Rating: 
Summary: What is Truth?
Review: 4 stars for the start/3 stars for the entire bookFirst of all, this book covers the band members lives before the formation of Metallica up to the release of St. Anger, and therefore is the most complete biography of the band currently in print. The book is well researched (although there are errors present) and despite not having spoken with the band directly, it does contain various interviews of people close to the band (and some of them fairly involved with the band, like John Marshall who was a roadie and filled in for James on guitar after several accidents). So it does go into a lot more depth than say a book created solely from magazine interviews would (Chris Crocker, I'm talking to you). The errors do creep in here and there, but a number of them are quotes from individuals and therefore not really the author's fault (such as Flemming Rasmussen's admission that the band was embarrassed that fans would find Trapped Under Ice to 'poppy', when I think it's clear that he meant to say Escape), although perhaps McIver should have clarified these a bit more in the teaxt. Some other mistakes are inexcusable (such that Cliff's tattoo was for Samhain, when actually it's the Misfits Crimson Ghost logo - something easily verified), but considering how much is correct, I'm not going to nit-pick. Up to the point of the Black album (and including the section on the Napster debacle towards the end - the author's opinion with which I am in total agreement with), this book is a really decent and engrossing read. What I do find a bit odd is some of the book's structure. In the early part of the book, there are tons of interviews of other bands that were on the scene at the same time as Metallica was starting out. While I do feel it's important to give context of the band's place in history and a sense of what it was like in music at that time, these sections are too long and don't really add nearly as much insight as would be expected. Also, the author's obsessive need to define and categorize different styles of metal is distracting. I guess (in a misguided way), it's his attempt to shed light on how older/earlier fans would be horrified by the growth that Metallica has displayed over their career because they no longer fit into the category of what they once were. Who cares? It's this childish need to fit a square peg into a round hole that really makes the latter half of the book come across like adolescent whining. True, Load/Reload and St. Anger are not great albums, but the author's reasoning for this is like a petulant child that's had his favourite toys taken away from him. Save the subjective opinions for the internet - and keep them out the book. And this is also why the latter part of the book fails. Discussing Metallica in the context of heavy metal works for the early part of their career, but after the Black album, Metallica have become 'sui generis' and really need to be looked at in larger terms. Their contemporaries are no longer Anthrax and Slayer etc., but U2 and REM etc. - bands with long, successful careers that have also changed shape and form since their inception, and in the process have also alienated fans of their earlier work. It's this refusal to accept Metallica in larger terms and deal with it in the book that, to me, narrows the target audience of this book to only fans of the band and of little interest to anyone outside of that circle. Metallica have had a major impact to music and the industry (not just metal), and not addressing this is a major failing of the book.
Rating: 
Summary: Finally!!
Review: Finally, someone with the guts to tell it like it really is. It's painfully obvious that the author is intimately familiar with Metallica. After reading some of the negative reviews about this treasure, all I can do is laugh at their sheep-like attitude as this is THE Metallica book. Anyone who has actually followed Metallica since their early thrash days WILL love this book! It's quite accurate, factually and as a fan of thrash I particularly enjoyed the interviews with Metallica's peers and others in the music business. This book has it all. Joel's descriptions of the songs are written with surgical accuracy. Joel is the 1st writer with the balls to say what every true old school Metallica fan has been thinking since MOP/AJFA. All Metallica fans (except the worshipping sheep) NEED this book, period. Thanks for such a treasure Mr. McIver. Trust me, those who know...know! ;-)
Rating:
Summary: Best rock book ever written!
Review: Hell, when I read the last guy's review my sides near split!! Whats he mean by "He is one of these people that think bands should keep turning out the same style of music for their entire careers instead of evolving and avoiding normality", metallica have been a lame ass rock band since 91 and everybody with ears knows that. This book is the first ever which tells the truth, just like it says in the title! All metal fans, read this book, there ain't no other one ever written which is as honest or as brave.
Rating:
Summary: Best rock book ever written!
Review: Hell, when I read the last guy's review my sides near split!! Whats he mean by "He is one of these people that think bands should keep turning out the same style of music for their entire careers instead of evolving and avoiding normality", metallica have been a lame ass rock band since 91 and everybody with ears knows that. This book is the first ever which tells the truth, just like it says in the title! All metal fans, read this book, there ain't no other one ever written which is as honest or as brave.
Rating: 
Summary: Weed through the crap and its pretty good.......
Review: I guess thats not the point of reading a book, that is, you shouldn't have to chop through all the crap just to get to the good stuff in a book, but quite often you do have to do this with this book. But if you're looking for cool photos, lots of background and a comprehensive look at everything from how they came about right up to the present day beast, then check out this book........... I enjoyed the pictures, and the information (especially pre-stardom information) presented here. Its pretty thorough and about as accurate as you can get without interviewing the Metallica members themselves.
