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Black Metal

By: Sean-Michael Argo
Narrated by: Phillip J. Mather
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Publisher's summary

The race of Orcs are the last remnants of an ancient and brutal world that has been left behind by the civilizations of man, Dwarf, and Elf. The marauding Orcs find themselves under attack by an alliance bent on purging the world of its savage past in order to make room for a new age of peace and growth. Under the guidance of their shamanic leader a barbaric tribe of Orcs fight back, joined by trolls and goblins as they struggle to survive a journey of self-discovery and holocaust. Beset upon all sides by countless enemies, the horde forges the ancient weapons of a dark god to launch the final campaign on a world no longer their own.

©2014 Sean-Michael Argo (P)2016 Sean-Michael Argo
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What listeners say about Black Metal

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    5 out of 5 stars
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A fantasy novel as told by the other side

Would you consider the audio edition of Black Metal to be better than the print version?

Did not read the printed version

What did you like best about this story?

I loved the fact that this book primarily focused on the orcs

What about Phillip J. Mather’s performance did you like?

Phillip J. Mather did really great job with the narration

Any additional comments?

I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the author, narrator, or publisher

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

History of the Orcs

Sean-Michael Argo did a great job in creating a world that I had not seen described this way before. It was a good take from the way they have been described in the past. They are struggling in a world of Elves, Humans, Goblins and Trolls to preserve their way of life. They will fight to the death until all enemies are defeated.

It was a quick listen and enjoyed it in one setting. If you like stories of the people in the Realms of Fantasy, this is a must read.

"This review copy audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost."

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

A fantasy novel as told by the other side.

What did you love best about Black Metal?

I loved the fact that this book primarily focused on the orcs and to a lesser extent their goblin and troll allies. Usually in fantasy novels, it is told by the traditional "good guys," the elves, humans or dwarves. This put you in the headspace of the darker races of fantasy lore.

I also really liked how they turned things on their head where orcs were an "ancient race" as were trolls and goblins. This is again different from the standard trope of "ancient elves."

What other book might you compare Black Metal to and why?

I honestly cannot think of one.

Which scene was your favorite?

I really enjoyed the final battle. I only wish it had turned out differently!

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

I think actually there were many moments. There was nothing singular. Again, being put in the headspace of the traditional bad guy "monsters" of the story let the author and therefore the reader explore a very different side of the old familiar coin. This was fresh and deeply interesting.

Any additional comments?

“This audiobook was given by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review via Audiobook Boom.”

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Wow, full tilt Orc rampage!

When a tribe of Orcs return from a raid on a human town, they find their tribe has been slaughtered by dwarves. This starts a chain of events that brings civilization to the brink of destruction, since the Orcs are willing to do anything for vengeance, including releasing their mad god from his centuries long captivity! These orcs arent some wimpy Peter Jackson LOTR Orcs, they are immortal killing machines! Its a great change of pace seeing the story from the "villains" perspective, to see persecution is in the eye of the beholder. Well plotted, with really creative characters, and with narration that gives the story real punch, this is a must listen for fans of dark fantasy!

I was voluntarily given a review copy of this audiobook by the Author, Narrator of Publisher through Audiobookboom.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Great book

Overall this book is a good read for anyone into the fantasy genre. It was not my absolute favorite however if you need something to read feel free to open up this book and read/listen to it.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

War of the Orcs...

Any additional comments?


Adventure, War and Cunning Orcs.

This fantasy novel is told from the Orcs point of view.

Its an interesting take and angle, considering Orcs have been the "bad guys" in the past.

However, in this world, the Orcs have well thought out goals, feelings, and developed thought process, no stereotypical mindless hate in this book.

This book contains strong violence and language that may be offensive to some readers.

Overall a very interesting fantasy novel.


Phillip J. Mather did really well with the narration.

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"This audio book was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review."

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Epic Fantasy from an Orc perspective!

