Short Synopsis
From the author of the classic collection of Metal music-making tales Louder Than Hell comes a collection that goes behind the music with the lead singers, guitarists, bassists, drummers, stage hands, roadies, groupies, fans, and more. Contains mature themes.

Full Synopsis
From the author of Louder Than Hell comes an oral history of the badass Heavy Metal lifestyle—featuring metalhead musicians from Black Sabbath and Judas Priest to Twisted Sister and Quiet Riot to Disturbed, Megadeth, Throwdown, and more.

In his song "You Can't Stop Rock and Roll" Ozzy Osbourne sings, "Rock and roll is my religion and my law." And that's why Raising Hell is a must-have for anyone who wants to hear about the iconoclastic culture of headbangers and the wild lives they lead. The book contains the crazy, funny, and sometimes horrifying anecdotes musicians have told about a lifestyle both invigorating and at times self-destructive.

The metal genre has always been populated by colorful individuals who have thwarted convention and lived by their own rules. For many, vice has been virtue, and the opportunity to record albums and tour has been an invitation to push boundaries. Even before they joined bands, the urge for metalheads to rebel and a seemingly contradictory need to belong was ingrained in their DNA. Whether they were oddballs who didn't fit in or angry kids from troubled backgrounds, metal gave them a sense of identity and became more than a form of music.

Contains mature themes.

"Throw back the backstage metal curtain and dig into the pit of larger-than-life rock 'n' roll escapades! Raising Hell does just that with tales from the chaotic, erotic, psychotic mania . . . revealed here in all its glory!" -Rob Halford, Judas Priest

"With Raising Hell, Jon Wiederhorn opens a treasure chest of outrageous, unflinching metal anecdotes that range from hysterical to terrifying to just plain disgusting. Each chapter is a new level of insanity!" -Scott Ian, Anthrax, S.O.D., The Damned Things

"Raising Hell is a Bible of Heavy Metal Debauchery! Not only did it bring back tons of crazy, fun touring memories for me, but it also made me laugh my ass off reading about the antics of my fellow metal heads!" -Richard Christy, Charred Walls of the Damned, ex-Death, ex-Iced Earth

"Raising Hell is, without a doubt, the most in-depth look into the lives of professional metal heads." -Ben Weinman, The Dillinger Escape Plan