Expanded Edition (original release here)

“We’re not ashamed of a little hairspray and makeup. We’ve always said it takes a real man to wear makeup.”?Bret Michaels, Poison

There was a time?not so long ago?when pomp and spandex dominated MTV and pop radio playlists. Nearly 20 years after the first edition, people can’t get enough hair metal!  The new expanded edition of American Hair Metal visually celebrates this orgy of flamboyance, androgyny, and animal magnetism, of big-haired alpha males and the beautiful women who surrounded them. Interest in hair metal is currently exploding?witness arena-level revival tours, reissue compilations, and documentaries and docudramas that revisit the excesses of the eighties and nineties.

Hundreds of striking photographs are complimented by hedonistic ephemera from bands like Poison, Cinderella, Mötley Crüe, Skid Row, and Stryper. Wild quotes from major players such as David Lee Roth, Jon Bon Jovi, Sebastian Bach, Tommy Lee, Nikki Sixx, Bret Michaels, Don Dokken, and many unsung heroes. The expanded edition includes more photos, more quotes, and a new introduction by Chip Z’Nuff (Enuff Z’Nuff) and an interview with Rik Rox (WASP, Steeler).

The Second Edition of the “definitive work on one of rock’s most important eras” (-Juxtapoz), has over 100 new pieces of artwork, hundreds of new band bios and a radically expanded discography. The first edition, which became the Sony Classics released documentary of the same name, was 328 pages; the new edition clocks in at 408 pages.

According to the Los Angeles Times, American Hardcore is the “definitive treatment of hardcore punk,” changing the way we look at punk rock. And according to Paper magazine, American Hardcore sets the record straight about the last great American subculture.”

“There are already some superlative books published on black metal… But none have documented the genre so comprehensively, with such detail.” Decibel Magazine

An epic 500+ page tome exploring the history and development of black metal from its beginnings in the early 1980s to the present day. Featuring dozens of interviews with and material from the most significant protagonists, integral bands, iconic photographers and hangers-on of the time. The book also includes a wealth of previously unpublished images.

Has Black Metal, in all its current interpretations, finally breached the mainstream with its inclusion in Goldfrapp videos, cross-globe exposure, cumulating in televised parodies?

Despite a history of association with and blatant demonstration of criminal activity, black metal has become Norway’s biggest cultural export, earning it support from the government itself.

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Contributors: Jason Atomic, Gaye Black, Mike Diana, Krent Able, Anthony Ausang, Savage Pencil, Corinne Halbert, Paul ‘Mutartis’ Boswell, Dennis Franklin, Andrew Labanaris, Laughing Indio, Rachael Gater, Nico de la Mort, Anna Piera di Silvestre, Billy Chainsaw, Carlo ‘Uranus’ Quispe, and many more.

“Black metal is the essence of Satan forged into shining steel, a gruesome axe that shines its dismal, eerie gleam in the night when no other lights shine anymore.” (Satanic Warmaster – Werwolf)

How many shades of black exist in this world? None so dark as the darkest soul of the Black Metal: A Coloring Book! Now, for yourself but definitely NOT your young minions, Black Metal: A Coloring Book is a perfect way to enjoy the pantheon of Black Metal Gods.

We introduced you to the Lords of Chaos: The Bloody Rise of the Satanic Metal Underground, co-written by Michael Moynihan and Didrik Søderlindin in 1997. About which, Rolling Stone said, “Lords of Chaos provides a comprehensive look at this particular subculture and the unpleasantness left in its wake.”  We followed up with Dayal Patterson’s seminal, Black Metal: Evolution of the Cult and the upcoming Blood, Fire, Death: The Swedish Metal Story.

Black Metal: A Coloring Book will disturb and entertain you.

 

 

In the early 1990s, Swedish musicians revolutionized the international music scene with their groundbreaking interpretations of what Metal music could be. Suddenly, the mild-mannered Scandinavian country found itself at the forefront of a new movement with worldwide impact thanks to bands such as Entombed, Dismember, and At the Gates. The birth of black metal drove the culture to even greater extremes, featuring a rawer, darker sound and non-ironic death-worship. Soon churches in both Norway and Sweden were aflame, and before long Satanism emerged as more than just an image. But how did it all start? Why did Sweden become a hotbed for such aggressive, nihilistic music? And who are the people and bands that brought it all about?

