A History of God by Karen Armstrong

When the Koran used anthropomorphic terms to describe God's activity in the world or when it said that God "speaks" and "sees" and "sits upon his throne," Ibn Hanbal insisted that it be interpreted literally buy "without asking how" (bila kayf)... Ibn Hanbal was stressing the essential ineffability of the divine, which lay beyonf the reach of all logic and conceptual analysis - A History of God, pp 165.

---------------------------------------
Neither Kalam nor Falsafah could satisfy somebody who was in danger of losing his faith, as Al-Ghazali himself was brought to the brink of skepticism when he realized that it was absolutely impossible to prove God's existence beyond reasonable doubt.

Al-Ghazali joined the sufis for 10 years (without abandoning his reason intellect -and avoiding the more extravagant forms of Sufism). He found that the religious experience was the only way of verifying a reality that lay beyond the reach of the human intellect and cerebral process. - A History of God pp 188-190
-----------------------------------
 
To the philosophers, "God is wise" is insufficient because the wiseness is comparable to the creation. So they use in the negative, "God is NOT wise", as in the wise is not the wise as human understood. Moving on, they conclude by, "God is more than wise", because we do not understand what "more than wise" can possibly mean.

God of the philosophers is for the elite, needs certain level of IQ. If unsuitable people attempted these mental disciplines they could become seriously ill and develop all kinds of psychological disorders. This is also true with Kalam.

Hence, the philosophers believed that Falsafah was the most advanced form of religious knowledge and the royal road to God. Everybody else should take the Koran at face value and read it only literally. -A History of God pp 192-196.

-----------------------------------------------------
Sufi/mistik adalah mereka adalah golongan yang mahu 'merasa' pengalaman 'berinteraksi' dengan Tuhan sebagaimana Nabi s.a.w. menerima wahyu dengan menggunakan disiplin dan teknik tertentu yang termasuk berpuasa, ibadat malam dan zikir. Oleh kerana 'merasa' itu adalah pengalaman yang abstrak dan biasanya tidak rasional (di alam fana), maka dianjurkan supaya pengalaman itu diarah dan diawasi oleh mereka yang 'ada pengalaman' i.e. guru/mursyid supaya tidak tersasar (kembali ke alam baqa).

Kesan kepada amalan ini boleh membawa kepada kategori "drunken" sufi seperti Al-Hallaj (Ana al-Haq) atau "sober" sufi seperti Al-Junayd al-Baghdadi.

- A History of God, pp 226-227.

--------------------------------------------------
Kabbalah. The mystic of the Jews. God is unknowable, inconceiveable and impersonal. Hence the search of the 'hidden' Gid, En Sof which is not even mentioned in the Bible nor the Talmud. The Nameless One. The Kabbalists imagined a process whereby En Sof made himself known to humanity; manifested to the Jewish mystics under ten different aspects or 'sefiroth', depicted as a tree growing upside down (see pic). - A History of God pp 144-146.

-----------------------------
Rene Descartes (1596-1650) a scientist and an orthodox Catholic; saw no contradiction between faith and reason. There should be a system that would enable humanity to reach all truth. Nothing lay beyond its grasp. It is just a matter of putting the pieces together in a reliable body of knowledge that would disperse all confusion and ignorance towards God.

He totally ignored the mysterious and the mystical sides of the scripture which is essential for God to exist. Thus, the fallout is near. Soon, atheism - which originally defined as the "wrong" idea about God, not necessarily throwing away the "concept" of God, and used as a term to insult becomes the total rejection of God and worn with pride.

- A History of God pp 287-302.
---------------------------------------------------------
Jews, Muslims and Orthodox Christians had suggested, at one time or another, that it was more accurate to describe God as "Nothing" rather than the Supreme Being, since "he" did not exist in any way that we could conceive.

- A History of God pp 352.

------------------------------------------------ 

Muslims in the 18th and 19th century were engaged in a struggle to catch up with the West. Some saw Western secularism as the answer, but what was positive and invigorating in Europe could only seem alien and foreign in the Islamic world, since it had not developed naturally from their own tradition in its own time. In the West, God was seen as the voice of alienation; in the Muslim world it was the colonial process.

- A History of God pp 361.

--------------------
 

Membaca amalan mulia

Generasi Y seperti mereka dikatakan amatlah technology-savvy. Mereka sangat celik IT dan teknologi.

Walaupun begitu, selalu mereka bergaduh apabila disuruh berkongsi notebook ataupun XBox.

Saya mengambil keputusan yang lebih cerdik, menyimpan notebook dan XBox tersebut di dalam pejabat. Dan menggantikannya dengan buku.

Samada dibawa meminjam di perpustakaan atau membeli di kedai buku.

Hasilnya positif. Tiada lagi pergaduhan dan perebutan.

Cuma duit keluar lebih sikit. Tidak mengapa kerana ia akan dibalas dengan pahala.

PUNK ROCK - Di Sebalik Fesyen & Muzik Bising

Recommended. I finished reading it in 2 days. Bukan kerana nipis tetapi menarik.

Full review on KARISMA Feb 2012.