Wow, what a great fantasy story from a very different perspective than one I was expecting. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in fantasy or even wants a primer on orc culture and social interaction. I feel I have been given an education in a culture that has never been shown to me until now. I will never watch “The Lord of the Rings” series the same way after reading this story. I never liked orcs in previous fantasy stories I read as they were always brainless and cruel, however the author may change your mind about these creatures after hearing his tale.

Sean-Michael Argo writes a high-fantasy story covering more than a century of time. This world has the standard fantasy tropes one would expect in a fantasy story like humans, dwarves, elves, goblins, trolls, and of course orcs. What makes this story unique is that it is written from the point of view of a marauding orc tribe as the hoard battles across the territory in search of a specific goal; it’s a surprise so go and read the book. The book also contains some magic, wizards, however it is mostly focused on the brutality of the hoarding mentality of orcs. I also liked how the author gave these often perceived vicious creatures’ emotions and feelings. We see that these creatures even have long-term goals and aspirations. As I said earlier, I will never look at an orc the same way after reading this story.

The author does a good job of pacing the story and the action by including some past cut scenes or backstory to help relieve the tension experienced during the journey. The story takes about 225 pages to tell, however when you are done it feels like a journey of over 1000 pages. The story is very concise with little fluff, which in many ways this is difficult to accomplish. Did I want more? Yes. Did I feel the author short changed me to get me to buy another book? Not at all. I was well satisfied with what I read in this book.

Although the book does contain some graphic violence, like that of other well-known fantasy stories, it is not over the top or highly descriptive. I also want to commend the author for writing a story that does not contain any vulgar language. It seems like it is more difficult to find books and authors capable to telling a story without resorting to foul language. Because of these two points, I would say that the book is rather safe for a teenager to consume and enjoy, and yet the story is rich and deep enough for adults. It is not written as a YA book; however, it could be used as one.

With regard to the book’s narration based on the audiobook version, let me first say that I was unsure if I was going to enjoy the book when I first started it. If you have the same feeling when you start the book, I beg you to continue until the end. I often find myself listening to books at 1.25x their original speed. When I started to listen to the book at is original pace (1x), I found that I could better enjoy the story and was not rushed to get through it. Mr. Mather’s voice is deep, rich, and after completing this book I would not want my orcs to sound any different. I have a feeling that every story containing orcs that I see or read will have Mr. Mather’s voice attached to it from here on out. He currently has over 104 titles narrated on Audible, and I would believe they are all as well narrated as this one.

Great job both of you for taking me on a journey full of adventure, magic, and mayhem.

This book was provided to the reviewer by the author, narrator, or publisher in exchange for a non-bias review.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Like forgotten realms from the view of an Orc

The story was great. Dungeons and dragons style story from the view of the orcs. Loved it. I had heard another novel by Mather that was a children's/young adult. His voice was MUCH better suited to this story. His voice had the perfect gruff gravel tone to it that one would imagine for an orcs voice. The tale was well written and
Well read. These two made a great pair. I look forward to more from both. Swords sorcery goblins trolls and humans and orcish intrigue. Great stuff! I received this audiobook from the author narrator or publisher for free via audiobookboom in exchange for an unbiased review

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

I never thought I would feel bad for orcs.

Where does Black Metal rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Probably in the 50th percentile, I have many audiobooks and so that is actually saying something.

What other book might you compare Black Metal to and why?

There are not many books that I have read that have to deal with orcs of this caliber. Probably a mix of Lord of the rings and Eragon. You have all the races of Lord of the Rings, mixed with magic I found to be more a part of Eragon.

Which scene was your favorite?

By and far the last scene of the book was my favorite as well as my least favorite. There were things that saddened me, but the battle was the best in the book.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

My most extreme reaction was probably shock, because the timeframe of the book was much longer than I had anticipated. There was a part in the book that said how much time had passed and I was very surprised.

Any additional comments?

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Perspective Matters

What did you like best about this story?

Learning about the Orcs history

Any additional comments?

I received this audiobook for free through Audiobook Boom for my unbiased review.

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