Enter Night: A Biography of Metallica

Five stars for a thorough and interesting review of each band member and their respective backgrounds, as well as what was going on with the band and what they (and producers) were trying to achieve with each album and even many individual songs. It proved to be one of those books that I couldn't wait to start reading again to shed light on what would happen in the next few months/years/events for the band. Since reading and finishing the book I've found myself listening more to Metallica and thinking about what it was going through at the time the song was wrote and what went into writing that particular song. Admittedly I did not like how freely the author would criticize or speak ill of many songs and some albums, some of which I think were some of Metallica's better songs and work overall. These are Mick Wall's personal opinions, and he is certainly entitled to them, but I didn't appreciate nor value his thoughts on them, I read the book to know about the band itself. I would recommend this book to anyone who is a Metallica fan or even just a fan of hard rock music.

Some reviews mentioned that the author was biased, a fan, but that was definitely my take on this book. In fact, it seems that the author is quite open in his criticisms and exposes clearly when Metallica took more let's say business oriented decisions, how Lars and James planned the changes the band went through, how they found the replacements for Ron McGovney and Dave Mustaine before they were kicked out of the band, and so on. The book's greatest asset is it's open, honest and very detailed narrative of the band's trajectory, each member's personality, defects and problems. The changes that influenced each album are widely mentioned, the influences that the band had (like Ulrich's fixation with Axl Rose, etc.) and so on. It's a great read for Metallica, metal and overall music fans alike. The only aspect that I did not really like was his criticism of ...And Justice For All, which despite agreeing that it's the weakest of the first 5 albums, it's still a great album. But again, each one it entitled to one's opinion.

Great read if you are into metallica. It was cool getting to know more about the band members and their origins.

Liked the book. Easy to read and entertain. Had some stories i havent read about.

I love Metallica, and this book does give a very thorough history of the band and it's members from day 1-or even earlier. The book is 443 pages long, and that it just too much for me personally. In my opinion, there is too much useless detail and way too much focus on every alcoholic binge the members engaged in. The book could have been shorter with less detail to things that do not seem relevant to the story. Great detail is given to the personalities of the characters and their many flaws. I would have loved to have seen more time given to the rehab, recovery, and growth of the members. I also did not like the author's writing style. It is not particularly polished but he gets an A+ for his research and enthusiasm. If you have lots of time to read and enjoy lots of detail, then this book is for you.

I just finished this book about an hour ago. Its is amazing. I like it because mick wall the author gives his opinions about the band instead of just the facts. Though I disagree with some of his assertions (ie. ...and justice for all review and the mid-ninties new look), I am glad that he wrote this amazingly detailed book about a formerly great band. Metallica has not made a good album since 1988 and at this point seems to be a nostalgia act. I would like for them to make new great music but that would take a lot of effort and at this point metallica doesn't want to put a lot of effort into it. I disagree with MW that the new mid-ninties makeup and eyeshadow look turned off fans. because its about the MUSIC not what they look like. If the music was good---does anyone really care about their looks! In addition, after the grunge phase of the early 1990's, mw suggest that rock was on the decline so metallica had to come with with a new musical angle. I disagree - look at Pantera, Slayer, and tool. All great bands that increased their fan base and earnings in the late 1990s and 2000s. Metallica CHOSE to make poor music because they reached the level of success where you can live off your old material and people will still go to the concert. Mw is honest about lars being a poor drummer. its rare that journatlists say that openly. most journalists want access so they suck up to the band members. Thanks for your honesty!!! No one goes to a metallica show for the st. anger, load, (untitled), and death magnetic material. People go for the 1980s material. metallica knows this too. thats why they mainly play that in concert; if they didn't no one would go to their concert. Best book about metallica written.

This biography takes Metallica through their darkest moments as well as their moments of glory and tells us how they really felt about it, any other biography has accomplished this which shows us that this Biography is the one you should buy, I promise you, you won't regret it! Metallica is not just a great rock band but almost a religion and a movement to millions of people not just during the 80's but to the day when they still produce awesome music! Hope they continue like this! Thank You for this great music: Ulrich, Hetfield, Mustaine, Hammett, Burton, Newsted, Trujillo and all the people which were, are or will be involved in Metallica!

Enjoyed the book. Got in depth to the beginnings of the worlds greatest band.

I think the whole part about how the band was created is really great and helps us understand where Metallica comes from. The depiction of those years back in the 1980s and how things worked back then is particularly well made and enlightening. However, there are a few things I did not like so much. First, the beginnings of chapters written in italics are not always that clear, for instance as to who is speaking, to whom, and what's that got to do with the rest, etc. It took me a while to realize the author implied himself in the biography, which I had not expected. Then, I found the last quarter of the biography quite rushed and somehow written with far less enthusiasm than the beginning, with fewer details and some kind of estrangement from the band. More seriously, I frankly disapproved of the way Mick Wall passes judgement on Jason Newsted. I didn't see the point of that whole page written against him, about how he wasn't up to Cliff Burton's level etc. Of course Newsted was not Burton, but does a biographer need to vent his personal frustration at that sort of thing? I, as a reader, certainly found this irrelevant and inappropriate. Finally, I got really angry when it came to the author's judgement on Death Magnetic. This album is one of my favourites, but of course I am no expert like Mr Wall. Just a grass-roots fan. Basically, all the elements he rejects as flaws on this album are qualities to me. The length of the tracks, the change in rhythm, the complexity. No, I have no feeling of déjà-vu. And yes, I do remember each song after listening to the album because they are very different from each other and all very powerful. Maybe all these music experts are too jaded now... Anyway, I don't really like it when a biographer tells his readers what to like or not. I rather expect factual knowledge, not an imposed, biased, very personal view on the works. Oh, but as a whole, it's a good book to read to learn about the story of Metallica.

Bought this book after I was impressed by Mick Wall's take on Led Zeppelin in "When Giants Walked the Earth". Compared to that, Enter Night gives a more definitive picture of the band. Is a must read for all Metallica fans. But I have to say, as a band, Metallica's story doesn't seem as interesting as Led Zeppelin's. But then again, whose does?

Essential book for a fan.

My favourite band. I loved reading their story and the little tidbits from various people who knew them.

An excellent overview of this influential band by a journalist/author who never disappoints. Critical of the band and its music where required and insightful of the band dynamics and tensions that have resulted in some of the most intricate and dense slabs of heavy rock/metal ever produced. I had never read an account of Metallica's rise and (eventual) staggering success before aside from articles in magazines like Kerrang! where the author worked and so was impressed with the comprehensive and well researched view this offered. The companion to, and in some respects the reading equivalent of, the 'Some Kind Of Monster' dvd.