The best heavy metal books on my shelf

Why am I passionate about this?

Brent Abell resides in Southern Indiana with his wife and Drake the Puggle. Brent enjoys anything horror-related. In his writing career, he’s had stories featured in over 30 publications from multiple presses. His books Southern Devils, Southern Devils: Reconstruction of the Dead, In Memoriam, The Calling, Phoenix Protocol, Dying Days: Death Sentence, Dying Days: Zealot, Death Inc., and Wicked Tales for Wicked People are available now. He is also a co-author of the horror-comedy Hellmouth series. Currently, he is working on a multitude of projects. You can hang out with him on his website for some rum, beer, and a good cigar.


I wrote...

Death Inc.

By Brent Abell,

Book cover of Death Inc.

What is my book about?

The Grim Reaper comes for us all eventually. When he comes, how do we know it is the real deal? After eons of acting as Death, Grim has turned his job into the Afterlife’s best profession. He also ushered in an era of commercialization in the realms of the dead. Grim is now the CEO of Death Incorporated, Death Inc. for short. Milo Anderson is Death Inc’s newest recruit, but when he botches his first Reaping, it sets off a chain of events throughout the Veil of Souls that will leave the Afterlife reeling with the fate of the Universe on the edge of oblivion.

Can Milo complete his task and bring balance back to the Veil? Or will the Morningstar finally have his revenge and his place atop the throne?

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The books I picked & why

Book cover of What Does This Button Do?: An Autobiography

Brent Abell Why did I love this book?

I am a huge Iron Maiden fan, like a devoted acolyte fan. Over the years, I’ve seen them multiple times, bought a closet full of concert shirts, and collected their beers/Funko Pops/album deluxe versions. Bruce Dickinson is the band’s second vocalist, and here he gives us the tales of his early days in Samson before joining Steve Harris and the Maiden crew. We get stories of his childhood and family in typical autobiography fashion, but it takes off once he gets into the meat of his time with Iron Maiden.

The book is captivating because he reflects on leaving Maiden to follow a solo career. The struggles he dealt with personally and professionally paint a picture of a man who had it all but wanted to try something new. The book’s final portion deals with his return to Iron Maiden and how he went through cancer. Cancer could’ve ended his career as a vocalist, but he battled it and came back stronger than ever. Overall, it is an insightful look at the life of the man singing for one of the world’s biggest metal bands.

By Bruce Dickinson,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked What Does This Button Do? as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

'I was spotty, wore an anorak, had biro-engraved flared blue jeans with "purple" and "Sabbath" written on the thighs, and rode an ear-splittingly uncool moped. Oh yes, and I wanted to be a drummer...'

Bruce Dickinson - Iron Maiden's legendary front man - is one of the world's most iconic singers and songwriters. But there are many strings to Bruce's bow, of which larger-than-life lead vocalist is just one. He is also an airline captain, aviation entrepreneur, motivational speaker, beer brewer, novelist, radio presenter, film scriptwriter and an international fencer: truly one of the most unique and interesting men in…


Book cover of White Line Fever: The Autobiography

Brent Abell Why did I love this book?

If a person ever personified being a metal god, it was Lemmy. The leader for the legendary Motorhead didn’t care about how he appeared to people. Lemmy wanted to kick ass on stage and leave a legacy marked by booze and smokes. This book shines the light on how Lemmy rose to become one of the most influential vocalists and bass players in metal. If you like an irreverent look at the price of fame, this book is for you.

By Lemmy, Janiss Garza,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked White Line Fever as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Lemmy's name was synonymous with notorious excess. His blood would have killed another human being. This is the up-to-date story of the heaviest drinking, oversexed speedfreak in the music business who tragically passed away earlier this year.
Lemmy had quickly outgrown his local bands in Wales, and tripped through his early career with the Rocking Vicars, backstage touring with Jimi Hendrix, and his time with Hawkwind. In 1975 he went on to create speedmetal and form the legendary band Motoerhead.
Motoerhead stand firm as conquerors of the rock world, their history spanning an insurrectionary forty years. While the Motoerhead line-up…


Book cover of Monsters of River & Rock: My Life as Iron Maiden's Compulsive Angler

Brent Abell Why did I love this book?

Adrian Smith is one of the lead guitar players in Iron Maiden. Adrian has a passion beyond the stage and his career; he loves fishing. When I first picked up the book, I wasn’t sure how the book would be at keeping me engaged and interested. I’m not a fisherman, and I don’t relish going outside much. The book begins with him recounting how he started his love of fishing near his childhood home when he was younger. The book then uses his touring and recording schedules to recount his fishing trips and most extraordinary catches spanning the globe. Each catch is part of a tapestry woven through his life on the road. In the end, I found myself in awe of how much Adrian loves to fish and how seriously he takes it as a hobby.

By Adrian Smith,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Monsters of River & Rock as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Come to the riverbank with Adrian Smith and cast a line on the wild side.

'Beautifully written account' Dave Simpson, The Guardian

'Writes beautifully' The Sun

Welcome to the world of Adrian Smith, playing his Jackson guitar onstage to millions - while behind the scenes he explores far-flung rivers, seas and lakes, waterways and weirs, in a fearless quest for fishing nirvana.

