Release Day #Review ~ Ultimate Heavy Metal Guitars by Pete Prown #Guitars #Guitarists #HeavyMetal #RockGods

Sure to strike a chord with guitarists and heavy metal fans, this authoritative and photo-filled volume surveys more than 80 of the genre’s greatest axe-slingers from the 1970s to present.

From metal pioneers like Black Sabbath’s Tony Iommi, Led Zeppelin’s Jimmy Page, and Deep Purple’s Ritchie Blackmore to today’s hottest shredders, thrashers, and riffers, Ultimate Heavy Metal Guitars is your guide to the instruments and musicians that made metal. Author and guitar journalist Pete Prown presents his subjects by metal-defining eras and subgenres, early metal, hard rock and arena rock , prog rock , Euro metal, hair metal, shred, thrash, and more.

Prown’s knowledgeable discussions examine specific noteworthy guitars each player made famous, as well as effects pedals , amplifiers , and career overviews that include the players’ first-person revelations and insights.

Illustrated with photos of the guitarists in action, the book features an early chapter on influencers who set the stage for the genre (think Clapton, Hendrix, and Beck), plus sidebars so you don’t miss out on any of metal’s nooks and crannies, touching on grunge, math metal, nu metal, doom metal, and the genre’s roots in blues and early rock.

Book Details:

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Motorbooks (September 12, 2023)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 192 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0760377758
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0760377758

Amazon: https://amzn.to/3sieDFU

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/78534292-ultimate-heavy-metal-guitars

Guitarists Included in the Book:

Eric Clapton
Jeff Beck
Jimi Hendrix
Pete Townshend
Jimmy Page
Tony Iommi
Ritchie Blackmore
Leslie West
Martin Barre
Mick Box
Johnny Winter
Joe Perry & Brad Whitford
Brian May
Robin Trower
Don “Buck Dharma” Roeser
Rick Derringer
Ronnie Montrose
Frank Marino
Mick Ralphs
Eddie Van Halen
Ace Frehley
Tom Scholz & Barry Goudreau
Nancy Wilson
Neal Schon
Angus & Malcolm Young
Pat Travers
Michael Schenker
Scott Gorham & Brian Robertson
Glenn Tipton & K.K. Downing
Rudolph Schenker, Uli Jon Roth & Matthias Jabs
Dave Murray & Adrian Smith
Randy Rhoads
Kerry Livgren & Rich Williams
Alex Lifeson
Michael Wilton & Chris DeGarmo
John Petrucci
Phil Collen & Steve Clark
Gary Moore
Joan Jett
Lita Ford
Brad Gillis & Jeff Watson
Mick Mars
John Sykes
Vernon Reid
Yngwie Malmsteen
Steve Vai
Joe Satriani
Vivian Campbell
Jason Becker
Paul Gilbert
George Lynch
Tony MacAlpine & Vinnie Moore
James Hetfield & Kirk Hammett
Dave Mustaine
Kerry King & Jeff Hanneman
Scott Ian
Slash
Zakk Wylde
Dimebag Darrell
Ty Tabor
Jerry Cantrell
Tom Morello
Kim Thayil
Mark Tremonti
Alexi Laiho
Herman Li
Brent Hinds & Bill Kelliher
Nita Strauss
Nili Brosh

My Review:

As a heavy metal and hard rock enthusiast, this book was right up my alley. I read about each and every guitarist featured in Ultimate Heavy Metal Guitars. I grew up listing to what is now classic rock and as I've gotten older, my tastes have gotten harder. I can't wait to see Parkway Drive tomorrow (September 13, 2023). Reading about each guitarist took me to the front row of the concert in my imagination. The way the author wrote this book made the guitarists come to life. Those I've seen and those I've wished I could see. 

While I've never seen Aerosmith live, and since this year is their farewell tour am not likely too, I have seen Brad Whitford. He came on stage and rocked the house during the Godsmack concert I attended on May 26, 2023. He was absolutely amazing - and Sully even rocked an Aerosmith song.

I saw Bad Company on tour about 20 years ago. They opened for David Lee Roth. Another fantastic concert I'm glad I was able to attend.

Megadeth rocked the stage on September 24, 2021, headlining a show that also included Trivium and Lamb of God. Dave Mustaine didn't put on an active show but his guitar playing was rhythmic. I was captivated by the live versions of the songs I'd only ever experienced on the radio.

I saw the magic that is Jerry Cantrell in 2022 with the amazing William Duvall on lead vocals at an Alice in Chains concert. I, unfortunately, never saw them with Layne Staley and know that would have been a hell of a show. Jerry's vocals blended seamlessly with William's, just as they did with Layne. Jerry's guitar solos were mesmerizing and I spent most of my time watching him sing and play. I typically watch all members of a band throughout a show but watching Jerry play a guitar is magical and I didn't want to miss anything.

Each section is clearly labeled and provides fascinating information, facts, and photos. The only sections of the book that didn't truly interest me were death metal and black metal. I'm not into either of those heavy metal genres and skipped the majority of those short sections. 

I was provided a copy of this book.

My in progress Live Song Bucket List can be found here: https://reviewsbysaph.blogspot.com/p/live-song-bucket-list.html. There are a lot of concerts missing (I attended several in 2022 and 2023 but haven't had time to add them to the list) but I hope to get back to the list soon.

My Rating: