![]() ![]() Kip’s musical taste is defined by what he doesn’t like, and as he reinvents himself as a reviewer for a zine called Hair of the Serpent, he discovers plenty to dislike in the druggy lore of the Sunset Strip. Leslie’s motives are carnal, but Kira’s are harder for Kip to decipher. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, and Kira is reputedly related to Grady Stiles, who performed under the name Lobster Boy and left behind a legacy of violence that Wray weaves into “Gone to the Wolves.”Īfter surviving high school, the trio moves to Hollywood, where Leslie and Kira fixate on a terrible glam metal band that keeps changing its name. Venice was also the winter headquarters of the Ringling Bros. Because Chuck’s mom goes to church in Venice, these misfits claim him as their own. Wray’s story begins in 1987 with the emergence of a band called Death, whose record “ Scream Bloody Gore” many consider to be the birth of death metal, a faster and more ferocious style stripped of ornament and played at punishing volumes.ĭeath was the brainchild of Chuck Schuldiner, who played all the instruments on the record save drums. It’s a complete shadow culture, with its own laws, its own myths, its own scripture.” Leslie Z, “who had three strikes against him already: he was Black, he was bi, and he liked Hanoi Rocks.” Leslie is the scene’s savant and proselytizer. Kip is indoctrinated into heavy metal by Leslie Aaron Vogler, a.k.a. These rumors are bolstered by Kip’s proclivity for slipping into a violent fugue-like state he calls the White Room whenever he’s threatened or stressed. His arrival is attended by a raft of rumors about his incarcerated father and drug-addicted mother, as well as his own involuntary stay in a mental health facility. In his latest outing, he has nailed his milieu.Ĭhristopher “Kip” Norvald is the proverbial new kid in town, who moves to Venice, Fla., to live with his grandmother and finish high school. Wray is the acclaimed author of five previous novels, ranging from the voice-driven (“Lowboy”) to the historical (“The Right Hand of Sleep”) and the experimental (“The Lost Time Accidents”). This is certainly the case for the three main characters in “ Gone to the Wolves,” an outstanding new novel by John Wray set in the world of ’80s heavy metal. Enduring everything from insults to parking lot beat-downs, devotees of extreme music earn their fandom. This is why headbangers and punks are the most loyal fans on the planet. Ride The Lightning proved Metallica were more than the American metal movement’s brightest stars - they were now its leaders.There is a direct relationship between the amount of crap you take for the music you love and the depth of your devotion to it. To reiterate for their fans that they weren’t going soft, the second side of Ride the Lightning is lined with three of the band’s most devastating jolts: “Trapped Under Ice,” “Escape,” and “Creeping Death.” The album ends with “The Call of Ktulu,” an intricate eight-minute epic that points the way towards Master of Puppets and …And Justice For All. Their ambition is confirmed by “Fade to Black,” a ballad that refuses to sacrifice attitude for sentiment. Opening with the punishing combination of “Fight Fire With Fire” and “Ride the Lightning,” Metallica provide an immediate reminder of why they are the reigning kings of thrash metal, but with the slow, steamrolling riff of “For Whom the Bell Tolls” it becomes clear that the band is growing beyond the speed metal parameters of Kill ‘Em All. Over the course of the eight tracks on Ride the Lightning the listener can detect the beginnings of the cataclysmic shift occurring in metal. ![]()
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