Buku: METALION The Slayer Mag Diaries

Tiga individu ini; Dead (Morbid/Mayhem), Euronymous (Mayhem) dan Jon Nodveidt (Dissection) mempunyai persamaan. Mereka telah meninggal dunia dan mereka adalah antara individu yang penting bagi penulis diari ini, Metalion. Namundi antara ketiga-tiga mereka ini, kematian Dead adalah paling disesali oleh beliau. Argumen beliau ialah Euronymous mati dibunuh oleh Varg (Burzum)sementara Jon membunuh diri. Walaupun Dead juga mati kerana membunuh diri,namun situasi antara Jon dengan Dead adalah berbeza. Jon membunuh diri pada umur yang matang (30an) sedangkan Dead, pada umur remaja.

Pada beliau, Dead membunuh diri dalam keadaan dia tidak memahami realiti kehidupan. Dead memang ada cita-cita besar. Sekurang-kurangnya, dia ada cita-cita untuk berkarier di dalam muzik. Oleh sebab itu Dead sanggup berhijrah dari Sweden ke Norway dalam usia yang sangat muda. Band asal Dead, Morbid nampaknya seperti tidak akan kemana sedangkan potensi bersama Mayhem adalah lebih cerah. Tetapi, kehidupan beliau di Norway sangat daif. Dead hidup di dalam bangsal usang. Makan dan minum tidak dijaga. Akibat kehidupan beliau yang melarat itu, Dead mula bercita-cita untuk mati. Memang logik. Cuba kita bayangkan, umur yang muda tetapi sudah hidup melarat sebegitu. Metalion beranggapan kalau situasi itu berlaku sekarang, sudah tentu kehidupan Dead akan dibantu sedaya upaya. Cita-cita Dead untuk mati pastinya akan dihalang. Namun, saat itu bukan sahaja Dead tidak faham akan realiti kehidupan, bahkan mereka yang berada di sekelilingnya, termasuklah Metalion sendiri.

Itu adalah antara kisah yang menyayat hati di dalam ‘diari’ ini. Metalion, sekarang sudah melepasi umur 40 tahun dan telah mengakhiri sejarah beliau bersama fanzine Metal tersohor, Slayer Mag, menutup tirai selepas isu yang ke-20. Beliau menyelami kembali saat awal beliau di dalam scene Metal Norway tetapi dengan pandangan dan kacamata seorang yang telah berinteraksi dengan kehidupan. Ia ditulis dengan emosi dan jujur. Apa yang dipegangnya satu ketika dahulu belum tentu dipegangnya ketika ini. Itulah yang dikatakan kematangan.

Format buku yang mempunyai lebih dari 700 mukasurat ini menarik. Ia memuatkan kesemua isu Slayer Mag dari no 1 hinggalah ke no 20. Ia bermula dengan fanzine beliau yang pertama, iaitu Live Wire pada tahun 1983 yang lebih kepada muzik Heavy Metal. Isu pertama Slayer Mag diterbitkan pada tahun 1985 dan berakhir dengan isu 20 pada bulan Disember 2010. Anekdot beliau diselitkan pada setiap isu; apa yang berlaku ketika itu, perasaan beliau dan refleksi beliau terhadap sesuatu isu. Ini yang menjadikan ia sangat menarik. Untuk mereka yang tidak pernah memiliki Slayer Mag, sekarang peluangnya untuk memiliki keseluruhan isu. Sebaliknya untuk mereka yang sudah memilikinya, masih tetap menarik untuk membaca ‘diari’ yang ditulis oleh Metalion.

Buku ini bukan saja baik untuk peminat muzik ekstrim Metal bahkan juga kepada mereka yang mahu mengkaji apakah sebenarnya muzik ini. Di sebalik keganasan dan ke-brutal-an, muzik ini dan juga peminatnya, masih ada nilai-nilai sanity dan kemanusian. Mana mungkin manusia itu berpura-pura kerana manusia sudah tentunya dicipta dengan spesifikasi tertentu yang tidak dapat diubah. Buku ini membuktikannya.

Kinokuniya invasion

Takde la invasion sangat walaupun nafsu tinggi. Poket tak berapa dalam. Banyak lagi buku dalam Kino tu sekadar belek-belek saja. Buku Tony Iommi pun ada tapi sebab dah baca Ozzy, boleh tangguh dulu buku tu.

Ulasan apabila buku habis dibaca.

