Mad About Rock

  The Swedish black metal band Bathory was formed in 1983 and is considered a pioneer of black metal and Viking metal. Because Bathory is such an influential and intriguing band (they never even did a proper tour, as they stopped performing live early on in their career!), Spanish metal journalist José Luis Cano Barron decided to release an unofficial but definitive biography of Bathory. The book From Hades to Valhalla... BATHORY—The Epic Story by José Luis Cano Barron was originally written in Spanish, but fortunately, thanks to Pagan Records and Monomaniax, the book has now been translated into English for the first time, so it can reach a wider audience! The book dives into the history and career of the revered band Bathory's journey from their early black metal roots to their Viking metal mastery and makes for an interesting read across its 156 pages and also features rare photographs of the creative leader of the band, Thomas Börje Forsberg who was known as Quorthon, he was th...

  Swing of the Blade follows Brian Slagel's critically acclaimed 2017 book, For the Sake of Heaviness, which offered insight into how Brian, a metal-obsessed teen at the time in California, built the revered Metal Blade Records label. Brian received requests from metal fans eager to hear more of his stories and metal wisdom, and the new book Swing Of The Blade lives up to this promise. The foreword comes from legendary guitarist Kerry King of Slayer to help demonstrate Brian's much-loved and respected reputation in metal. Metal Blade Records was the first label to sign Slayer and was crucial to Slayer's early career. The book offers fond memories of Brian looking back at his career and giving honest insight into running a music business and the realities of it, the good and bad. He is very straightforward and honest in his anecdotes which is refreshing. One of the best things about the book is reading about the start of the LA metal scene in the early 80s, which Slagel help...

  Front cover of book  Giorgio Gomelsky ‘For Your Love’ Giorgio Gomelsky 'For Your Love' is a biography written by Francis Dumaurier, a French author, actor, host/producer, musician and most importantly, a close friend of Giorgios's for over thirty years. This biography was originally published in France but has fortunately been translated into English, making it available to more music fans worldwide. For those who may not know who Giorgio Gomelsky is, he was at the forefront of the counterculture in 60s London and 70s Paris before running a studio for upcoming and avant-garde musicians in New York. He was impressively the original manager of the Rolling Stones and the Yardbirds (the band has been revered for the legendary guitarists who have contributed to the band's history including Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page. Also the book title is named after the Yardbirds first album), then managed the French supergroup Magma and developed the career of Gong. Gomelsky...

  Front cover of the book Pop Rock Icons Pop Rock Icons is a book that captures the movement and creativity of British Rock music over two decades, the 60s and 70s using iconic photos from that era and text from esteemed French music writer Philippe Margotin. The book starts with a compelling foreword from British musician and journalist David Sinclair. The book takes you on a wonderful journey into the history of British rock music, specifically focusing on the freedom and trends in the country's capital city, London. It starts and takes you through the 60s with game changers who led the musical revolution in the early 60s, which was marshalled by The Beatles and further erupted by The Rolling Stones, amongst others. Philippe has done a sublime job of collating the best and signature photographs to embody the time for musical significance, culture, and fashion. It takes you on a nostalgic trip, offers an insightful look into the spirit of that time, and demonstrates the crucial mi...

So this was a big issue for me! I got to interview Arejay from Halestorm and Barry from Shinedown, which was massive as a big fan of both bands, be sure to check out as make for great reads! Halestorm is here:   https://issuu.com/stencilmag/docs/issue37/95 Shinedown here:  https://issuu.com/stencilmag/docs/issue37/133 I reviewed a hell of a lot of albums too! See below direct links!  Deftones, Saosin, Goo Goo Dolls & Armonite -  https://issuu.com/stencilmag/docs/issue37/183 All Hail The Yeti, Magnolia, Martyr, Dead By Wednesday -  https://issuu.com/stencilmag/docs/issue37/185  My Native Spell, Actual Villians & Franklins Dealers -  https://issuu.com/stencilmag/docs/issue37/191 Kath and the Kicks -  https://issuu.com/stencilmag/docs/issue37/222 Elessar & Grand Rezerva -  https://issuu.com/stencilmag/docs/issue37/223 I also done my first ever book review of the essential guide for musicians of If It Was My Band by E...