Blood, Fire, Death: A Swedish Metal Story recounts the evolution of the genre from the massive amplifier walls of 1970s rock, through the church-burning Satanic 1990s, to the diverse and paradoxical manifestations of the scene today. This book focuses on the phenomena that have propelled the scene forward in an evolution that has not only been musical, but aesthetic and ideological as well. This book is a story about grotesque logos and icons that invoke death and darkness, but also a story of dedication, friendship, community, and profound love for music.

Author Ika Johannesson says, “This is not the definitive history of Swedish metal. Instead, we’ve focused on bands, individuals, and phenomena which to various extents have propelled the scene forward.”

***Other books in the Extreme Metal Series***
  

“Blood of Gods lifted the veil and showed that wine—even really good wine—needn’t be taken quite so seriously and has united artists, winemakers and musicians.”
— Wine Enthusiast Magazine

Decant the darkness. Raise your glass to the riff.

Blood of Gods is a revelatory collision of two worlds often misunderstood and rarely combined: heavy metal and wine. What began as a zine has grown into a full-bodied tribute to the power, precision, and passion that both headbangers and winemakers pour into their craft.

Launched in 2020 by Stacy Buchanan as a biannual print magazine, Blood of Gods has evolved into a bold, art-forward volume that brings together original essays, interviews, wine picks, and artwork from the most fearless voices in both scenes. This collection unites metal lifers and wine obsessives to celebrate intensity, ritual, and creative defiance.

From metal icons like Dani Filth, Satyr, Maynard James Keenan, and Greg Anderson (Sunn O))) to maverick sommeliers, winemakers, and wine thinkers including Bree Stock, Marie Cheslik, Charles Smith, and Justin Moore, this book distills the raw, the refined, and the radically honest.

Lavishly illustrated with full-color works by artists such as Josh Bayer, Ed Luce, and Dan Zettwoch, Blood of Gods demolishes elitism and gatekeeping—whether on the stage or in the cellar. It’s a tribute to those who drink with conviction and listen with volume.

Stacy Buchanan is the founder of Blood of Gods, the cult biannual publication that explores the unlikely intersection of heavy metal and wine. Based in Walla Walla, Washington, Buchanan is also the force behind The Annual Merrymaking, a festival of wine, art, and music that draws industry pros and metalheads alike. Known for his ability to connect worlds and communities, he has earned spots on Wine Enthusiast’s “Future 40” and Imbibe’s “Imbibe 75” lists, with accolades from Decibel, Somm Journal, SIP, and others. As Terroir’s Paul Grieco put it, “This is the crowd and demographic the wine industry is jonesing for.” From Seattle to New Zealand, Buchanan’s mission to unite wine and metal is just getting started.

 

From the Archies to Britney Spears, bubblegum music has excited every generation of music lovers. Featuring interviews with many of the genre’s major creators, this ambitious anthology dismantles the worst myths about how bubblegum is produced and identifies the gum tendencies of artists as various as the Sex Pistols, Abba, the Monkees, and the Ramones. The book reveals the light and dark sides of the music, telling bitter tales of litigious back-stabbing, pistol-wielding producers, and the perversities behind the jingles.

“Scram Magazine’s Cooper and Smay transform the previously unheralded contributions of bubblegum music, that disposable, danceable music aimed at the preteen set, into a scintillating blend of informative essay, fanzine fanaticism, and irreverent kitsch…. No mere dry encyclopedia, this zingy tome brims to capacity with opinion and attitude…. Littered with black & white photos of stars, LPs, picture discs, teen magazines, dolls, lunchboxes and even cereal box records, this crisply written book is a genuine, must-have pop culture document for both the nostalgic and those who come to scoff.
— Goldmine

“Written with the right balance of affection and cheek, this is an entertaining look at campy art.”
— Mojo

“(T)his wonderfully quirky title leaves no stone unturned in its coverage of bubblegum music…. this quirky and entertaining book is recommended.”
— Library Journal

Cold Glitter: The Untold Story of Canadian Glam uncovers a forgotten yet fascinating chapter on glam rock music and culture…from Canada.

Multi-disciplinary artist Robert Dayton taps his Canadian roots to reveal mind-blowing stories of musicians fighting to be heard. It’s a universal story of determined creators striving to make their voices heard. Dayton has spent years researching and interviewing these ground-breaking musicians trapped by geography, colonial mindsets, and the difficulties of penetrating the cultural behemoth that is the United States.

There’s no denying that glam rock was marginalized in Canada. In fact, RCA almost didn’t release the 1973 Bowie-produced Lou Reed album “Transformer” in Canada because they didn’t see a market for it. Of course, they were wrong! Cold Glitter gets at the reasons why: nature vs. artifice, old world values vs. new freedoms, and how transgressive actions—including gender play, as well as intense stories from these top acts on how they were run out of town for appearing outrageous.

Filled with stories from musicians about what they did to build a career and fight against the old guard controlling the airwaves and stages. Readers everywhere will find solidarity with the all-too-familiar story of artists who were attacked for appearing outrageous and daring to be different. Within the struggle to be fabulous are anecdotes of fun and mayhem. Readers will be taken back to the seventies as they meet the unknown and infamous musicians and artists who dared to be glamorous. Familiar names like magician Doug Henning, Vancouver band Sweeney Todd and their lead singer Nick Gilder, and his replacement, Bryan Adams, to underground heroes like The Dishes, to hundreds of musicians who put away their mascara and left their glamorous wild days behind.

Cold Glitter is filled with rare (and sometimes outrageous) images throughout and additional chapters on glam fashion, film, and comedy in Canada. You’ll be amazed to discover how many of their favorite artists were and are secretly Canadian.

Famous for its revolutionary aspects in musical, political, sexual identity and consumerist ideas, punk rock also has its lesser-known gangster ethos as well, explained here by players in the various punk gangs in Los Angeles, Orange County, and South Bay.

Some blue collar kids, responding to the violence and aggression of punk songs, formed punk gangs that got into beatings, drug dealing and murder. No gang was more notorious than La Mirada Punks, or LMP. Says LMP chieftain Frank the Shank after getting arrested by police for murder: “After having my hands in so much bloodshed over the years, I most certainly had it coming. I deserved whatever I got.”

Unexpectedly Frank was bailed out from prison by his father’s friend, a mob gangster. “Too many people died at the hands of punk rock violence,” said Frank. “I got lucky, some didn’t. The gangs ruined punk rock. I still have people telling me today that they quit punk because of LMP. I dig graves at a small cemetery just outside Los Angeles. What else would you expect for Frank the Shank?”

Kudos
“Disco’s Out Murder’s In! is one of my favorite books of all time. I devoured it—An absolute page-turner. It’s an exciting and visceral account of the LA suburbs in the 80’s and an anti-coming of age story. It felt like I was right there. This book is so fucking punk – READ IT!” — Terry Richardson, Photographer/Director

“If you’ve never been in the jungle, a story about a tiger is just a story. Yes, you may shiver… but to you, it’s still just a story, an exciting escape from your every day life. But not to me … It’s real, it’s frightening, and the savagery of that world haunts you forever. I was afraid when I read this book. I caught my fingers tracing over old scars as I turned the pages, and I knew it was real. You can tell yourself that people like this don’t exist, but they do, and they would be pleased to meet you in the dark night of a hardcore boulevard.” — Jack Grisham, Author/Singer TSOL

Click the photo to hear an exclusive playlist created for the book!

“All bands have a lifespan and die Kreuzen were lucky to have burned so brightly during their tenure.” Steve Albini 

 Before Nirvana broke, before metal crossed into hardcore, there was Die Kreuzen.

 In the industrial shadows of early-’80s Milwaukee, a band emerged from the wreckage of Midwest punk and Rust Belt disaffection with a sound that was as brutal as it was visionary. Die Kreuzen didn’t just blur genre lines—they detonated them, fusing blistering hardcore with metallic urgency and whispers of 4AD melodic noise to forge a blueprint that countless others would follow.

Were they punk? Metal? Something else entirely? Die Kreuzen’s self-titled LP became a defining document of American hardcore. But rather than stand still, the band evolved—each album more experimental, more unpredictable, more uncompromising than the last. They toured relentlessly, made little money, and called it quits before most mainstream critics could even categorize them. And yet, their legacy only grew.

For the first time, Don’t Say Please: The Oral History of die Kreuzen tells the band’s story from the inside—through the voices of members Keith Brammer, Brian Egeness, Dan Kubinski, and Erik Tunison, as well as the musicians, producers, and friends who were shaped by their sound.

Featuring rare photos, artwork, and firsthand accounts, the book includes reflections from influential artists like Thurston Moore, Steve Albini, Neko Case, Butch Vig, and Lou Barlow, who lay bare the band’s lasting impact on underground and alternative music.

Sahan Jayasuriya is a Milwaukee-based music writer and musician whose obsessive love of underground music was forged in the fires of ‘90s alt radio, Dischord releases, and dusty bins at independent record stores. A veteran contributor to Shepherd Express and Milwaukee Magazine, Jayasuriya has spent over a decade researching Die Kreuzen’s history—interviewing the band, scouring archives, and unearthing lost ephemera.