The Devil's Metal Review

TITLE The Devil's Metal (Devil's #1)
AUTHOR Karina Halle
PUBLICATION September 21st 2012 by Metal Blonde Books
READ December 22 to 23, 2012
SOURCE Purchased

It’s the summer of 1974 and 21-year old Dawn Emerson has only three things she wants to do: compete one last time in the Ellensburg Rodeo, win back her ex-boyfriend Ryan, and become the best damn music journalist at Central Washington University. But all her plans are left in the dust when she’s contacted by Creem magazine to go on the road with one of her favorite groups, the up-and-coming metal band, Hybrid.

At first the assignment reads like a dream come true. Not only will Dawn land some much-needed credibility as a female music journalist, but she’ll finally get to experience life from the other side of the stage, and maybe crack the drunken, enigmatic code that is guitarist Sage Knightly. Instead, Dawn finds herself on an aging tour bus filled with ego-maniacs, band politics and a whole lot of sex, drugs and rock n’ roll. When monsters start showing up in dressing rooms and some of Sage’s groupies become increasingly strange and dangerous, Dawn discovers the band is not only going places – they’re going straight to Hell.

And Dawn has a backstage pass.

It’s been pretty hard not to notice the absolute raving that has been going on for author Karina Halle in my Google Reader. People are in love with her Experiment in Terror series and I have been recommended The Devil’s Metal numerous times. After seeing it compared to Almost Famous (one of my all time favorite movies) on more than one occasion, I decided to pick it up and give it a go. Upon finishing I can definitely say that the high praise in comparison is more than accurate and that the novel also serves out some good chills in high doses.

My favorite thing about The Devil’s Metal was the 70’s rock n’ roll feel that Halle portrayed perfectly. From the seedy backstage happenings to the warm, summer festivals I was there with the characters and believed every second of it. I loved that Hybrid was doing shows with the best of them and we got cameos from some awesome names but also that those didn’t feel forced and unnecessary. Halle achieved the fast lane lifestyle in a way that felt completely authentic and not campy at all (though I could have done without the numerous flip-flop references. Flip-flops are not sexy.)

Not only did she have life on the road nailed down, but she was also a master at dishing out the scares in this one. I admit that I liked the general day-to-day happenings of the band better than the paranormal element that is thrown in, but I did still enjoy the random glimpses that are strewn about, constantly letting you know there are some dark things afoot. I’m honestly not sure how I felt about the whole reveal at the end of the novel. I think having been such a huge fan of Almost Famous I went into it expecting to get my favorite movie in book form. I wanted to tour with the band and be a fly on the wall backstage but I got way more than I bargained for here. Though looking back at the chills and goosebumps that the sudden, jarring creeps had me feeling, the paranormal element wasn’t entirely unwelcome either.

Dawn was a fantastic character; I loved how, even though she was thrown into a world full of sex and hot men, she kept her wits about her and didn’t buy into the whole scene (though she wasn’t without her slip ups of course.) I really enjoyed her sarcastic ranting with her best friend, Mel. A lot of their conversations had me chuckling out loud and I always looked forward to Dawn calling or writing a letter to Mel. While Dawn and Mel were great characters, they didn’t hold a candle to the dynamic of the men of Hybrid. The band was just that, a hybrid of completely different guys coming together to make great music. Sage was a great character and I loved how he was broody and mysterious while still coming across as approachable and as someone Dawn could turn to. The voices of Robbie, Graham, Mickey and Noelle all felt defined to who they were and I could always tell who was talking even in a big conversation by the dialogue. I find that is something that is pretty difficult for an author to achieve; characters that don’t seem to blend together, and Halle did a wonderful job of giving all of her characters a unique voice.

While The Devil’s Metal wasn’t really what I was expected it was one hell of a ride nonetheless, and one that I was more than happy to be on. This has definitely wet my appetite for Ms. Halle’s writing and I can’t wait to get going on her EIT series.