Okay, it’s time to get back to what I love above all else: music. Today, I’m reviewing For the Sake of Heaviness by Brian Slagal, a look at how he built his passion for heavy metal into a record company.
Title: For the Sake of Heaviness: The History of Metal Blade Records
Series N/A
Author(s): Brian Slagel (Author), Mark Eglinton (Author), Lars Ulrich (Author, Foreword)
Genre: Memoir, Autobiography, Non-Fiction, Rock ‘n’ Roll
Length: 192 pages
Release Date: August 29, 2017
Blurb: The story of Metal Blade Records is the story of Brian Slagel, a metal-obsessed Southern California kid who launched a fanzine and landed a record store job before cobbling together what he assumed would be a one-off compilation of fledgling bands from the L.A. scene. Released in 1982, the Metal Massacre LP included the debut recordings of local groups such as Steeler, Malice, Ratt, and Metallica. In the wake of the album’s unexpected success, Slagel virtually stumbled into creating a proper record label, issuing the first releases by Bitch, Armored Saint, and Slayer the following year.
For The Sake Of Heaviness is an inside look at how Brian built Metal Blade from a one-man operation in his mom’s non-air-conditioned garage to the preeminent international home of heavy music that it is today. He shares his insights into signing and working with Amon Amarth, Anvil, As I Lay Dying, Behemoth, The Black Dahlia Murder, Cannibal Corpse, Cirith Ungol, Corrosion of Conformity, D.R.I., Fates Warning, Flotsam and Jetsam, Gwar, King Diamond, King’s X, Lizzy Borden, Manowar, Mercyful Fate, Overkill, Raven, Sacred Reich, Six Feet Under, Trouble, Unearth, Voivod, Whitechapel, and others.
Always hard at work on a diverse range of projects, Brian reveals the early advice he gave that helped guide Mötley Crüe’s career; how he helped Metallica replace their bassist-twice; his detailed work on Thin Lizzy and Alice Cooper reissues; his behind-the-scenes role in the careers of Mother Love Bone, Alice in Chains, Faith No More, Goo Goo Dolls, and Lamb of God; and his unlikely ventures with kindred metal heads-from hockey star Ken Baumgartner, to celebrity chef Chris Santos, to The Howard Stern Show’s Richard Christy, to comedians Jim Florentine, Don Jamieson and Jim Breuer.
Throughout For The Sake Of Heaviness, Brian steps aside to present first-person insights and extended guest interviews featuring friends, colleagues, Metal Blade staffers, and a long list of artists, including Metallica’s James Hetfield, Slayer’s Kerry King, King Diamond, and many more.
Brian highlights the ins and outs of his 35 year metal odyssey, from promoting small shows in California’s San Fernando Valley in the early days, to forging a major partnership with Warner Bros. Records; from weathering the Parents Music Resource Center’s attempts to regulate lyrical content, to squaring off with Time Warner over Gwar’s envelope-pushing themes; from nearly going bankrupt after underestimating the impact of the rise of CDs, to surviving and thriving in today’s rapidly changing music business environment.
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I love my music memoirs, biographies, and autobiographies. It doesn’t matter if it’s a rock star, a manager, a producer, a groupie, or the owner of a record label. And that’s what this book is about. Brian Slagal started out as a heavy metal superfan and simply wanted to share the love with others, and this drove him to create his own record label, Metal Blade.
First, if you’re expecting this to be a tell-all about the bands on the author’s label, forget it. Yes, there are interviews, but that’s it. This is all about the author and what drove him to become part of the music industry, which I loved.
There is nothing better than a behind-the-scenes peek into an industry I love, since I’m such a heavy metal nerd. And the author delivers. He shares about his upbringing, starting a fanzine, and eventually moving into recording and creating Metal Blade.
The author uses an easy style of writing, as if he’s sitting on a stool talking to an audience about his life in metal. And as I said previously, he also shares interviews, not only with the bands on his label, but also with other industry insiders and comedians. Some even provide inserts, adding their own narrative to the book.
I loved hearing about the behind-the-scenes happenings. The author takes us through his decades in the industry, changing from records to streaming and how he navigated these challenges.
If you enjoy music memoirs, you’ll enjoy this one. I recommend you give it a read. The author’s a great guy and still fan-boying over his fave bands.
Maggie Blackbird 