Reviews
Book of the Year 2008, Decibel Magazine "Vastly entertaining"— Time Out New York "Finally, the true story of Swedish death metal! This book brought me back to the good old days"— Tomas Lindberg, At the Gates/ Grotesque/Disfear Death metal ruled my adolescent years. The problem is I don't remember half of it! This tome of dark recollections is the chance to set things straight."— Nicke Andersson, Nihilist/Entombed/The Hellacopters Read this book if you are willing to be subjected to the story behind the extreme face-melting, flesh-ripping, ear-slaying, gut-blasting phenomenon known as Swedish death metal!" —Chris Reifert, Death/Autopsy Ekeroth knows of what he writes…5 of 5 stars" —Revolver A sprawling epic of a book…basically the perfect read for extreme metal fans."— Bravewords & Bloody Knuckles, 9.5 of 10 Death Metal musician and author Ekeroth shows a true fan's dedication"—Publishers Weekly, Starred Review/Pick of the Week Daniel Ekeroth has impressively balanced a high level of raw data with a loving, subjective tone. Aspiring authors of such future volumes are advised to approach their subjects with the same care and passion." —Metal Maniacs, Book of the Year 2008, Decibel Magazine "Vastly entertaining"— Time Out New York "Finally, the true story of Swedish death metal! This book brought me back to the good old days"— Tomas Lindberg, At the Gates/ Grotesque/Disfear Death metal ruled my adolescent years. The problem is I don't remember half of it! This tome of dark recollections is the chance to set things straight."— Nicke Andersson, Nihilist/Entombed/The Hellacopters Read this book if you are willing to be subjected to the story behind the extreme face-melting, flesh-ripping, ear-slaying, gut-blasting phenomenon known as Swedish death metal!" —Chris Reifert, Death/Autopsy Ekeroth knows of what he writes…5 of 5 stars" —Revolver "An exhaustive, encyclopedic resource for the death metal connoisseur and a true labor of love from someone who was not only there but also was kind enough to document it all for those of us who wished we had been."—Pitchfork The charms of Swedish Death Metal are endless…a highly entertaining story filled with colorful characters"—PopMatters A sprawling epic of a book…basically the perfect read for extreme metal fans."— Bravewords & Bloody Knuckles, 9.5 of 10 Death Metal musician and author Ekeroth shows a true fan's dedication"—Publishers Weekly, Starred Review/Pick of the Week Daniel Ekeroth has impressively balanced a high level of raw data with a loving, subjective tone. Aspiring authors of such future volumes are advised to approach their subjects with the same care and passion." —Metal Maniacs, Book of the Year 2008, Decibel Magazine "Vastly entertaining"-- Time Out New York "Finally, the true story of Swedish death metal! This book brought me back to the good old days"-- Tomas Lindberg, At the Gates/ Grotesque/Disfear "Death metal ruled my adolescent years. The problem is I don't remember half of it! This tome of dark recollections is the chance to set things straight."-- Nicke Andersson, Nihilist/Entombed/The Hellacopters "Read this book if you are willing to be subjected to the story behind the extreme face-melting, flesh-ripping, ear-slaying, gut-blasting phenomenon known as Swedish death metal!" --Chris Reifert, Death/Autopsy "Ekeroth knows of what he writes...5 of 5 stars" --Revolver "An exhaustive, encyclopedic resource for the death metal connoisseur and a true labor of love from someone who was not only there but also was kind enough to document it all for those of us who wished we had been."--Pitchfork "The charms of Swedish Death Metal are endless...a highly entertaining story filled with colorful characters"--PopMatters "A sprawling epic of a book...basically the perfect read for extreme metal fans."-- Bravewords & Bloody Knuckles, 9.5 of 10 "Death Metal musician and author Ekeroth shows a true fan's dedication"--Publishers Weekly, Starred Review/Pick of the Week "Daniel Ekeroth has impressively balanced a high level of raw data with a loving, subjective tone. Aspiring authors of such future volumes are advised to approach their subjects with the same care and passion." --Metal Maniacs
Synopsis
Sweden is a remote country in the freezing northern Europe, with less than nine million inhabitants and a reputation for Volvos, hockey players, cheap furniture, vodka, and blonde women. Since the late 1980s, however, Sweden has produced over a thousand extreme heavy metal bands, creating one of the most respected regional music scenes in the world. This is the improbable history of how a marginalized teen movement crawled from Sweden's small towns and suburbs, and found a lasting place onthe world stage. Daniel Ekeroth captures the epic tale with enlightening detail, beginning with Sweden's violent loss of innocence in the 1980s, through the metal's virtual chokehold on the country during the 1990s into the lasting legacy and influence in the turbulent 2000s of the Sunlight guitar tone, the "Gothenburg Sound," and the countless offshoots of Sweden's most lethal cultural export. This ultimate blow-by-blow account of Sweden's legendary death metal underground is based on exclusive interviews with members of Nihilist/ Entombed, In Flames, At the Gates, Dismember, Grave, Hypocrisy, Opeth, Unleashed, Marduk, Morbid, Mob 47, Deranged, Edge of Sanity, Merciless, Therion, Liers in Wait, Carnage, Carcass, Tiamat/Treblinka, Afflicted, Repugnant, and the Haunted., Sweden is a remote country in the freezing northern Europe, with less than nine million inhabitants and a reputation for Volvos, hockey players, cheap furniture, vodka, and blonde women. Since the late 1980s, however, Sweden has produced over a thousand extreme heavy metal bands, creating one of the most respected regional music scenes in the world. This is the improbable history of how a marginalized teen movement crawled from Sweden's small towns and suburbs, and found a lasting place on the world stage. Daniel Ekeroth captures the epic tale with enlightening detail, beginning with Sweden's violent loss of innocence in the 1980s, through the metal's virtual chokehold on the country during the 1990s into the lasting legacy and influence in the turbulent 2000s of the Sunlight guitar tone, the "Gothenburg Sound," and the countless offshoots of Sweden's most lethal cultural export. This ultimate blow-by-blow account of Sweden's legendary death metal underground is based on exclusive interviews with members of Nihilist/ Entombed, In Flames, At the Gates, Dismember, Grave, Hypocrisy, Opeth, Unleashed, Marduk, Morbid, Mob 47, Deranged, Edge of Sanity, Merciless, Therion, Liers in Wait, Carnage, Carcass, Tiamat/Treblinka, Afflicted, Repugnant, and the Haunted., Sweden is a remote country in the freezing northern Europe, with less than nine million inhabitants and a reputation for Volvos, hockey players, cheap furniture, vodka, and blonde women. Since the late 1980s, however, Sweden has produced over a thousand extreme heavy metal bands, creating one of the most respected regional music scenes in the world. This is the improbable history of how a marginalized teen movement crawled from Sweden's small towns and suburbs, and found a lasting place on the world stage. Daniel Ekeroth captures the epic tale with enlightening detail, beginning with Sweden's violent loss of innocence in the 1980s, through the metal's virtual chokehold on the country during the 1990s into the lasting legacy and influence in the turbulent 2000s of the Sunlight guitar tone, the "Gothenburg Sound," and the countless offshoots of Sweden's most lethal cultural export. This ultimate blow-by-blow account of Sweden s legendary death metal underground is based on exclusive interviews with members of Nihilist/ Entombed, In Flames, At the Gates, Dismember, Grave, Hypocrisy, Opeth, Unleashed, Marduk, Morbid, Mob 47, Deranged, Edge of Sanity, Merciless, Therion, Liers in Wait, Carnage, Carcass, Tiamat/Treblinka, Afflicted, Repugnant, and the Haunted."
