Rating: 
Summary: kaleidoscopic survey of black metal +its offshoots & critics
Review: The book presented a compendium of characters, bands, titles, musical genres, religious organizations, and political movements primarily based in Scandinavia and northern Europe, as well as their perspectives on and disagreements with each other, that were often hard keep track of or to integrate into a common story. Varg Vikernes ("Count Grishnackh") was the one thread of continuity throughout the book as many other personae in metal referred to him and he moved through his own spiritual formation, dabbling in Satanism and coming to a focus in heathen nationalism. I got interested in the book around page 150, and it really held my interest for about 100 pages. The rest of the reading was tiresome, interviews sometimes wandering and repetitive and the narrative disjunct. The book does cover a lot of material, and is perhaps a valuable read for that reason alone.
Two things I came away at the end feeling a lack of were a better depiction of what black metalers are angry about in the church in Norway (and elsewhere). I wanted to know exactly what they were reacting to, but apart from claims about how the church was established in Norway (by forcing conversions and supplanting Nordic religious sites), only a few clues were given. It was hard to sympathize with their rage or to get a clear picture of what they were complaining about, and the characters interviewed did not usually articulate it very well. Secondly, there was no treatment of supernatural aspects or validity of Satanism or heathen religions (Norse, Teutonic). I would have been interested to read more about this.
The interviews with Varg Vikernes (and his mother) in Ch. 8, Ihsahn (lead singer of the band Emperor), Pal Mathiesen (professed Christian, writer on theological issues), Anton LaVey (high priest of Church of Satan), and Kerry Bolton (publisher of Australian journal _The Nexus_) were highlights of the book..
Overall I gained from the book an understanding of the complex forces at work in the black metal movement, including a familiarity with other ideologies and movements related to it, such as Norse heathen nationalism (picking up on my cursory survey of Viking mythology in high school) and Nazi revivalism. I came away with perhaps a better grasp of the scope and nature of "Satanism" in the mundane sense, but no clearer concept of its supernatural validity. In fact the book seemed to conclude that although some black metalers may get in touch with the supernatural in their practice of Satanism and the occult, that in fact much of it is a "fad" and that any mature metaler will move beyond it to extreme politics or the heathen religions of his forefathers.
Rating: 
Summary: A Whole Sub-Culture!
Review: As someone who grew up listening to metal bands from the 70s (Blue Oyster Cult,Black Sabbath,etc.)I found it fascinating that these kids in Norway took the music so seriously.Although I loved the metal bands that I listened to I never even considered that they might be describing a lifestyle or worldview.The kids in Norway and Sweden,however,took it completely seriously-to the point that they created their own form of Metal to express their own point of view.I've been able to track down some of the music that was mentioned in this book and I honestly don't know how you could tell the difference between the music of,for example,Armored Saint from the late 80s and Emporer, a black metal band that figures prominently in this book.The kids in this book used metal to express their own struggles and ideology-this wasn't a case of metal causing church-fires; instead,the kids burning churches created music to express their feelings and ideas.One note to US readers-the church burnings described in this book are not related to the burning of black churches that was happening in the US in the mid 90s.This is a very interesting book. The authors bring you along as the kids in Norway burn churches and murder each other,and finally turn to fascism. This book is definitely worth 4 stars. I recommend it to anyone interested in youth subcultures.
Rating: 
Summary: Lords of Chaos
Review: Chronicles the literaly "killer" Scandinavian black metal scene. Fascinating look at the events that unfolded, where bands that were making brilliant music, were also burning down churches and comitting murders. And you thought Madonna and Bono took themselves too seriously!Also includes some great essays on the wild hunt from euro folklore. Moynihan has this theory that Odinist Black Metal was a form of atavistic ancestral memory of the wild hunt manifesting itself, or something along those lines. People that don't know any better would think of Lords of Chaos as a book about the black metal scene, or a true crime book, but I think it has much to offer anyone interested in Odinism and Scandinavian lore too.