1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die (2011 edition)
Film lovers seeking critical guidance more discerning than daily newspaper reviews but less daunting than scholarly journal articles depend on a handful of critics who write about rarefied films for a general audience. 1001 Movies You Must See before You Die puts a user-friendly mask on the serious thought animating its effort to create a roster of indispensable films and rather belies the erudition of its well-qualified contributors. The chosen 1,001 are chronologically listed, from the surreal sf short A Trip to the Moon (1902) to Russian Ark and chicago (both 2002). This list has been compiled with an eye to historical importance and popular acclaim, which explains the presence of such critically suspect crowd-pleasers as Saturday Night Fever, Top Gun, and E.T. Since Chantal Akerman's nearly four-hour Jeanne Dielman and the Czech psychedelic farce Sedmikrasky (Daisies) also appear, it can't, however, be accused of pandering to popular taste. Attractive design, incorporating stills from most chosen titles, makes the volume a browser's delight as well as a useful guide for casual viewers and film buffs alike. Gordon Flagg
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Crazy Train: The High Life And Tragic Death Of Randy Rhoads
Randall Rhoads, born in California in 1956 and cut down in his prime at the age of only 26, has been an immense influence on a whole generation of musicians in rock and metal. He first came to international prominence in 1979, when he was recruited from the cult metal band Quiet Riot to play with Ozzy Osbourne, who had been fired from Black Sabbath for his drink and drug addictions and was in urgent need of a co-writer to kickstart a solo career. How and why Ozzy and Randy went on to find enormous success is one of the key themes of "Crazy Train", named after the first and most famous Osbourne/Rhoads co-composition. It was Randy's pioneering combination of neo-classical soloing, catchy riffage and unforgettable songwriting which propelled Ozzy to stardom in his own right - even after thousands of Black Sabbath fans had written him off. The two albums which Randy recorded with Quiet Riot and the two with Ozzy showcase the young guitarist's immense ability, although the full extent of his talent may never have been revealed. In 1982 he died in an air crash, the victim of the pilot's cocaine-influenced misjudgment. The parallels between "Crazy Train" and the author's best-selling "To Live Is To Die: The Life And Death Of Cliff Burton" (Jawbone 2009) are intentional and obvious. Both books deal with a musical prodigy who died tragically in his mid-20s; both men have a vast following and a profile which has risen and risen in the years since their deaths; and both men have a large coterie of friends, family and associates prepared to tell their stories for the very first time.

Appetite for Destruction: Legendary Encounters with Mick Wall
Whether it's hanging around with Marillion's Fish or talking through old times with Led Zeppelin's Jimmy Page, there isn't a rock luminary that journalist Mick Wall hasn't dealt with over the last 30+ years. "Appetite for Destruction" gathers together Wall's writings from Kerrang!, with profiles on Metallica, Guns N' Roses, and other heavy hitters. It also features new introductions to all the pieces, written with the benefit of 20 years' hindsight.

Buku alternatif (underground) - SEMBANG KENCANG II & CERITA MALAYSIA TIDAK KE PIALA DUNIA

Gambar cilok dari Sembang Kencang.

Saya tak baca novel. I tried. Baca novel Stephen King tapi tak habis. Mungkin cerita tak best. Atau mungkin saya memang takde drive nak baca novel ni. Mungkin I'm lack of imaginations. Atau mungkin imaginations tu saya telah salurkan kepada minat saya bermain muzik.

Tapi saya suka membaca. Preference saya lebih kepada non-fiction. Terutamanya sejarah dan autobiaografi.

Cuma kadang-kadang saya baca karya alternatif (underground) yang dicetak secara DIY. Lebih dekat pada jiwa. Antaranya 28 Hari Jurnal Rock N Roll dan Cerita Piala Dunia.

Baru-baru ini penulis Cerita Piala Dunia telah merilis sebuah lagi buku yang menarik bertajuk Cerita Malaysia Tidak Ke Piala Dunia. Saya ada niat untuk membelinya kerana buku yang sebelum ini memang menarik. Perspektif beliau berbeza.

Kemudian, lagi seorang penulis Sembang Kencang telah menerbitkan volume ke-2 karya beliau. Saya tidak pernah membaca yang pertama. Saya harap, akan datang apabila beliau singgah ke rumah untuk makan Nasi Arab, beliau boleh bawa senaskah sebagai hadiah hari ulangtahun perkahwinan saya yang akan datang. Oh lupa, buku beliau bertajuk Sembang Kencang II. Trivia - beliau adalah ex-UTP (student).

Autobiografi wish list!

Buku-buku ini sudah ada dalam shopping cart Amazon.com. Cuma tak berapa nak cukup fulus nak teruskan ke check out.

Trust Me, I'm Dr. Ozzy: Advice from Rock's Ultimate Survivor

Wondering if science could explain how he survived his 40-year avalanche of drugs and alcohol, Ozzy Osbourne became one of a handful of people in the world to have his entire DNA mapped in 2010. It was a highly complex, $65,000 process, but the results were conclusive: Ozzy is a genetic anomaly. The "Full Ozzy Genome" contained variants that scientists had never before encountered and the findings were presented at the prestigious TEDMED Conference in San Diego-making headlines around the world. The procedure was in part sponsored by The Sunday Times of London, which had already caused an international fururoe by appointing Ozzy Osbourne its star health advice columnist. The newpaper argued that Ozzy's mutliple near-death experiences, 40-year history of drug abuse, and extreme hypocondria qualified him more than any other for the job. The column was an overnight hit, being quickly picked up by Rolling Stone to give it a global audience of millions. In TRUST ME, I'M DR. OZZY, Ozzy answers reader's questions with his outrageous wit and surprising wisdom, digging deep into his past to tell the memoir-style survival stories never published before-and offer guidance that no sane human being should follow. Part humor, part memoir, and part bad advice, TRUST ME, I'M DR. OZZY will include some of the best material from his published columns, answers to celebrities' medical questions, charts, sidebars, and more.

