Lords of Chaos: The Bloody Rise of the Satanic Metal Underground
by Michael Moynihan and Didrik Søderlind
Feral House
Well-written and highly academic. Typical Feral House/Adam Parfrey format. A non-fiction take on the cultural, political, and social implications of a music realm gone mad. Teenagers, fueled by Death Metal, lay siege to the social and religious conscience of Europe, burning churches, desecrating graves, and a host of deliberate, violent, and horrific acts, climaxing in the tale of Florida teens intent on acting out a horrific political agenda.
Death Metal is a music scene typically portrayed as enigmatic and nebulous; Moynihan and Søderlind brings it down to reality in graphic black and white. Often when exploring ideas such as Satanism, racism, and Anti-Semitism, writers have difficulty in restraining themselves from invoking high drama or personal politics. Lords of Chaos is hard and cold. They’re able to subtly infer an obvious knowledge, insight, and even passion for Death Metal while still managing to maintain their objectivity.
I was somewhat hesitant in picking up a book which might fall into a trap of adding to the notoriety of the sporadically violent media pariahs it portrays, but Moynihan and Søderlind don’t do them any favors. Feral House 2352 Lincoln Blvd. #359, Venice, CA 90291; http://www.feralhouse.com