-However, the story can get off on a tangent quite easily in the first half of the book. McIver, (the author) at times tends to spew off for pages about other bands that were around at the time and sort of size them up to Metallica. While knowing the information about what was going on in the music world at the particular time the book was covering is important, this tends to get over-loaded and run astray for too long. By the time you're at the end of these "spurts", you can sometimes forget the whole subject you were on before. On the other hand, the second half of the book is much more focused and concentrated. McIver's concentration on the topic at hand is much better. Furthermore, his description of songs, how they sound, their strengths, and certain musical distinctions in them, I found to be 99% of the time dead on! This tremendously helped this publication. There is definately a sense of, "yeah, thats exactly how I would have described it." if you know what he's talking about any at all. Like I said, the book isn't all bad, its a wealth of information on the music scene surrounding Metallica at any given time in their career. It gives them credit when deserved and interesting little tid-bits into the personalities of each member of the band. Everything is covered here, everything from James' dilemna over whether or not he should just sing, or play ryhthm guitar and sing, to Cliff's ridiculously AWESOME bass playing, to James' "pyrotechnics incident which sent him to the hospital, to the Napster lawsuit. Details are not spared! (Especially when he quoted Jason as to saying how "James' skin was bubbling off his arm" after the pyro accident! YEAH!) Also, it shows the influence from the other "pre-members" if you will (ie. Dave Mustaine, Ron McGovney, and others), and how they helped to shape the band before they were a total out of control force. Overall, I'd give it a good solid 4. Once you weed out all the jumble that is the first quarter to half of the book, its really kind of even exciting to read it! If you're a Met-Maniac like myself, you've got to have this! If you're new to the band (although I can't imagine that) this is a good place to start to catch up on the last 20 YEARS you've missed! So what are you waiting for fool! READ THIS MUTHA or I'll have to stomp your face! Sad But True!
Rating:
Summary: Best Metallica book on the planet!
Review: The scale of this book is what still amazes me and I've read it three times now. The author's opinions are strong, as the guys below state, but they're totally backed up with explanations as to why he feels this way. I for one can accept his reasoning. After all, some of Metallica's recent music isn't that great. I say any metal fan will love this book.
Rating: 
Summary: Waste of time for Metallica fans
Review: There is really no new information in this book and that die-hard Metallica fan didn't already know. It's pretty obvious that the author is a "heavy-metal" fan and not a "music" fan. The second half of the book mainly dedicated to ripping not only Load, Reload, and St. Anger but also the Black Album and even parts of ...And Justice for All! He is one of these people that think bands should keep turning out the same style of music for their entire careers instead of evolving and avoiding normality. And he credits all of the band's early success to Cliff Burton, which does has some merit musically speaking in that he influenced the rest of the band, but it was Lars' drive and James' persona and stage presence which sold them.
Plus the sidebars of information about "thrash" metal bands is a bit tedious. Metallica never said they were a heavy metal band they've always said they play what they think is good. It would've been more engrossing to hear the author interview other bands and musicians out the realm of heavy metal and get their take on Metallica instead of the narrowminded approach incorporated by this author.
Rating:
Summary: Waste of time for Metallica fans
Review: There is really no new information in this book and that die-hard Metallica fan didn't already know. It's pretty obvious that the author is a "heavy-metal" fan and not a "music" fan. The second half of the book mainly dedicated to ripping not only Load, Reload, and St. Anger but also the Black Album and even parts of ...And Justice for All! He is one of these people that think bands should keep turning out the same style of music for their entire careers instead of evolving and avoiding normality. And he credits all of the band's early success to Cliff Burton, which does has some merit musically speaking in that he influenced the rest of the band, but it was Lars' drive and James' persona and stage presence which sold them.
Plus the sidebars of information about "thrash" metal bands is a bit tedious. Metallica never said they were a heavy metal band they've always said they play what they think is good. It would've been more engrossing to hear the author interview other bands and musicians out the realm of heavy metal and get their take on Metallica instead of the narrowminded approach incorporated by this author.
Rating: 
Summary: Bait and Switch
Review: This book is utter crap from the standpoint of a biogrpahy. In a bio I might learn about what makes some of the subject matter tick. We never even really delve into their personal lives, witht he exception of the already printed upbringings. This is a nerd fan analysis of every album, song, tour and the Thrash metal movement ( i use that term because honestly most of the movement was sheeit.) I cant belive this guy is a published author when he cribs most of his work from Kerrang and Hit Parader. To be hoenst I want my money back.
Rating:
Summary: the complete metallica story
Review: this book was written by a real fan of metallica who tells it like it is he thinks most of the new stuff sucks but explains why he thinks they havent sold out they have just grown old and evolved this book has lots of rare pictures of old metallica and is worth buying for the large section on cliff burton with painstaking research on how they started and tons of hilarious storys never told before metallica may be old farts now but they forever changed rock music and no current metal band comes close to the complexity of metallicas old stuff if you want to know the full story and learn more about the amazing cliff burton buy this book it tells u about the entire early thrash metal scene and how metallica rose to the top of it
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