Rarely has a book been so aptly titled as this superfluous, for-the-fans-only history of Metallica. But, given that James, Lars, Kirk and Cliff/Jason/Robert purport to be one of the biggest metal bands in the world, even an overpriced niche publication like this is bound to rake it in.
The book repackages band newsletters and interviews from past years. Photos abound: This celluloid cornucopia includes rare pics—albeit most of them suggestive of the dangers of tetanus. Rating high on the Velveeta-meter, though, are reproductions of handwritten quips by band members. Imagine the thrill of reading “For a good time … Kill Yerself” in Hetfield’s own scrawl! Now isn’t that worth missing a payment or two on the double-wide?
This book reads more like an episode guide to a soap opera about self-absorbed headbangers in search of a fourth member. Perhaps it should have been titled Metallica: Three Men and a Bassist.