Book Reviews

John Robb – The Art of Darkness: The History of Goth

John Robb – The Art of Darkness: The History of Goth
Louder Than War Books
Release Date: 24/03/23
Review by Rick Eaglestone
6/10

Eight years in the making, author and musician John Robb explores the floorshow through smoke machines and snakebite in hand to present his new book – The Art of Darkness: The History of Goth.

Now before I begin I would like to add that what I am reviewing isn’t the final version of the book as there are still a few bats in the belfry to work on, but at this point that I will mention that at over 600 pages with photos from Mick Mercer, I am already looking forward to exploring this further and yes, I am already feeling Nostalgic as a lot of my twenties and thirties were spent with drum machines ringing through my ears (usually through Oldgoth’s famous phone headset).

The Art of Darkness revisits the early days of the smoky pulsating labyrinths where Bauhaus and The Sisters of Mercy provided new dark beats and although the book also delves into history and the literary world of music through the decades, it’s interweaving is very much at the books core and for me personally it was great seeing some of the contributions and acknowledgments BUT as the book started to conclude and came back to modern day – mentioning the Netflix show “Wednesday” and the like – there didn’t seem to be a mention of how the scene looks today with festivals such as Wave-Gotik-Treffen and M’era Luna still being very prominent.

The sticky floors of 90’s Slimelight, Whitby Goth Weekend and Rosetta Stone all seem to be have been omitted and yes, I absolutely have my own personal reasons for wanting to see their inclusion and I absolutely understand that this a look back through time and a lot has happened in over four decades but I can’t help but feel inclusions like this would not only be have warranted but would’ve also made me enjoy the book more, but there is no denying it is an impressive body of work nonetheless.

“The Art Of Darkness. The History Of Goth” is OUT NOW via Louder Than War Books. Order your copy at https://linktr.ee/artofdarkness

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Disclaimer: This review is solely the property of Rick Eaglestone and Ever Metal. It is strictly forbidden to copy any part of this review, unless you have the strict permission of both parties. Failure to adhere to this will be treated as plagiarism and will be reported to the relevant authorities.

Jessie May – Money Hacks for Metalheads and New Millennials: The Revised and Expanded Second Edition

Jessie May – Money Hacks for Metalheads and New Millennials: The Revised and Expanded Second Edition
Self-Published
Release Date: 02/12/22
Review by Rick Eaglestone
6/10

After many years as a musician and blogger, author Jessie May put together her money hacks book back in 2020. Two years on the revised and expanded version goes even more in depth and investigates the world of savings and reflects her and her husband’s life as parents and the juggle of family life alongside being in the band Turkey Vulture.

This felt like a book of two sides, Side A – not a conventional personal finance book by any means (and to be fair it doesn’t profess to be). The advice given in the first part is not only practical but provides easy steps to implement, such as keeping an eye on your credit score and cashback bank accounts.

Side B was where the book focused more on the music side, with some great relatable anecdotes alongside discussing budgeting for gigs/festivals, things for bands to consider such as PR/Labels, tour budgets, use of sites such a Kickstarter, Patreon & Indiegogo – one point with this was one simple piece of advice that really amused was “Don’t do a Wintersun”

Also included in the part were the interview segments with musicians such as FOH Engineer and Drummer Jeramie King – who has worked with artists such as Sepultura, Venom INC & Death Angel, I found these parts particularly interesting

Overall, the book was a great, concise, almost pocket guide to providing money hacks for both metalheads & new millennials alike.

Plugging through savings, one riff at a time.

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Jordan Blum – Opeth: Every Album, Every Song

Jordan Blum – Opeth: Every Album, Every Song
Release Date: 29/04/22
Book Review by Emma Torkington
8/10

If you are not familiar with Opeth have you been living in a cave for the last 30 years? This band has been the influence of many bands that we love today. And now, thanks to the writing and compiling skills of Jordan Blum, we can enjoy their music in a new way.

Opeth: Every Album Every Song gives a beautiful insight to more than just the music this renowned band has created. It offers a detailed look into every twist and turn, every band change, and every possible thought.

I have to admit that, while I know Opeth and like a few of their tracks, through reading this book I got to know the band so much more. I didn’t know that much about the line up, and the changes, but this book gave me that insight, and makes listening to their back catalogue even more interesting.

This book breaks down each album and gives you an in depth look at how the band changed and formed their unique sound over the years. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who loves Opeth, or in fact anyone who is interested in how a band can withstand the tests of time.

The book is available to buy now from all good bookstores!

OPETH LINKS:

Disclaimer: This review is solely the property of Emma Torkington and Ever Metal. It is strictly forbidden to copy any part of this review, unless you have the strict permission of both parties. Failure to adhere to this will be treated as plagiarism and will be reported to the relevant authorities.

Ashley Worhol – Perception

Ashley Worhol – Perception
Published by Bookbaby
Release Date: 21/12/2017
9/10

“What if you could view the world from someone else’s eyes…. wouldn’t you be curious?”

This is the question that is asked on the cover of Ashley Worhol’s new collection of poetry, an interactive hybrid poem and photography book titled “Perception.”

But, first let me tell you a bit about the author.

Ashley Worhol is a composer/vocalist/producer/instructor and pianist from Houston, Texas, who has a degree in music composition from the University of St Thomas and is a classically trained soprano opera singer. She is also the lead vocalist and composer with the band Worhol, which she formed in 2012 with her father, Larry, when they decided they wanted to follow their dream together as a team. With a classical background from both parties, Worhol’s music can best be described as symphonic and theatrical.

Perception is the author’s perspective of this world we live in and through the words and the pictures, the reader is invited into her world, while at the same time, trying to conjure up their own from what they see and read.

Everybody has their own perception, or view, of everything that happens in life, and the author states herself in the opening notes to the book that she wants the reader to “free your minds as you read each word and indulge your curiosity. Allow your mind to wander and perceive each poem as your own interpretation.”

The cover image is, in my opinion, very strong and sends out the message that people only know of us what we choose to show. Do we show the innocent side, while hiding the dark or do we portray ourselves in a bad way to stop the good from being hurt? There are two sides to everyone, but people perceive us only by the information we give to them.

The poems are full of emotion right from the very beginning and appear to tell the story of a young girl’s journey through life, and the changes she experiences both emotionally and physically.

The reader is made to feel a whole host of emotions from sadness and hopelessness to anger as they travel through the book, before the girl appears to find happiness. She has finally found a place of peace and contentment and she now knows what she should be doing with her life.

The girl, whether that be Ashley, herself, or just the fictional character from a book, is baring her soul for the reader to see, maybe to tell the reader that what they go through is not necessarily all bad and that it can lead to good, or maybe just to express how she is inwardly feeling, but in doing so, she is also inviting the reader to open up theirs, and make up their own minds about the words in the poems.

The book itself is beautifully set out. I only received a digital copy, but I can image the pages being of very good quality, bound sturdily together, and the cover a hard back. The imagery used, and the photographs / illustrations are simply stunning, while the fonts used for the writing reflect the theme of each poem.

Despite studying English Literature to a high level, one thing I could never get my head round properly was poetry. This book has really turned that all on its head and I hope that there is more to come from this, obviously, very talented young lady.

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Disclaimer: This review is solely the property of Dawn “The Metal Priestess” King and Ever Metal. It is strictly forbidden to copy any part of this review, unless you have the strict permission of both parties. Failure to do adhere to this will be treated as plagiarism and will be reported to the relevant authorities.