Iron Man: My Journey through Heaven and Hell with Black Sabbath

Iron Man chronicles the story of both pioneering guitarist Tony Iommi and legendary band Black Sabbath, dubbed “The Beatles of heavy metal” by Rolling Stone. Iron Man reveals the man behind the icon yet still captures Iommi’s humor, intelligence, and warmth. He speaks honestly and unflinchingly about his rough-and-tumble childhood, the accident that almost ended his career, his failed marriages, personal tragedies, battles with addiction, band mates, famous friends, newfound daughter, and the ups and downs of his life as an artist.Everything associated with hard rock happened to Black Sabbath first: the drugs, the debauchery, the drinking, the dungeons, the pressure, the pain, the conquests, the company men, the contracts, the combustible drummer, the critics, the comebacks, the singers, the Stonehenge set, the music, the money, the madness, the metal.

KISS: Behind the Mask - The Official Authorized Biography

With its combination of cartoonish monster-movie makeup and oversized costumes, ear-splitting amplification and gleeful songs in praise of sex, heavy metal rock legend Kiss has never been accused of not being excessive, and this book is a great example of why it is still a multimillion-dollar profit-making machine. While this book covers much of the same biographical territory as Gene Simmons's Kiss and Make-Up and Kisstory (the band's self-published 440-page coffee-table-sized tome), the authorized bio presents more than enough new material to make it essential for hardcore fans. Much of the book's first half presents a previously unpublished work based on the only in-depth interviews the band gave in 1980. The result is a remarkably humanizing look behind the heavy metal tomfoolery, with Simmons more honestly discussing his Jewish upbringing than he does in his autobiography, and the rest of the band disarmingly admitting to borrowing from the glam-rocker New York Dolls as well as the Harlem Globetrotters. The book's second half, however, is the true highlight for Kiss fans: a comprehensive look at all of the Kiss albums ever made. Among the surprises is the praise of noted producer Eddie Kramer, a close associate of Jimi Hendrix, for the band's no-nonsense work ethic. Of note are Kiss's hilariously guileless quotes, such as the admission that another producer "made a point of trying to get us to stop writing songs about getting laid, which was valid. But he needed to understand that's all we ever did."


Life on Planet Rock: From Guns N' Roses to Nirvana, a Backstage Journey through Rock's Most Debauched Decade

 In this nomadic, at times humbling memoir, former RIP magazine editor Friend recalls a quarter-century spent as a ringleader in the music industry circus. From the early 1980s to the late '90s, Friend enjoyed an insiders' perch for some of rock's greatest moments—he worked as a DJ, a rock journalist, editor of heavy metal's most popular magazine and had a segment on MTV. In energetic prose he invites readers along on bonding experiences like golf dates with Alice Cooper and riding in private jets with Kiss, as well as exposing moments of professional soul-searching at the hands of Metallica's Lars Ulrich and Pearl Jam. Remarkably, Friend's narrative maintains an even keel, whether he's being ignored by Kurt Cobain or wooed by Gene Simmons, and he candidly portrays the compromised, often confusing role of the rock journalist, constantly teetering between friend and patsy. The most enlightening part of the book is Friend's brief, failed stint as an A&R man, when the journalist who made a career on megabands staked his A&R career on the Bogmen, a quirky but brilliant New York outfit, and even made a run at Eels. Through success, excess and failure, music fans will enjoy Friend's anecdotes and his clear-eyed, hardly jaded view of the industry.

And Speaking of Scorpions...: Autobiography of Former Scorpions Drummer Herman "Ze German" Rarebell

Defying odds longer than that of Arcangues winning the 1993 Breeder’s Cup Classic horse race, the Scorpions rose to rock and roll royalty from relative obscurity in Hannover, West Germany during the late 1970’s and early 1980’s. Herman Rarebell, aka Herman “Ze German”, was part of it all. More than just a drummer, Herman’s additional input through his imaginative and inspired songwriting was conceivably the key ingredient and missing component that led to their rise to prominence while most of those in the so-called “know” said they were only kidding themselves. Dieter Dierks, the long time producer of the Scorpions says: Herman was an integral part in the development of that which eventually became known as the classic Scorpions sound. Music all starts with the drummer. Not many people realize this. However, if you look at the “success” of the group, or, perhaps more appropriately, the lack thereof, prior to the arrival of Herman “Ze German” as well as that which has eluded them since his departure, I think you can see exactly how pivotal his role was within the band. However, there is much more here than just the ordinary, self-glorifying chronicle of a man’s life. This book is anything but that. Shrewdly concealed within this autobiography is not only what can be considered the quintessential, definitive history of arguably the greatest band of their era, but also a masterful weaving of some of the most entertaining wit, whimsy and sage wisdom ever shared within the covers of a simple book. Sure to be considered a masterpiece by those who have a love of tongue in cheek irony and satire not to mention great storytelling, it raises the bar for such offerings to a decidedly new level. With his endless anecdotes and tales, Herman draws the lines that led to the group’s ascension to the Mount Olympus of rock music, while his co-writer, Michael Krikorian, clearly lends his assistance to color them in providing more hues and tones than Crayola ever put in a box of crayons. Together they set a table and serve up a banquet of sarcasm and memories truly fit for a king! (The King of Monaco to be precise.) There are no sacred cherubs spared from the harpoon of a master yarn-spinner as the puns, innuendo and endless wordplay are meant to entertain and lampoon much of the history not only of an incredible band but also of a generation. Though having none of the calories but plenty of the guilt, the frankness and honesty expressed upon each sinfully delicious page will never spoil your appetite but only leave you yearning for more.