Hooked on the angling adrenaline rush since first catching perch from East London canals on outings with his father, Adrian grew up to be in one of Rock's most iconic bands. On tour, his gear went with him.…


Book cover of Scar Tissue

Brent Abell Why did I love this book?

The path Anthony Kedisand his bandmates have taken from their beginnings through stardom is incredible. Amazingly, they’re still alive. Kedis begins with his childhood and spins tales of when Hollywood stars would be with drugs at his parent’s house. The scenes left an impression on Kedis that he’s fought his entire life. Drugs become a significant hurdle in his life that constantly threatens to take away everything the Red Hot Chili Peppers have built. The book can be depressing. Kedis recounts when Flea and himself blow all their royalty money and are squatting in an abandoned apartment taking heroin. Kedis sheds light on his relationships and drug use in a way that makes his story remarkable and uplifting.

By Anthony Kiedis,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked Scar Tissue as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

In SCAR TISSUE Anthony Kiedis, charismatic and highly articulate frontman of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, recounts his remarkable life story, and the history of the band itself.

Raised in the Midwest, he moved to LA aged eleven to live with his father Blackie, purveyor of pills, pot, and cocaine to the Hollywood elite. After a brief child-acting career, Kiedis dropped out of U.C.L.A. and plunged headfirst into the demimonde of the L.A. underground music scene. He formed the band with three schoolfriends - and found his life's purpose. Crisscrossing the country, the Chili Peppers were musical innovators and influenced…


Book cover of Confess: The Autobiography

Brent Abell Why did I love this book?

I saved the best for last. Rob Halford has lived the life of the Metal God for decades. In his autobiography, Halford doesn’t shy away from anything. The title is truthful; the pages are his confession for a life lived on the edge. Halford begins with his childhood and how he grew to love singing. He has one of the widest vocal ranges in metal, and his influence over the past fifty years with Judas Priest or his solo works is undeniable. Where this autobiography stands out is Halford speaking about how he hid his homosexuality from everyone. The pain he explains is genuinely heartbreaking, and I found myself surprised by how moving his words are. Don’t get me wrong; it isn’t a sad book because Halford has fun telling his story to the world.

By the book’s end, when he comes clean to the public about his life in public, you feel the weight lifted off your shoulders along with Halford. The words are both uplifting and sorrowful, but never with regrets. I rank this as my favorite because of the message to live life on your own terms and not hide your true self from the world. Rob Halford has confessed, and everyone should read and reflect on his words.

By Rob Halford,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Confess as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Most priests take confessions. This one is giving his.

'The most hotly anticipated hard-rock autobiography of the year'

'Rob Halford has written one of the most candid and surprising memoirs of the year. . . Confess is a riproaring tale, a funny, often shocking and genuinely emotional story' The Telegraph

'The Metal God shares stories from a life like no other, spending over 50 years in the heavy metal bubble, facing adversity head-on but always with a wry smile and horns held firmly aloft' Kerrang

'Raw and searingly moving, Confess will delight metal heads and music fans alike' GQ

'A…


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Not in the Plan

By Dana Hawkins,

Book cover of Not in the Plan

Dana Hawkins Author Of Not in the Plan

New book alert!

Why am I passionate about this?

I am a contemporary romance writer, mom, queer, dog-lover, and coffee enthusiast. I have a deep love of the genre, particularly sparkly and swoony, sapphic romcoms, with a borderline obsession with happily-ever-afters. Knowing I will always have a happy ending while smiling through pages gives me the comforting hug I sometimes need. My goal is to spread queer joy in my writing and provide a safe, celebratory, and affirming space for my readers to escape reality.

Dana's book list on swoony, sapphic RomComs

What is my book about?

Crushed under writer’s block and a looming deadline, Mack escapes from New York to Seattle. She meets Charlie, a beautiful, generous, nearly bankrupt coffee shop owner recovering from heartbreak. For the first time, Mack has a muse. And then Mack starts using Charlie’s private stories in her novel…

When a storm traps Mack and Charlie in the coffee shop, they share a mind-bending, knee-shaking kiss. But Charlie is an eternal optimist who sleeps with fairy-lights on, while Mack is an ironing-at-5am worrier who sleeps with… everyone. They could never turn this chemistry into something real, right? And if Charlie finds out what Mack has been doing, turning Charlie’s most intimate secrets into a juicy page-turner, will they even have a chance to try?

Not in the Plan

By Dana Hawkins,

What is this book about?

Free-spirited coffee shop owner meets uptight coffee addict. Is an opposites-attract match brewing… or burning?

Crushed under the weight of writer’s block and a looming deadline, Mack escapes from New York to Seattle. She meets Charlie, a beautiful, generous, nearly bankrupt coffee shop owner recovering from heartbreak. For the first time, Mack has a muse. And then Mack starts using Charlie’s private stories in her novel…

When a storm traps Mack and Charlie in the coffee shop, they share a mind-bending, knee-shaking kiss. But Charlie is an eternal optimist who sleeps with fairy-lights on, while Mack is an ironing-at-5am worrier…


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