Rating:
Summary: Great book, Not exactly a true music book though.
Review: European Black Metal- now theres an interesting subject. My fascination with this very foreign genre began when I first heard Dimmu Borgir on a local metal radio show. Before you judge let me say that I am fully aware that Dimmu is not real black metal and that I am definetally not a fan, but they did give me my first experience with the music. I did not like the music, and now after reading this book and listening to countless black metal bands, I can still say that I do not like the music. My favorite bands are Pearl Jam, Chili Peppers, Alice in Chains, Soundgarden, Nirvana, Pink Floyd, and basically anything that doest resemble anything close to black metal. Although I dont like the music and the only black metal album that I own is In the Nightside Eclipse by Emperor (not a bad album to have if you're gunna only own one black metal album) black metal certainly has the most interesting history out of any music... ever. The music is almost terrifying, and I can barely listen to a whole song before I turn off my stereo in disgust, but the history of it is too great for me to resist. Murders, church burnings, torture, grave desecrations, all of the true evil is too much for me to resist. Its like everything you read in horror stories and dont think that its real and couldnt happen, well it certainly did happen, in a place called Norway. All my stoner, Sublime listening to friends thought the book was rediculous, but when I showed them page 61 with Dead lying on the floor with his brains hanging out they couldnt put the book down either. The downside to this book is all the information on white supremicy, nazism, racism, UFO's, and fukked up black metal philosphy. That stuff doesnt interest me at all, in fact it just pisses me off. Its times like those in the book that I wish they could just stick to the music and terrorism. But all and all even if you dont like the music (like me) this book will still capture your interist and anyone who starts it will have a hard time not finishing it.
Rating: 
Summary: Moloch's Power Chord Puppets
Review: I picked up a copy of "Lords of Chaos: The Bloody Rise of the Satanic Metal Underground" by Michael Moynihan and Didrik Soderlind, and it has been quite an intriguing read - the book mostly focuses on church arson, murder amongst their own, and the development of this counter-culture primarily in The Netherlands, spawned from the iconoclasm of Venom, Bathory, Celtic Frost, Mercyful Fate, Possessed, and Slayer. These were bands that I listened to in formative evilution, and still put them on the crackling turntable from time to time when the feeling is appropriate, for evocation and Vampriric invigorating preservation/time travel. Of particular note, and the main reason I purchased this tome, is for the interview with Dr. LaVey and Ms. Barton, in which they discuss the pretention of many of these devil-worshipping bands who are mainly not Satanists, and the precious few who actually are, like King Diamond and Acheron, to name only a couple. By now, we know that Satanism is about Strength Through Joy, Living Life to The Fullest, evolving to one's highest potential, a winner's creed, not about misery and criminality, which hampers self-preservation, and is decidedly and ironically Christian in nature. The horror genre does span the multimedia spectrum, but most of those devil-worshipper types divulge their misinformation from horror movies, books, and music lyrics, which are intended as entertainment, not to be taken fundamentally. The Satanic Bible explais what Satanism is, and the non-satanic will frequently misinterpret this essential text, and crib from the J/C bible at that. And they eventually return to their god, whom they never really left. And that is as it should be, for it is a process of stratification. The blindlight religions muck-rake the inferior away from us, as well as those who dwell within the same paradigm. Black sheep are still sheep, and have no place amongst the Black Wolves, which they have pretentiously attempted to be. We are The Church of Satan, the Source of true information.
Rating:
Summary: brillant!!!
Review: i recently read this book as a recommendation from my boyfriend,a heavy metal freak, and i must say i thought it very well put together and the interviews seemed so intense,i loved it.i know many people consider "black metal"a subdivision of heavy metal a basically juvenile,often asocial,loud ,shrill,and sexist form of aggressive rock and roll with satanic overtones, and well to generalize it thats about right. it's something interesting about how involved people get when they truly believe in something so...........amatuer. dont get me wrong im a metal head myself but some of the interviews i read were completely apalling. the murder ,the suicide,the music ,and the church burnings, a wonderful book,however not recommended for religious folks,sorry!
