Damn the Machine – The Story of Noise Records is the tale of Europe’s most groundbreaking—and important—heavy metal record company of the 1980s. Founded in the shadow of the Berlin Wall by self-proclaimed anarchist Karl-Ulrich Walterbach, Noise’s key bands—Celtic Frost, Coroner, Gamma Ray, Grave Digger, Hellhammer, Helloween, Kreator, Running Wild, Sabbat, Stratovarius, Tankard, and Voivod—were brash, innovative, and highly influential, helping shape the global metal scene as we know today.
With first-hand accounts from Walterbach, his bands, employees, and fellow music industry comrades, Damn the Machine provides an unflinching look at the tumultuous history of Noise Records. Amidst the classic albums and legendary bands came court battles, contract squabbles, botched tours, disastrous shifts in sound, and complicated, sometimes strained relationships between Walterbach and the bands he was responsible for. Damn the Machine shows few metal record companies have a legacy comparable to Noise’s.
I read its feature in Rock Hard mag in German, and I'd say it's well documented. It's not just about music, it describes pre-Noise years as well, and what Mr. Walterbach had been doing as a young man (speaking very politely, I'd call him an activist, but best read for yourself). Quite interesting, even surprising to majority of readers, I dare say.
I gather one chapter is dedicated solely to legendary Thrashing East gig with Kreator, Tankard, Coroner and Sabbat in Werner-Seelenbinder Halle in east Berlin in 1990. In the feature Sneap, Gerre, Vetterli and Mille have statements in brackets, so they must have been interviewed recently or once in recent years. I doubt that there are whole interviews with Noise bands, as books are written in third person with citations interwoven in the text, interpreted in contexts of various events and happening. I especially doubt there's an interview with Celtic Frost, since Tom Gabriel launched counterview in previous Deaf Forever mag. I guess Vendetta aren't featured either. I hope, I will manage to obtain the book, there was only one Noise Records label after all. I missed "Are You Morbid" and I am still hitting my head with stone bcs of that.
Btw, the over artwork is probably made by the same artist who did the cover of Jeff Wagner's "Mean Deviation" book. (If I wasn't a Scrooge, I'd tattooed that cover)
Another lonely night, another no name town
it starts to look the same, it starts to bring me down
so many promises you knew I'd never keep
I'll make it up to you, baby, don't give up on me
GulliverFoyle wrote:
Btw, the over artwork is probably made by the same artist who did the cover of Jeff Wagner's "Mean Deviation" book. (If I wasn't a Scrooge, I'd tattooed that cover)
Btw, the over artwork is probably made by the same artist who did the cover of Jeff Wagner's "Mean Deviation" book. (If I wasn't a Scrooge, I'd tattooed that cover)
Thanks but I can get it cheaper on Canadian Amazon. The price in your link is $34 CAN which is far too much for any paperback book.
I'll wait until it drops. Those pages aren't going to unprint themselves.
bigfootkit wrote:"Your Steel Is Not True"
stormspell wrote:"I hate all my releases. I only listen to Korn and Limp Bizkit, don't you know..."
Btw, the over artwork is probably made by the same artist who did the cover of Jeff Wagner's "Mean Deviation" book. (If I wasn't a Scrooge, I'd tattooed that cover)
*cough Voivod *cough... Anyway this book sounds pretty awesome, a must have!
Avenger wrote:
I'll wait until it drops. Those pages aren't going to unprint themselves.
This.
German version is available too, some guy on amazon is complaining a bit that lesser known bands are not even mentioned let alone interviewed. Not wild about Walterbach's transition from anarchist to capitalist either.
I finished this last week. It's a great read if you're interested in the history of both the major and some of the minor players of the label + it also gives an interesting insight into the shady world of record label politics. As a whole it's for Metal nerds only tho'
...and reading of how Helloween wanted to be the new Beatles cracked me up
DaN wrote:I finished this last week. It's a great read if you're interested in the history of both the major and some of the minor players of the label + it also gives an interesting insight into the shady world of record label politics. As a whole it's for Metal nerds only tho'
...and reading of how Helloween wanted to be the new Beatles cracked me up
Sounds like it's really good. I'll have to pick up a copy.
DaN wrote:I finished this last week. It's a great read if you're interested in the history of both the major and some of the minor players of the label + it also gives an interesting insight into the shady world of record label politics. As a whole it's for Metal nerds only tho'
...and reading of how Helloween wanted to be the new Beatles cracked me up
Any mention of the Conception band?
Another lonely night, another no name town
it starts to look the same, it starts to bring me down
so many promises you knew I'd never keep
I'll make it up to you, baby, don't give up on me