Buku: The Great War for Civilisation: The Conquest of the Middle East

Semasa di Lehigh University, buku ini telah menemani saya di waktu keseorangan. Saya mengenali nama Robert Fisk melalui akhbar Harakah yang satu masa dahulu menjadi bacaan tetap saya. Sebenarnya, saya membeli akhbar Harakah semata-mata mahu membaca seksyen berbahasa Inggeris yang saya lihat lebih bermanfaat (kerana Harakah adalah akhbar politik) yang tidak disiarkan oleh akhbar perdana.

Robert Fisk biasanya akan menulis mengenai apa yang berlaku di negara-negara Arab. Dan biasanya laporan dan komentari beliau sangat terus terang. Beliau tidak segan-segan mengkritik negara Barat. Hampir-hampir saya menyangka beliau adalah seorang Islam (tetapi mengekalkan nama Inggeris).

Buku setebal 1300 m/s ini merupakan koleksi laporan dan komentari beliau terhadap apa yang berlaku di negara Arab. Semua negara-negara Arab yang menghadapi konflik sehingga tahun 2005, beliau ada pengalaman khusus mengenainya, kerana beliau adalah wartawan yang membuat laporan dari medan pertempuran.

Beliau mengkritik tindakan Barat yang dilihat sebagai mempunyai agenda tidak baik. Namun pada masa yang sama beliau juga mengkritik tindakan negara-negara Arab yang tidak kurang tidak baiknya. Dengan lain perkataan, tiada satu pun yang menang pada pandangan beliau.

Walaupun beliau membuat laporan tentang konflik dan peperangan, beliau sendiri adalah anti-perang. Menyaksikan dengan mata kepala sendiri dalam medan peperangan meyakinkan lagi pegangan anti-perang beliau.

Tulisan dan komentari beliau sangat detail dan komprehensif. Sejarah peperangan yang ditulis beliau seolah-olah berada di hujung jari, ditulis dengan flow yang cantik dan mudah. Tetapi ini bukanlah bahan bacaan yang ringan. Anda perlu ada keinginan tulen untuk mengetahui apa yang sebenarnya berlaku di negara-negara Arab. Jika tidak, membaca tulisan kecil pada setiap helaian buku ini akan menjadi beban.

Saya hanya sempat membaca pada mukasurat 500, selepas sebulan setengah mengadap buku ini sebelum berangkat pulang ke Malaysia. Oleh kerana buku ini dipinjam dari perpustakaan Lehigh Uni, saya terpaksa memulangkannya, dengan berat hati. Saya berazam untuk menghabiskannya. Saya dapati buku ini ada dijual di MPH.

Buku : Membongkar Kesesatan Black Metal

Saya berkira-kira mahu menulis tentang muzik Metal di Malaysia. Perspektif saya mungkin lebih adil, kerana saya pernah bergelumang dengannya (mungkin masih lagi hahaha). Namun, orang lain (bukan Mat Metal) lebih laju menulisnya.

SINOPSIS
Walaupun isu mengenai Black Metal  sudah lama diperkatakan sejak dulu tetapi masih ramai yang tidak mengetahui secara mendalam tentang kumpulan itu. Kewujudan kumpulan songsang ini telah menggugat akidah dan pegangan agama kelompok anak muda di Barat. Kemunculan yang dicetuskan kerana kegelisahan jiwa serta kekontangan spiritual yang sedang melanda masyarakat di sana menular dan mengancam masyarakat kita.

Justeru, buku ini hadir bagi MEMBONGKAR KESESATAN BLACK METAL khususnya kepada masyarakat di Malaysia. Pendedahan benar tentang Black Metal yang anda perlu TAHU:

· Sejarah setan · Asal usul pemujaan setan

· Pengikut-pengikut setan · Kegilaan Black Metal

· Modus operandi Black Metal · Simbol Black Metal

· Setan-setan Black Metal · dan banyak lagi pendedahan terbuka

Bagi menghasilkan buku mengenai kesesatan Black Metal adalah tidak mudah. Banyak maklumat yang berkaitan dengan mereka tidak boleh didapati secara terbuka. Perihal mengenai permujaan setan adalah sesuatu yang cukup sulit dan ritual itu dijalankan secara rahsia sehingga di kalangan anggota mereka sendiri tidak mengetahuinya. Sesungguhnya isu Black Metal dan yang berkaitan dengannya adalah isu ummah yang tidak boleh dipandang enteng. Pembiakan dan penularan kumpulan ini perlu dihentikan!

Nevertheless, saya belum membacanya. Saya harap ianya lebih adil, terutamanya apabila membongkar tentang muzik ini di Malaysia. 

Yang pasti, Mat Metal pasti akan emosional membacanya dan saya jangkakan isu (buku) ini akan menjadi hangat dibincang (dikutuk) oleh Mat Metal di dalam facebook (walaupun mereka tak membacanya - atau membacanya dengan muka merah padam panas).

