J. J. Anselmi

A typical survey of musical genre sacrifices depth for breadth, while a memoir in music is often necessarily narrow in scope. Anselmi's exploration of doom metal and its bizarre children utilizes the best of both worlds, combining an academic's knowledge of his topic with a lifetime fan and musician's enthusiasm, inclinations, and subjectivity. Pithy and personal, Doomed to Fail presents a deep dive into a topic that, despite originating in sonicly subterranean country, never feels leaden or opaque. It's impossible to include every band in a book like this, especially given metal fans' love of hairsplitting genre debates, and Anselmi's goals are less a complete catalogue than a portrait of what drives musicians and listeners toward doom. Willing to look ugliness in the face and question which accepted aspects of extreme music have outlived their origins, equally willing to expound the thrill and beauty found in unexpected sounds, Doomed to Fail is a great addition to music-lovers' bookshelves.… (meer)