadth to the book. This objective study is a refreshing approach to the traditional music biography. Even the most knowledgeable fans will eagerly await the second volume.

Kirkus Reviews, 12/1/13
[An] ambitious undertakingThe authors' enthusiasm for their subject is infectious. They're well-placed to show how Metallica learned from their British New Wave of heavy-metal forebears and, in true Oedipal fashion, killed the fathers to create something new. For metal heads and most fans of hard rock.

Mojo, December 2013
It's hard to imagine the tale of San Francisco metal behemoths Metallica being told more authoritatively than it is hereGripping reading.
Exclaim.ca, 4/22/14

Brannigan and Winwood dig deep into the band members'' formative years...As former editor of Kerrang!, Britain's popular heavy metal magazine, Brannigan had the opportunity to interview a number of those in Metallica's orbit over the years, this special access and familiarity adds breadth to the book. This objective study is a refreshing approach to the traditional music biography. Even the most knowledgeable fans will eagerly await the second volume.

Kirkus Reviews, 12/1/13

[An] ambitious undertaking...The authors' enthusiasm for their subject is infectious. They're well-placed to show how Metallica learned from their British New Wave of heavy-metal forebears and, in true Oedipal fashion, killed the fathers to create something new. For metal heads and most fans of hard rock.

Mojo, December 2013

It's hard to imagine the tale of San Francisco metal behemoths Metallica being told more authoritatively than it is here...Gripping reading.

Exclaim.ca, 4/22/14

Classic Rock (UK), October 2013

Introduces us to the boys who went on to be metal kings...[Brannigan and Winwood] have worked closely with the band over the years, and it shows, both in the access they've gained, the anecdotes they witnessed first-hand and the warmth they afford their subjects. No stone is left unturned as the band's insane life is meticulously researched.

Q Magazine, October 2013

Roach shows how thoroughly she has researched her subject...while also giving modern readers something to think about in our own days of social and political witch hunts. Six Women of Salem...will provide a greater sense of the real-world lives of those who engaged in and were victimized by those events.

Metal Hammer

The Metallica story has been told many times before, but seldom as entertainingly or as smartly as this...Ian Winwood and Paul Brannigan's vivid prose makes this well-worn saga seem somehow fresh and fascinating again.

Publishers Weekly, 11/1/13

Author Bio

Paul Brannigan and Ian Winwood are two of the UK's foremost music writers. A contributor to Rolling Stone, Classic Rock, Q, and Metal Hammer magazines, Brannigan is the author of the acclaimed This Is a Call: The Life and Times of Dave Grohl, while Winwood has written for Rolling Stone, the Guardian, Mojo, Kerrang!, NME, and the BBC. Both reside in London.