The Emancipation of European Jewry during the nineteenth century led to conflict between tradition and modernity, creating a chasm that few believed could be bridged. Unsurprisingly, the emergence of modern traditionalism was fraught with obstacles. The essays published in this collection eloquently depict the passion underlying the disparate views, the particular areas of vexing confrontation and the hurdles faced by champions of tradition. The author identifies and analyzes the many areas of sociological and religious tension that divided the competing factions, including synagogue innovation, circumcision, intermarriage, military service and many others. With compelling writing and clear, articulate style, this illuminating work provides keen insight into the history and development of the various streams of Judaism and the issues that continue to divide them in contemporary times.

Defenders Of The Faith is what heavy metal fans have been waiting for. This epic biography of Judas Priest includes over 50 interviews with prominent musicians, producers, record company personnel, journalists, childhood friends and ex-band members. From their deprived beginnings in late-sixties West Bromwich, through the numerous line-up changes of the 1970s to the controversial sell-out US tours in the 1980s, here is the complete history of the band up to and beyond their meltdown in the 1990s. The story continues with their re-invention in 1996 after the defection of Rob Halford... and Halford's eventual return to the fold in 2003. Defenders Of The Faith is also about the music. From the band's earliest demos to their contentious contract with Gull Records and breakthrough success with CBS, every album and tour is examined and assessed in detail. The result is the fullest and most authentic portrait of Judas Priest there has ever been!

When the world thinks of heavy metal in its pure, potent, undiluted form, it is none other than the Metal Gods, Judas Priest, that instantly come to mind. Chrome and black leather, studs and whips and chains, a chopper on stage to announce the coming... these are the tools of the trade for Rob Halford and his legendary band of Birmingham bashers. Indeed, the Priest are the bringers of metal's biggest anthems. "Breaking the Law," "Living after Midnight," "Exciter," "Electric Eye," "Victim of Changes," and especially "You've Got Another Thing Comin'"... these are songs woven into the fabric of metal's wild ride, Priest having been there since its origins, revving up crowds as superstars certainly for 30 years of that run. Lifelong fan and preeminent metal historian Martin Popoff examines the Priest's rich legacy from 1974 to 1984, album by album, anthem by anthem, in this hugely expanded update on the early years portion of his long out-of-print Heavy Metal Painkillers book. Having interviewed all the principals in the band repeatedly over the years, Popoff gives a first-hand account of Priest's rocky, often comical ride through the '70s, and through the gold and platinum records of the '80s, expertly detailing the long road to the arena headline status the band now enjoys as heavy metal's proudest ambassadors. Judas Priest: Decade of Domination includes extensive commentary from reclusive drummer Les Binks, along with new interview footage from Tom Allom, Chris Tsangarides, K.K. Downing, Glenn Tipton, Ian Hill, Rob Halford, and various other insiders who are part of the Priest saga during this hallowed, golden era. Also included are tons of memorabilia shots, live photography and two tipped-in colour sections. To reiterate, this is the most extensive analysis ever in book form of: Rocka Rolla, Sad Wings of Destiny, Sin After Sin, Killing Machine/Hell Bent for Leather, Unleashed in the East, British Steel, Point of Entry, Screaming for Vengeance and Defenders of the Faith-song by song, lots of stories, looking at licks and fills, and what's in the right channel and left, lyric analysis... the deepest dive ever on these records.

The most thorough and thoughtful treatment of the Heavy Metal dress code and the culture it lives and breathes to date.

This one-of-a-kind reference investigates the music and the musicians that set the popular trends of the last half century in America. Many rock fans have, at one time or another, ranked their favorite artists in order of talent, charisma, and musical influence on the world as they see it. In this same spirit, author and music historian David V. Moskowitz expands on the concept of "top ten" lists to provide a lineup of the best 100 musical groups from the past 60 years. Since the chosen bands are based on the author's personal taste, this two-volume set provokes discussion of which performers are included and why, offering insights into the surprising influences behind them. From the Everly Brothers, to the Ramones, to Public Enemy, the work covers a wide variety of styles and genres, clearly illustrating the connections between them. Entries focus on the group's history, touring, membership, major releases, selected discography, bibliography, and influence. Contributions from leading scholars in popular music shed light on derivative artists and underscore the overall impact of the performers on the music industry.

While the growing field of scholarship on heavy metal music and its subcultures has produced excellent work on the sounds, scenes, and histories of heavy metal around the world, few works have included a study of gender and sexuality. This cutting-edge volume focuses on queer fans, performers, and spaces within the heavy metal sphere, and demonstrates the importance, pervasiveness, and subcultural significance of queerness to the heavy metal ethos. Heavy metal scholarship has until recently focused almost solely on the roles of heterosexual hypermasculinity and hyperfemininity in fans and performers. The dependence on that narrow dichotomy has limited heavy metal scholarship, resulting in poorly critiqued discussions of gender and sexuality that serve only to underpin the popular imagining of heavy metal as violent, homophobic and inherently masculine. This book queers heavy metal studies, bringing discussions of gender and sexuality in heavy metal out of that poorly theorized dichotomy. In this interdisciplinary work, the author connects new and existing scholarship with a strong ethnographic study of heavy metal’s self-identified queer performers and fans in their own words, thus giving them a voice and offering an original and ground-breaking addition to scholarship on popular music, rock, and queer studies.

Metaldata: A Bibliography of Heavy Metal Resources is the first book-length bibliography of resources about heavy metal. From its beginnings in the late 1960s and early 1970s, heavy metal has emerged as one of the most consistently popular and commercially successful music styles. Over the decades the style has changed and diversified, drawing attention from fans, critics, and scholars alike. Scholars, journalists, and musicians have generated a body of writing, films, and instructional materials that is substantial in quantity, diverse in approach, and intended for many types of audiences, resulting in a wealth of information about heavy metal. Metaldata provides a current and comprehensive bibliographic resource for researchers and fans of metal. This book also serves as a guide for librarians in their collection development decisions. Chapters focus on performers, musical instruction, discographies, metal subgenres, metal in specific places, and research relating metal to the humanities and sciences, and encompass archives, books, articles, videos, websites, and other resources by scholars, journalists, musicians, and fans of this vibrant musical style.