Buku: ONLY DEATH IS REAL: An Illustrated History of Hellhammer and Early Celtic Frost 1981–1985, by Tom Gabriel Fischer with Martin Eric Ain

HELLHAMMER adalah jelmaan awal CELTIC FROST. Reputasi band ini sebagai pembuka jalan kepada pelbagai subgenre muzik Metal memang tidak boleh dinafikan,

Buku ini diterbitkan oleh Bazillion Points, publisher yang sama yang menerbitkan buku Swedish Death Metal.

Size buku besar (lihat mug sebagai comparison).

Tom G Warrior di zaman remaja. Skateboard.

Zaman lepas sekolah la ni.

Buku ni padat dengan gambar-gambar yang diambil professionally dan juga amatur.

Ni dah glamer sikit.

Bahasa Tom G Warrior ni kelas dan tinggi walaupun dia lahir dan dibesarkan di Switzerland. Dan kadang-kadang berbunga-bunga. Mereka yang suka straight-to-the-point punya bahasa, mesti leceh nak baca buku ni.

Hardcover. Kulit belakang.

Buku: Swedish Death Metal

Lukisan oleh Nicke Andersson (ex-Entombed)

fuh... teringat 15 tahun dahulu..

Nak kenal Tomas Skogsberg? Tu dia gambar dia kat belah kanan. Pakcik yang clueless heheh...

Kebanyakan mukasurat ada tampal flyers dan cover demo.

Siapa ada simpan flyers ni?

Flyers page? Familiar?

Kat belakang buku ada listed semua band pure Death Metal dari Sweden. Maklumat ringkas je. Tapi bila tengok rasa nak dengar semua band yang tak pernah dengar.

Belakang buku.

Awal pusat Death Metal berada di Florida, USA yang ketika itu sudah terkenal dengan Morbid Angel, Death, Deicide dan Massacre. Ini tidak menghairankan kerana untuk beberapa lama, US sememangnya menjadi pusat bermulanya trend sesuatu muzik.

Tetapi Sweden? Bagaimana negara Scandinavia yang kecil ini boleh juga menjadi pusat muzik Death Metal dunia? Teori ini mungkin boleh digunapakai.

Sweden adalah sebuah negara yang kaya. Sesiapa yang ingin menubuhkan sebuah band, akan dapat melakukannya dengan hamper lengkap. Peralatan muzik dan bilik praktis hampir kesemuanya boleh disediakan oleh mana-mana Majlis Bandaran di Sweden. Bahkan di sesetengah tempat, band akan dibayar jika terlibat dengan aktiviti kesatuan muzik atau mahu merakamkan lagu-lagu mereka di dalam studio.

Dan Sweden sendiri adalah sebuah negara yang agak membosankan. Bandarnya tidaklah sebesar mana. Remaja yang tidak ada apa yang nak dibuat akan terlibat dengan dua benda – sukan ataupun muzik. Oleh sebab itu, band wujud di mana-mana. Disebabkan populasi yang kecil contohnya Gothenburg, bandaraya kedua terbesar di Sweden mempunyai penduduk ½ juta dan bandar-bandar biasa, 25,000; maka Sweden menjadi sebuah negara yang per kapita mempunyai nisbah band:penduduk yang tinggi.

--- tamat rumusan introduksi kepada buku ---

Ini boleh dijadikan alasan kenapa scene Malaysia tidak seperti atau tidak mungkin akan menyamai Sweden. Abang Devourment of Soul kena memiliki buku ini.

Doctor In The House #1 - Polygamy

He expressed about polygamy and he are against it. To him, polygamy is only valid when war occurred at which men were killed. The number of men is thus reduced. When there is no war, there is no need for polygamy. He argued that, there is no difference in numbers between the population of men and women in Malaysia. In summary, whoever married more than one, he argued, deprived of another man a chance to get married.

Unfortunately, there is no restriction on war about getting married more than one if we check from the sources (Al-Quran and al-Hadith). Interpretations differ though between the scholars. So I guess, it is open to interpretations. Those who want to have more wives, will do it anyways.

I know a person in Adelaide. He is a Lebanese descendant. At a country where marriage of more than one is not recognized, he has two wives. When asked about it - he responded quite sarcastically - yeah, it is better for us to have mistresses in the thousands rather than marry up to 4. I add, yes, it is better to legalize gay marriage.

How he did it? Simple, just do it like as you do normally when you want to get married. The only thing missing is that you cannot register that second marriage with the authority. Yes, there will be consequences but again, it is better than not getting married as what the western couples normally do. In the end, following the syariah is the most important.

Buku: The Bloody Reign Of Slayer

Slayer merupakan salah satu band Metal yang paling berpengaruh di dunia tetapi malangnya, tiada buku mengenainya ditulis selama ini. Mujur Joel McIver, jurnalis yang dikenali melalui tulisan di majalah Metal Hammer, Rolling Stone, Kerrang! dan sejumlah majalah lain mengambil inisiatif untuk membuat rujukan dan siasatan untuk membedah Slayer. Beliau sendiri mengakui bahawa ini adalah buku autobiografi Slayer yang ditulis dalam bahasa Inggeris.