Rating:
Summary: What is going on in Norway?
Review: I'm not a black metal fan and can't profess to empathisizing with the genre necessarily, but I found this a pretty interesting rock book.
The maddening thing about this book is the way it jumps all over the place. It is in desperate need of better indexing and organization, because there is a lot of information.
If anything, this book should be given to people who think Norway is a nice, small, idyllic country with none of the problems of a place like the USA. Non-comformity, for some of the players in this book, led them to, er, interesting paths of intense speed-metal guitar, quasi-Satanic dabblings, church burnings, Pagan ideleogy, Nazi-glorification, jail, the afterlife, etc. The book is about what intense alienation, isolation, and a little ideology can do to some young people. Being the second edition of this book, the material also covers more recent events and the inevitable splitting of the genre into many other sub-sub-genres of metal (yes, apparently it's possible) distinguishable only to the truly dedicated.
This is a good look at how a rock 'scene' develops in another part of the world with its own demented twist. Much of the material is now the stuff of 'legend' for other bands to continue the trend of loud, very angry and very serious music. I'm not sure what drives so many people to paint their faces with corsepaint, reference Satan, burn churches, stab their friends to death, etc, etc, but perhaps the people of Norway themselves should be looking at this. I'm no expert, but I can bet the average Norwegian has either never heard of black metal, or if he/she has, regards it as some lunatic element in their society. While perhaps not entirely lunatic, I'm sure there is probably something the people of Norway can learn about their own culture and society from these events. It's probably not something they want to learn. Also fascinating is the law in Norway, which dictates a maximum of twenty-odd years in jail for murder (this isn't Texas), meaning that Count Grishnackh will have ample time to develop his 'ideology' and will likely have time (and maybe even the following) to implement it when he gets released sometime in the next decade or two (just in time to run for Norwegian parliament).
As someone wrote, this is the Norwegian equivalent of gangsta rap, where your street credibility may well ride on how many churches you've firebombed, or how many people you stabbed, or threatened, or whether or not you ever made a necklace out of pieces of your buddy's skull.
Rating: 
Summary: DON'T WASTE YOUR MONEY
Review: I'm not sure what to think. The book is filled with contradictions and misleading information. Almost everything is taken out of context and/or sensationalized. About 2/3 of this book relate to Varg Vikernes, yet the authors never contacted Varg to confirm any of their information. Only Varg's enemies are interviewed. A lot of information is simply fabricated. This book is okay for some overall insight into the BM scene, as it lets the musicians speak for themselves, but the information is usually taken out of context. They claim to be impartial, but they speculate a lot. I'll give it 2.5 stars because I thought it was a fun read, but I already knew all the facts from years of following the scene.
Don't take anything you read in this book too seriously. Look up interviews with Bord, Varg, Hendrik, etc., in your search engine. You can find great interviews with Varg @ burzum.org. That will give you more insight, and a more realistic perspective, then this book. At 400 pages, it's not really worth reading or buying. The authors purposely exaggerated just about everything, which defies the point of the book. They failed in portraying a realistic image of the Black Metal personalities, mentality, and spirit. Like I said, this book is an okay read if you know the facts and are just looking to be entertained or something.
Rating:
Summary: For Those Who Want to Ignore Heavy Metal
Review: In "Lords of Chaos", author Michael Moynihan states, "As decades passed and the business swelled, the multinational corporations who came to control it could not allow such seeds to develop into uncontrollable stalks and vines." That statement explains why heavy metal keeps getting commercialized. It may also explain why the professional rock critics also dismiss it. Despite those efforts, people seem to recognize the power in heavy metal and keep it going.
