Metallica and Philosophy: A Crash Course in Brain Surgery

“Like philosophy itself, Metallica’s music can scare the uninitiated, who fear their brains will hurt. This book makes both philosophy and Metallica accessible to the curious while deepening the experience of those already in the know.”
Theodore Gracyk, author of Rhythm and Noise and Listening to Popular Music

“Metallica and Philosophy is, at long last, the book which finally gives everyone’s favorite headbangers due credit for being intelligent, questioning, and even cerebral.”
Joel McIver, author of Justice For All: The Truth About Metallica

“Not just heavy metal, not just rock n’ roll, not just angst or anger or conceptual analysis, but a monster in a category of its own that shows us something dangerous about ourselves and our post-industrial culture.”
Dale Jacquette, Pennsylvania State University

"Intellectual snobs and proud low-brows alike may dismiss this as a joke- though obviously not respected academic publishers Blackwell ... as an introduction to some of the major schools of thought, it is no less worthy than popular books like Sophie's World that have also sought to bring philosophy to the mass market."
Tommy Udo, Metal Hammer

A “provocative study” on one of metal’s greatest bands, this paperback examines the connection between Metallica and highly regarded philosophers like Aristotle and Nietzsche, and “uses themes in Metallica’s work to illuminate topics such as death, metaphysics, epistemology, the mind-body problem, morality, justice and what we owe one another.” Edited by a college professor, chapters include “Alcoholica: When Sweet Amber Becomes The Master Of Puppets,” “To Live and Die: Metallica and The Meaning Of Life” and “Boys Interrupted: The Drama Of Male Bonding In Some Kind Of Monster.”
Metal Edge Magazine