Let's do another book review. Since I haven't posted here for quite a while, many people thought I disappeared Zephyrous style. Nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, contrary to what many would assume, I was just shuffling a few books through my library, which gave me the idea of doing another book review.
After having reviewed the "Heavy Metal Master Class" and "Slaves to the Grind", it's only fitting that I would complete the trilogy of metal book reviews by writing about a much more controversial take, the (in)famous "Racist Metal: Exposing the Racism and Xenophobia in Heavy Metal Music" by the "hothead" heavy metal author Antoine Grand.
You can find out more about the book here (no affiliate link).
So what is this book "Racist Metal" about? Is it any good? Would I recommend it to any metalhead or fan of the genre? The answer is a bit more complicated that a straight up yes/no response.
The "Hidden Racism" in Everyday Heavy Metal
While many people associate "racism" and "metal" with the very niche NSBM scene of bands like Absurd, Marduk, and a few "pagan" bands like Enslaved, the author goes out of his way not to mention that topic too much. Instead, he focuses on what I would call the "everyday racialism" - my words, not his - and the exclusivity of the heavy metal scene at large, dating all the way back to Black Sabbath, Bathory, Motörhead, Iron Maiden and Judas Priest.
The reviews of this book itself are hilarious, if only because the readers clearly didn't bother to ACTUALLY READ the book. Or maybe they did, but didn't understand anything. Judge for yourselves.
Just because 5% of the demographic is racist, does not mean they speak for the entire community. Racism in metal IS real. But it's not what my culture is about, it's about individualaity and acceptance. Go to a metal show (not a -core show) and you will immediately understand that the culture is about joining together rather than segregating ourselves. - Justin Shannon (1/5 rating)
Yeah, way to show that midwit IQ man. That's precisely what the book IS NOT about.
Reviewing the "Racist Metal" documentary
Let's be clear: "Racist Metal" isn't about the various "fringes" of the black metal genre. About 15 pages are spent on NSBM bands like Absurd and Summoning. Max.
Much more time is spent on the complex history of, for example, the band Mayhem and its frontman Euronymous, to take a random black metal related example (pages 141 to 185). The overall Norwegian black metal scene is mentioned quite a few times.
Same with the early death metal scene, centered around Chuck Schuldiner, Morbid Angel and a few others (pages 207 to 261).
Grindcore is also mentioned extensively, as are the far-right connections of the European grindcore scene (pages 288 to 319).
I hope you get the point by now. The book "Racist Metal" focuses not on the fringes, but on the mainstream.
Now onto a more contentious point... the target audience. It's clear that this was supposed to be Antoine Grand's "The Sound of Perseverance" moment... where he "branches out" of the heavy metal underground, and finally releases a "grand public" (pun intended) work, and thus achieves worldwide fame.
If that was the intention, and it clearly seems to be, I don't know if we can call it a successful mission. Not only did the book sell much less than its more "underground" predecessors (a paradox in and of itself), despite the extensive media hype, the book struggled outside of the metal underground.
It seems Grand wanted to write a book for the "modern audience", but ended up alienating his own fans in the process, with very little to show for. Grand ended up distancing himself from the book, in early 2022, claiming his publisher "forced him" to address this topic through a "different" angle (source).
Well, whatever. Would I still recommend this book?
It's an interesting read to say the least. It's heavily charged, and not for everyone, but it clearly demonstrates the author has done A LOT of research into the subject, as evidenced by the countless sources and interviews.
If you want to buy RACIST METAL: Exposing the Racism and Xenophobia in Heavy Metal Music, you can do so. You will absolutely learn a few things about the more mainstream, and underground, acts of the metal scene. That said, there are better books out there (see The Heavy Metal Master Class by Emile Alquier).
Ad
> The Death Metal Bible: A Journey Through the World of Death Metal Brutality (Best Selling Book)
Return to Voice Metal News.
Tweet