Moynihan gives a great history of heavy metal and it's evolution into the extreme forms it has taken in order to stay pure. He covers the Satanic aspects of it very well with interviews with the most important figures in underground metal and even Anton LaVey. "Lords of Chaos" is a very interesting book and is required reading for any fan of heavy metal music. It will give the fans a solid respect for the music that the media tries to downplay. The idea of black metal is very interesting. In the book "Lords of Chaos," black metal is a philosophy where the musicians practiced their antireligious beliefs by burning down churches and killing. It was like the American hardcore movement of the early '80's where the whole scene relied on an underground network, but more militant and radical.
While there is no difference between wearing a shaved head with a chain wallet and wearing corpse paint make-up with bullet belts, there is a difference between living in reality and living in a fantasy world. Hardcore seemed to live in the real world, where black metal lives in a fantasy world. The hardcore scene was able to draw a line between radical thoughts and radical actions. What "Lords of Chaos" mainly demonstrates is heavy metal's impact on popular culture. While critics may dismiss heavy metal as teenage machismo, this book demonstrates that its main purpose has been to demolish Christianity. No other current pop culture music has challenged religion more than heavy metal. It's been a much more powerful force than any other form of rock 'n roll.
Some people believe that the hippie music of the '60's changed the world with the "peace and love" and antiwar messages. The left wing agenda is still being pushed in pop music today in commercialized and socially acceptable forms. But, judging by the current state of America, those ideas have failed.
Heavy metal is fighting a much deeper cancer in our culture: religion. The effects are taking much longer to unfold than the ideas propelled in the '60's. The anger the artists channel into their music comes through loud and clear and increases more and more with each new form. It's true revolution that is more passionate and more immediate than any slow moving left wing rock. Underground heavy metal is the only form of music that is really evolving into something more than a commercial commodity.
Scandinavian black metal is floating right into the mainstream now that Dimmu Borgir will be appearing on the main stage at Ozz-fest. In the '90's, it was the most extreme music on the planet. Now, its becoming a part of the American mainstream.
Driving by any construction site, one is most likely to hear radio stations that play a heavy metal format. Heavy metal seems to be the choice of the new generation of blue collar, lower class workers. These are the people who seem to take the brunt of the religious hypocrisy and social scorn society hands out. They're considered criminals, immoral, and primitive. These are the people who are most likely to revolt against the system and heavy metal music may play a role in it.
Rating:
Summary: Satanic terrorists' history book
Review: Striking book! The better points have already been overwhelmingly made here; well written, plenty of first person accounts and an unflinching search by the author to dig up information. As someone who is really interested in the Norweigen black metal scene myself (and I'm in a US black metal band as well), it was an eye opener. I couldn't get the images of these young, white teenagers out of my mind for days after I had finished the book. The pictures Moynihan has used to show how human and harmless these people look in everyday life really struck me. The authors made a very good point in showing that the average metalhead in Norway is quite a bit more intellectual than in the US. These are young people who, for the most part, have seriously thought out hard spiritual questions, which relate to their creative output. I'd say that one subject that very few people seem to have touched on, including Moynihan, is that the musical quality of black metal is quite high indeed. It is often dismissed as some artform for brainless, talentless extremists (at least here in the US), but in reality there is an enormous outpouring of talent from this part of the world. Extremely good work is being done, and the musicians are dead serious and firmly dedicated. Lords of Chaos does meander a bit in the end towards fascism and Nazism, and it came as no suprise that Moynihan's own band bears a striking resemblence to those two idealogies. While there are similar elements in black metal (might is right, strong over the weak), I have found Nazism to be not very popular at all among these bands, maybe 1%, if that. However, I do not live in Norway, so it's just my observation based on the lyrics and interviews from these bands. To present this scene, without commercializing or marginilizing it, is to be commended. Overall, the authors have captured a moment in history of a doubtlessly important cultural movement, a subculture of spreading hatred and terror. (It's no coincidence that Norway was the last of the European countries to submit to Christianity, up until 1000 AD! So their connection to strong-willed heretics is well founded.) 'thanks for a great book!'
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