Ultimate Heavy Metal Guitars: The Guitarists Who Rocked the World

I will start with the design, because after all, sometimes we can’t help but “judge a book by its cover”, and this is a great book for metal guitar enthusiasts, and the cover resembles a classic guitar case. The edges of the cover resemble the metal reinforcements on the very best guitar cases. And the author’s name on the cover (Pete Brown) appears to be printed on label tape. Nice!A tag line for this book, “Ultimate Heavy Metal Guitars” is “the guitarists who rocked the world. This is one impressive compendium of the the greats throughout the heavy metal eras. Like those eras, there are the die-hards that will have want to challenge some of the choices, and some who did NOT make “the cut”. I’m lucky, I think, because I lived as a fan through most of these metal decades, and I find ZERO fault with Brown’s selections. In fact, I am most impressed with some of the choices that made that cut, who often are left out of other metal guitar hero lists, e.g.: Donald “Buck Dharma” Roeser, genius 6-string slinger for (often underrated) thinking man’s metal band, Blue Oyster Cult.I admit I have read many of Pete Brown’s articles for numerous guitar trade publications. He “knows his stuff” but nothing feels like a fanatic writing about his heroes. I love the flow of this book, starting with the progenitors of the metal sound (Clapton, Beck, Hendrix, and Townsend), his defense of Jimmy Page (because many swear he is NOT metal), the insider stories (most often told by the guitar gods themselves), guitarists sharing details on the equipment they use, and who inspired them.This MAY be the fastest I have ever read a book through guitar case cover to cover out of pure excitement about the writing, and the content (insider’s look at what makes the guitar gods “tick”). This just happens to be a very well-read and -researched book about a topic I enjoy exploring, and this tome is a perfect “coffee table book” for musical afficianados and just PURE fans like myself.

I have been loving and playing electric guitar since the 1980's. I don't consider myself a metal guy per se, but when I looked at the picture of the table contents I realized this book isn't really all about super heavy metal. It really goes back to the roots of metal and covers a lot of what I'd consider classic and hard rock, as well as shred style and similar stuff. And yes, a good bit of metal. I gave it a chance, and I'm very glad I did.The format of the books breaks things up into chapters focusing on movements and eras. Each section has an intro and wrap up page, but the bulk of the pages are a 1-page description of the guitar player in question along with a dive into their gear - guitars, pedals, and amps. The player and their style gets some coverage as well, of course, but it's a nice mix of info that covers the player, the music, and the gear. Opposite the write up is a beautiful picture of the player playing.Because it does go into some detail on gear, it's probably more interesting for someone who plays guitar or at least has an interest in different models of guitars and other gear.The pictures in the book are awesome though - it's fun to read through, but also can serve as a coffee table book to just open to a random page, look through pictures, or hop around into areas of your particular interest.It would also make a really nice gift.

So overall I really like this book. If you are looking for something new to add to your metal collection this might be a good option for you. Each guitarist included gets a page of well researched information and there was plenty new stuff I learned even as a lifelong metal fan. The text is a bit on the small side so keep that in mind if you are someone who has trouble with small text.I would have liked to see more of the new generation of guitarists included and less of the guitarists who were sort of metal-adjacent. There are a ton of good metalcore guitarists these days to choose from like JB Brubaker or Dan Sugarman, etc. Matt Heafy is mentioned but doesn't get a section of his own (although I appreciate seeing Alexi Laiho get his own page). It's not a big deal and to be fair there could easily be another book dedicated to the newer generation of metal guitarists so maybe that's a better option and leave this as more of a historical piece.

The mention of "Heavy Metal" could make this book seem more "tunnel visioned" than it really is. "The Guitarists Who Rocked the World" is a much more accurate title.The book is gorgeous. Looks awesome on a coffee table or bookshelf, in a living room, (wo)man cave, or guitar room/rehearsal space. Covers all the greats as well as some of the players you might accidentally forget about now and then, as well as some names you might not be familiar with. Plus I found it interesting that the author included a list of resources in the back, so if you wanted to delve deeper into a certain subject or story, you're given the means to look it up.It's great "between-other-things" or "while you wait" reading material. For music lovers who get tired of hearing about the same 5-10 guitarists from the 60's/70's/80's, this book gives a nod to a lot of other deserving yet not as legendary players. I also find it interesting that many of the photos are from recent years, rather than the same old pics we've seen years ago.Good entertainment in a classy looking package. Fun reading for guitar enthusiasts.