Buku ini ini dipenuhi dengan fakta yang dikorek dari Slayer sendiri melalui 60 buah sesi temuramah yang beliau lakukan sepanjang karier beliau sebagai jurnalis berserta juga rujukan. Selain itu, beliau juga membedah kesemua album dalam karier Slayer dari Show No Mercy hinggalah World Painted Blood. Buku ini padat dan sarat dengan maklumat tentang Slayer menjadikan ianya satu rujukan penting untuk peminat Slayer.

Buku ini ditulis secara kronologi, bermula dari lahirnya empat inidividu penting; Tom Araya, Kerry King, Jeff Hanneman dan Dave Lombardo dan sekaligus mengorek silsilah asal mereka. Contohnya, Tom Araya bersama keluarganya adalah imigran dari Chile ketika beliau kecil lagi dan Dave Lombardo pula imigran dari Cuba. Bagaimana pertemuan Jeff dan Kerry kali pertama berlaku yang menjadikan mereka gitaris duet tersohor dunia juga diceritakan.

Awal penubuhan Slayer merupakan sejarah yang menarik kerana kita akan mengetahui betapa untuk mencapai tahap yang mereka kecapi kini memerlukan kerja keras. Mungkin kelakar apabila membaca ketika awalnya, mereka menjadikan dewan sekolah sebagai tempat bermain gig dan menyebarkan flyer dengan tangan kepada pelajar-pelajar sekolah untuk hadir dalam gig mereka sendiri. Tetapi pada zaman itu, ianya adalah langkah yang bijak untuk memperkenalkan band kepada peminat tempatan tanpa mengharapkan venue yang melihat genre Thrash Metal sebagai genre Metal picisan ketika itu.
Persoalan keluar masuk Dave di dalam Slayer sebanyak tiga kali juga dibincangkan dan dikorek melalui ahli Slayer sendiri selain dari pendirian Paul Bostaph yang tidak kurang handalnya di posisi drum mengenai Slayer (Paul juga keluar masuk dua kali). Kontra ahli band sangat ketara seperti Tom Araya adalah seorang Katholik sedangkan Kerry King adalah pembenci agama (beliau adalah atheist). Yang paling menarik, setelah tamatnya pembacaan buku ini kita akan mengetahui bagaimana Slayer dapat mengekalkan konsep ‘marah’ di dalam setiap album mereka, sesuatu yang tidak dapat dilakukan oleh band setaraf mereka seperti Metallica dan Megadeth.

Boleh dikatakan hampir kesemua persoalan tentang Slayer telah terjawab di dalam buku ini. Gaya penulisan Joel adalah mudah dan setiap peristiwa disusun dengan kemas dan biasanya dikupas dengan mendalam. Walaupun ulasan beliau tentang album Slayer boleh diperbincangkan kembali seperti beliau menganggap South Of Heaven adalah album yang kurang menjadi (saya merasakan ianya adalah album kedua hebat selepas Reign In Blood) tetapi analisis beliau agak mendalam dan memerlukan bantahan yang kritikal juga.

Buku ini adalah salah satu diskografi Slayer walaupun berbentuk tulisan kepada peminat mati-tegar Slayer. Untuk peminat baru, ia juga adalah informasi yang menyeluruh tentang band metal tersohor ini. Bahkan bukan saja kepada peminat metal, ini adalah bacaan baik untuk mereka yang meminati muzik ekstrim keseluruhannya.

Bentara (krenmaut.blogspot.com)

*disiarkan dalam KARISMA April 2011

Buku baru beli -A Doctor In The House

Beli kat Tesco, RM80. Tak salah aku kat MPH RM100 kan?

Masih sealed lagi. Dah tengok yang display copy dekat Tesco. Nak buka, sayang. Sebabnya, buku Hitler kat sebelah tu pun merangkak nak habiskan.

Buku: Biar Orang Cina Pimpin Islam

ISBN 978-967-361-015-0
Tarikh Terbit: April 2011
Jumlah Muka Surat: 130
Harga: RM15.00 / RM18.00


___Sinopsis_________________________________________________


Bagi kebanyakan orang Melayu, Islam dianggap sebagai milik dan hak ekslusif mereka. Walaupun kita acapkali mendengar ramai yang mengatakan bahawa Islam adalah agama yang bersifat sejagat tetapi pada hakikatnya ia tidak begitu. Di kalangan orang Melayu, mereka masih tidak dapat menerima kehadiran golongan Cina Muslim, India Muslim dan Orang Asli yang beragama Islam.

Bagi orang Melayu, masuk Islam adalah sama dengan masuk Melayu.Sesiapa yang memeluk Islam perlu menukar identitinya kepada Melayu, mengamalkan cara hidup Melayu, berpakaian seperti Melayu, bercakap Melayu dan berkahwin dengan orang Melayu.

Sukar untuk mereka menerima seorang muslim yang masih mengekalkan identiti dan mengamalkan budaya serta tradisi yang diwarisi sejak kecil lagi. Padahal, perkara-perkara yang disebutkan. Biar Orang CinaPimpin Islam itu boleh diterima oleh Islam asalkan ia tidak bercanggah dengan akidah dan bertentangan dengan ajaran Islam. Begitu juga daripada segi pemakanan, selagi mana ia halal dan toyyiban, maka tidak menjadi masalah untuk kita memakan apa sahaja jenis masakansama ada masakan Cina, India, Arab, Afrika dan sebagainya.

