тАЬTriumphs because of the commitment and fearlessness of Metallica . . . [and] shows that tenacious reporting can still produce great narratives.тАЭ тАФNew York Times
Metallica is one of the most successful hard-rock bands of all time, having sold more than ninety million albums worldwide. Receiving unfettered access, acclaimed filmmakers Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky followed Metallica over two and a half years as they faced personal and professional challenges that threatened to destroy the band just as they returned to the studio to record their first album in four years. While the documentary itself provides an insiderтАЩs view of Metallica, the two and a half years of production (and more than 1,600 hours of footage) garnered far more than can be expressed in a two-hour film.
BerlingerтАЩs book reveals the stories behind the film, capturing the uncertainty, and ultimate triumph of both the filming and MetallicaтАЩs bid for survival. It weaves the on-screen stories together with what happened off-screen, offering intimate details of the bandтАЩs struggle amidst personnel changes, addiction, and controversy. In part because Berlinger was one of the only witnesses to the intensive group-therapy sessions and numerous band meetings, his account is the most honest and deeply probing book about MetallicaтАФor any rock bandтАФever written.
тАЬA fascinating look at the logistics of making an album and the dysfunctional family that bands can become.тАЭ тАФChicago Tribune
тАЬThis book should be required reading for aspiring filmmakers.тАЭ тАФPublishers Weekly
тАЬBerlinger takes us even deeper into the inner sanctum. . . . many events that were edited for the film, including a pivotal scene in which drummer Lars Ulrich laces into singer James Hetfield, are transcribed in full.тАЭ тАФUSA Today