Written by Stephen Davis
Published by Berkley Boulevard Publishing 1997
Buy this book from Amazon.com
And so continues my quest to educate myself on the roots and founding fathers of our beloved Heavy Metal. After the disappointment that was that Black Sabbath: the Ozzy Osbourne Years book that I read last month, it was more than a breath of fresh air to get a book that has more to offer than just straight-up boring biographical text. As a tie in to my "Fathers of Metal" book review spree, I will also be reading and reviewing books on ACDC, Kiss, Metallica, Aerosmith, and possibly a few others as well. So keep checking back for more book reviews from me, there are plenty more where this came from.
Reading Hammer of the Gods was like a totally enlightening experience for me. I feel this way about all of the autobiographical material I read about Metal/Rock bands, so I don't feel like this book in particular had more or less of an effect on me than any of the others. This is not to say that this text was not packed full of interesting facts, stories, and other tidbits about the band, but that it seemed to lack any one thing that made it stand out more proficiently than say, Tommyland by Tommy Lee. My point here is that each and every one of these books goes to contribute to an overall knowledge, which is what I am trying to achieve.
I think one of the weaknesses of the way the story is told, is that it is just too smooth and chronological for my tastes. I enjoy autobiographies and biographies that don't confine themselves to the idealisms of what we perceive as time, but to how the artist or author feels as they are writing them. I think that this is the best way for that person to approach the telling of their stories, and brings a personalized quality that is not possible any other way.
I think the most enjoyable aspect of the Led Zeppelin story, and this version in particular, is that it is like the epitome of excess and the Rock and Roll lifestyle. The amount of drugs, women, and other forms of disproportionate behavior that these feisty chaps worked their way through over the years is more than legendary. Hence the reputations that preceded the band members before picking this book up. Drummer Jon Bonham is considered to be one of the craziest and biggest bad boys in rock history, and after reading this I can see why.
Another edge that Hammer of the Gods has over other books of the same caliber is the use of exclusive sources. Interviews are at hand and frequently used as a resource (not just with the band themselves, but with friends, acquaintances, and lovers) to not only tell volumes of stories about Led Zeppelin, but to accurately portray the state that the music industry was in (almost as excessive as the musicians themselves). Pioneers of Hard Rock they were, legendary their lives were as well, but most important to me is their tremendous impact on what we now call Heavy Metal.
Rating: 7.5/10