Ann Wan Seng adalah anak kelahiran Klang, Selangor. Seorang aktivis sosial, pendakwah, penceramah dan motivator. Beliau kini menjawat jawatan sebagai Penolong Setiausaha Kehormat, Pertubuhan Kebajikan Islam Malaysia (PERKIM) Kebangsaan dan Setiausaha Agung Persatuan Cina Muslim Malaysia (MACMA). Beliau banyak menyumbang artikel untuk terbitan majalah dan akhbar tempatan selain menulis buku. Sehingga kini sebanyak 40 buku tulisannya diterbitkan di bawah pelbagai syarikat penerbitan di Malaysia dan Indonesia.

-----------------

Masuk dalam senarai wishlist...

Buku STEVE HARRIS "The Clairvoyant" siap sedia untuk dibeli!

The official book description:

This is the story of Steve Harris, bass player and founder of IRON MAIDEN, told from memories and anecdotes of his fans, friends, associates and family, a warm and intriguing story of a man who boldly followed his vision. It isn't a biography in the classical sense; it doesn't follow Steve's life chronologically, it's more of an account about him from the perspectives of all the interviewees.

"Steve Harris - The Clairvoyant" is available for order on the author's web site via PayPal. It can be shipped worldwide. A special 55-copy series, titled the "Birthday Edition," celebrating Steve Harris' 55th birthday was sold out in a matter of days, but the author plans to sell exactly 666 hardcover copies of the so-called "Number of the Beast" edition, containing a bonus CD with audio interviews with DJ Neal Kay, the person who helped MAIDEN make their way to stardom, and Dave Lights, their legendary lighting designer from the '80s. The book is 300 pages long, A5 format. [SUMBER]

---------

Aku dah kira congak. Harga buku termasuk postage RM200+. Memerlukan pengorbanan yang tinggi tu. Yang aku tau dah book (mungkin versi limited edition) - sudah tentulah Abang DeafAngel kita.

BOOK XCESS invasion!

Hair band bad boys!

Bawak sampai ke tidur... tak sia-sia dibeli.

BUKU: Murder In The Front Row: Bay Area Bangers And The Birth Of Thrash Metal

Meleleh...


-------------
Sumber

Legendary San Francisco Bay Area metal photographers Brian Lew (Whiplash fanzine) and Harald "O." Oimoen (D.R.I.) have joined forces to create the large-format hardcover photo collection "Murder In The Front Row: Bay Area Bangers And The Birth Of Thrash Metal". Coming this fall from Bazillion Points Books, this intense look at early hardcore headbangers features some of the first photos of the "Big Four" and their extended family of thrash metal bands. With hundreds of candid, live, and studio shots, Lew and Oimoen celebrate the unique wild-eyed spirit and atmosphere of the historic S.F. Bay Area heavy metal scene: pinpointing clubs (The Old Waldorf, The Stone, Ruthie's Inn, The Omni); hangouts (The Record Vault, the infamous Metallica Mansion); and beloved local figures like fearless stage diver Toby Rage, manager Debbie Abono, and the unrivaled metal ringmaster Paul Baloff of EXODUS.

Among the jaw-dropping moments in heavy metal history on display: Cliff Burton's first rehearsal with Dave Mustaine-era METALLICA; Kerry King of SLAYER performing with early MEGADETH; METALLICA and SLAYER's first Bay Area shows; the first meeting of SLAYER and METALLICA; original uncropped prints of POSSESSED's blood-spattered "Seven Churches" band photo shoot; some of the earliest photos of VIO-LENCE and DEATH ANGEL; TESTAMENT (then called LEGACY) dressed in religious stage outfits; the crazed front row faces from legendary Ruthie's Inn; and METALLICA's triumphant takeover of Day On The Green in 1985.

At roughly 300 pages, filled with unpublished images and rare flyers, this incredible visual time capsule stems from a friendship that started when Brian Lew and Harald O. first met as camera-wielding teenage metalheads. Both later contributed to Ron Quintana's infamous Metal Mania fanzine.

Says Harald O.: "I am so psyched on getting these photos out there. The camaraderie and great friendships forged between all the bands and the fans was so cool-there literally wasn't much distinction. Everybody was pals with everyone else, and it was a magical time to be a metalhead living in the Bay Area. People are gonna freak on what what we're gonna show them. This is a dream come true!"

Says Brian Lew: "This will not be a history book, but rather a time machine back to the 'bonded by blood' days of the original Bay Area metal scene. Before they played the Bay Area, SLAYER wore makeup onstage; after that first Bay Area show they never wore makeup again. This book will show people why."

"Murder In The Front Row: Bay Area Bangers And The Birth Of Thrash Metal" will be released this fall via Bazillion Points Books, America's smallest but heaviest book publisher.

For more information, visit www.murderinthefrontrow.com.

KINOKUNIYA invasion

 For my faith...

For my references...

For the family...

For my amusement...

And finally for the kids...

Buku: METALLICA Enter Night oleh Mick Wall

Mick Wall, jurnalis rock feveret aku.

Baru separuh baca. Nanti selesai boleh rebiu. Ada siapa-siapa nak trade (lepas habis baca)? Aku nak baca Mustaine Memoir pulak.