--- product_id: 32191796 title: "Running with the Devil: Power, Gender, and Madness in Heavy Metal Music (Music / Culture)" price: "€ 62.50" currency: EUR in_stock: true reviews_count: 7 url: https://www.desertcart.pt/products/32191796-running-with-the-devil-power-gender-and-madness-in-heavy store_origin: PT region: Portugal --- # Running with the Devil: Power, Gender, and Madness in Heavy Metal Music (Music / Culture) **Price:** € 62.50 **Availability:** ✅ In Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** Running with the Devil: Power, Gender, and Madness in Heavy Metal Music (Music / Culture) - **How much does it cost?** € 62.50 with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.pt](https://www.desertcart.pt/products/32191796-running-with-the-devil-power-gender-and-madness-in-heavy) ## Best For - Customers looking for quality international products ## Why This Product - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description A comprehensive musical, social, and cultural analysis of heavy metal music, with a new foreword and afterword Winner of the 1994 Irving Lowens Book Award from the Society for American Music Dismissed by critics and academics, condemned by parents and politicians, and fervently embraced by legions of fans, heavy metal music continues to attract and embody cultural conflicts that are central to society. In Running with the Devil, Robert Walser explores how and why heavy metal works, both musically and socially, and at the same time uses metal to investigate contemporary formations of identity, community, gender, and power. This edition includes a new foreword by Harris M. Berger contextualizing the work and a new afterword by the author. Review: Five Stars - Very good Book! Review: perhaps the best book on popular music written - Though obviously dated, this book may live up the grandiose subject line above. It has been many years since I've read it cover-to-cover, but I can generally sum up its strengths. It is comprehensive, sophisticated, and clear. Walser is an able academic but also a musician, and his detailed close reading of the music itself is breathtaking. And that is one element that distinguishes this book from most "canonical" rock criticism. Most rock critics of the early days (70s to early 90s) -- who lionize the punks and Bob Dylan -- were more students of culture than of music and really could tell very little about the details of how the music was composed and played. Any musician reading those critics could tell they knew little about actually playing or performing. This is not the case with Walser, an able student of culture AND music. Walser also gains by taking a balanced approach. He is a confessed fan of metal (again, it helps that he knows how to play the guitar). This may at first seem to make him less objective, but it doesn't for two reasons. First, Walser does not flinch from making legitimate critiques of metal (for sexism, etc. -- and rightly notes that many critics of metal make the bald, stupid assumption that sexism is unique to metal rather than recognizing the truth that it is rampant in alternative music, academia, and business). Second, his openness to the music enables his close understanding of it. Dismissals of metal by other scholars of rock music are uninformed because they have not paid attention to its musical complexity and richness. Walser does pay attention. An old book by this point, but a great example both of sound critical analysis of music culture AND of how an able scholar can convincingly demonstrate the closed-mindedness and simply bad thinking practiced by other critics. ## Technical Specifications | Specification | Value | |---------------|-------| | Best Sellers Rank | #786,530 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #3,026 in Popular Culture in Social Sciences #3,050 in Cultural Anthropology (Books) #8,590 in Sociology Reference | | Customer Reviews | 4.2 out of 5 stars 38 Reviews | ## Images ![Running with the Devil: Power, Gender, and Madness in Heavy Metal Music (Music / Culture) - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51BtSfMrLoL.jpg) ## Available Options This product comes in different **Media Format** options. ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Five Stars *by C***Z on March 25, 2018* Very good Book! ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ perhaps the best book on popular music written *by M***R on June 20, 2014* Though obviously dated, this book may live up the grandiose subject line above. It has been many years since I've read it cover-to-cover, but I can generally sum up its strengths. It is comprehensive, sophisticated, and clear. Walser is an able academic but also a musician, and his detailed close reading of the music itself is breathtaking. And that is one element that distinguishes this book from most "canonical" rock criticism. Most rock critics of the early days (70s to early 90s) -- who lionize the punks and Bob Dylan -- were more students of culture than of music and really could tell very little about the details of how the music was composed and played. Any musician reading those critics could tell they knew little about actually playing or performing. This is not the case with Walser, an able student of culture AND music. Walser also gains by taking a balanced approach. He is a confessed fan of metal (again, it helps that he knows how to play the guitar). This may at first seem to make him less objective, but it doesn't for two reasons. First, Walser does not flinch from making legitimate critiques of metal (for sexism, etc. -- and rightly notes that many critics of metal make the bald, stupid assumption that sexism is unique to metal rather than recognizing the truth that it is rampant in alternative music, academia, and business). Second, his openness to the music enables his close understanding of it. Dismissals of metal by other scholars of rock music are uninformed because they have not paid attention to its musical complexity and richness. Walser does pay attention. An old book by this point, but a great example both of sound critical analysis of music culture AND of how an able scholar can convincingly demonstrate the closed-mindedness and simply bad thinking practiced by other critics. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Heavy Metal Gets Its Due *by B***H on December 7, 2004* I'm currently taking a class on cultural anthropology right now, and as a huge music buff / budding musician, I found this gem while searching the racks at my university. Not only did it help me to realize the cultural biases surrounding a type of music that I am fond of, but also expand my mind in terms of musical application, song construction, and the true inspiration for some of Heavy Metal's greatest classics. Walser knows exactly what he's talking about, from the perspectives of a particpant in the culture, a trained and educated musician, and a cultural anthropologist. Great reading, would make a great reference for any study on cultural misunderstandings about music, or even something interesting to give you a break from working through all those instructional books and tablature. --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.pt/products/32191796-running-with-the-devil-power-gender-and-madness-in-heavy](https://www.desertcart.pt/products/32191796-running-with-the-devil-power-gender-and-madness-in-heavy) --- *Product available on Desertcart Portugal* *Store origin: PT* *Last updated: 2026-10-22*