Punk has never been so horrific!

Noter: Even though this is Book 2, it works fine as a stand alone story.

I had a lot of fun with this short tale. Joey is all about appreciating the music. He doesn’t want to get caught up in the haters, those that point and laugh at people for not being punk enough. And how punk is punk? Who has the definition of punk down anyway? The spikes and clothespins wearers? The classic punks? How about the new age punk smash ups? No, not Joey. He doesn’t care as long as the punk music rocks his soul.

Unfortunately, there’s Doc Martin heckling him, other patrons (especially those Star Wars t-shirt wearing fans), and the band. It’s a dark, seedy locale but the patrons don’t care about that. It’s just the right atmosphere for a truly punkish night. Joey is determined to not let Doc Martin ruin his night.

And then things get messy. Really messy! I was enjoying the story even as I waited for the gorefest to begin. This isn’t my first Brian Barr rodeo, so I knew it was just around the corner. Barr does not disappoint! Joey experiences the most horrendous night of his life.

The ending loosely ties back to Metal Magic but works fine for a stand alone tale. 5/5 stars.

I received a free copy of this book.

The Narration: Rick Gregory was a perfect match for this story. He makes a great Joey, a guy who’s just trying to mind his own business and enjoy the music. He also makes a great Doc Martin, having an older gruff voice for this obnoxious character. Gregory’s enjoyment of the the final gorefest came through as well. There were no technical issues with this recording. 5/5 stars.

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Talk about your thrash metal!

Barr came up with an interesting concept in Metal Magic one, a guitar grimoire, that was laced with impossible chords, and numerous magic spells. He literally made me hope that he was going to do a follow up to that tale, as it ended on a downer for the main character. As a reader, it was spectacular. So, when I saw this was coming out I was thrilled.

Now, my only real complaint is that this is more of a filler story. The first one was a lot longer, and went into far more depth character and background-wise. This story is brief, and while it is edgey and fun, it feels like there isn't as much meat on its bones as its predecessor. I was hoping for more story, and the way this ends there is an easy way for a third more substanative tale to come. I hope that is the case, as this is a grand concept with tons of potential. The writing is slick, Barr knows how to craft a tale, and the ramifications of his stories often go deeper than you might think at first. He makes this a fun and interesting read, but it leaves you wanting more. It feels like that thing skinny people talk about. . . .empty calories. So I sincerely hope that he continues this with more oomph next time.

Rick Gregory goes with Barr like chocolate and peanut butter, like peas and carrots, like soup and crackers. He knows how to read Barr's work, and bring it to animated life. He does incredible voice work, and is smooth and a pleasure to listen to, even as he describes an evisceration. I really enjoy Gregory's work. You will too.

Barr is a great story teller, and has the paranormal genre in his pocket. If you love freaky X-File type stuff then this is the guy to go to; he matched Aleister Crowley and H.P. Lovecraft together in a story that fit together like puzzle pieces edged with super glue. Don't miss out, the story might be short, but the creativity hasn't been spared. Even though I did receive a promo code for this review it in no way influenced my considerations of the material, and in fact, inspired me to be more honest. In fact, getting a code generally makes me harsher as a reviewer as I am more often concerned what someone like Me will decide based on my review.

If this review helped, please press the YES below. Thank you immensely!!!

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3 people found this helpful

Still feeling the metal and the magic!

What’s better than heavy metal and magic? More of it! So glad this volume 2 adds to the series.

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1 person found this helpful

Punk Time

Well, I’m 45, wearing a Star Wars shirt and have a beer belly. I also like classic punk music, so I guess I will stay away from concerts until someone gets rid of the magic music book!

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2 people found this helpful

short but loved it

I was given this free review copy audio book at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

This was a short follow up to Metal Magic, a metal-themed and humorous horror story. Basically, this book has a Punk musician finding the magic book and rearranging the chords to fit his style of music. This results in different effects from the first book which was interesting. For what it is, this is pretty entertaining.

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1 person found this helpful

Beware the Death Metal Grimoires... Part 2

This is a standalone sequel to 'Metal Magic', and is filled with even more of the madness and destruction brought on by the Death Metal Grimoires. Having listened to the entire trilogy, I found I enjoyed this one the least. It's not a bad story, but being the shortest of the trilogy prevented it from being on the same level as the other two. Barr cranks the gore and destruction up as befits a good sequel, and succeeds in expanding on the unexpected (and unpleasant) consequences of tampering with the Death Metal Grimoires. Rick Gregory does a solid job narrating, although he suffers from an uneven delivery from time to time.

'Metal Magic' is still my favorite, but 'Punk Pandemonium' is a worthy follow up.


I received a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

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1 person found this helpful

Old OG fan boys are the worst

Since this story is so short there isn’t much to it. I found that what it did have to offer was quite fun. Growing up we didn’t have hipsters but in contrast to this story we had posers. Listening to this story I remembered going to shows in those grimy venues where you had your hardcore fans who listened to “underground” music, those who were “mainstream”, and those who were just posers trying to fit in to a group where they didn’t belong. This story brought back all those memories in Doc Mart’s dialogue.
The story takes place in that grimy venue and is mostly about Joey and Doc Mart hanging out smoking a cig. Played out exactly like most drunken conversations at these places do. When they move back inside to listen to the band Joey changes. The story from there goes all Deathgasm.
Someone put into writing a small snippet of a conversation at a small venue concert and it is fabulous. This really brought back the memories of small venue show to me. Everything about this story was what I wanted to hear and needed to hear. Haven’t heard Metal Magic part 1, but this by itself was well worth it.
Rick Gregory is a marvelous narrator. I love his ability to turn on a gritty voice for certain characters and read the others with a completely different energy. I hated Doc Mart and Rick made him real.
I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the author, narrator, or publisher.

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5 people found this helpful

Short And Nostalgic

All my life I have enjoyed a wide variety of music genres, sometimes in phases, and I have always enjoyed the liberty to listen to whatever I wanted to at the time. However, there have also been those “purists,” or “true fans”’of certain genres that despised people like me who can just listen to whatever was playing and appreciate the music. In this story, that situation is explored with twisted results.

Joey is enjoying the punk music of a new local band at a club. Unfortunately, he keeps running into people who criticize him, his taste in music and fashion, and the band on stage. Magically, a form of justice is doled out to the jerks who have been giving him grief. Meanwhile, Greg, from the previous story, continues to dabble
In the tome that cost him so much throughout his life.

Though short, I liked this story. It made for a pleasant, if creepy, commute to work.

Rick Gregory does fine with character voices but has to polish the prose, or non-dialogue, reading. Not too bad overall though.

I received this book free in exchange for an honest review.

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1 person found this helpful