"Fortress Europe (The Big Shiny Prison Vol. II" Book Available As Free PDF Download

Band Photo: Rotting Christ (?)

The complete book “Fortress Europe (The Big Shiny Prison Vol. II) ” is now online as a free PDF download. 10 years in the making, “Fortress Europe” is the long promised beast of nonfiction journalism from underground USA journalist Ryan Bartek.

Clocking in at 222 pages, this career defining & genre bending work details the author's travels throughout the European Underground in Summer 2011.

Refuting every stereotype of traditional journalism, “Fortress Europe” combines the classic autobiographical road novel with the current state of European Counterculture. The result is an odyssey of monumental scope featuring face-to-face interviews with a number of legends in extreme metal, hardcore punk, industrial, experimental, psychedelic & good old rock n' roll.

Appearances include Laibach, Wolfbrigade, Rotting Christ, Killing Joke, Funeral Winds, Enochian Crescent, Moonsorrow, Fondlecorpse, Defeated Sanity, First Blood, Hello Bastards, Armed Response Unit, Melting Walkmen, Abortion, Panthiest, CNK, Arkangel, HATE, Repulsione, Dehuman, Dickless Tracy, General Surgery, Grind The Enemy, Fides Inversa, Excavated, Terri Bomb, Flowers of Flesh & Blood, Knuckledust, Chiens, Vanguard, Splitter, Pyramido, Fen, Black Breath, Ingurgitating Oblivion, Scavenger Brats, El Schlong, Spacemen 3 & legendary Detroit writer/60's radical Mr. John Sinclair.

“Fortress Europe” also includes a bonus section featuring commentary by members of Brutal Truth, Master, Agathocles, Battlelore, Corpus Christii, Manzer, Seita, Cruadalach, Livstid, Nahemah, Der Blutharsch, Mincing Fury & Primordial.

The free PDF download is available online at this location. You can also read through the book on Scribd here.

Territories explored include London, Paris, Amsterdam, Berlin, Prague, Copenhagen, Stockholm, Helsinki, Milan, Ljubljana, Venice, Bologna & Brussels – as well as infamous squat/artist communities KOPI 137 (Berlin), Metelkova (Ljubljana), Ruigoord (Amsterdam), Christiania (Copenhagen) & the much-coveted gathering at the Obscene Extreme Festival. The following press release was issued about the book"

"Do not be mistaken – 'FORTRESS EUROPE' is not a 'music book.' It is a fanatical attempt to eclipse these preconceptions that metal/punk are low-brow subcultures that should be discounted & ignored. It is an authentic work of art which takes it's cues not from static 'music journalism' but rather the literary territory of legends like Jack Kerouac, Henry Miller, Hunter S Thompson, etc.

"File sharing is approved & encouraged by its author, Ryan Bartek. He asks that any interested parties simply attach the PDF to an email & forward it to any who might find value. While reviews are appreciated, we know this is time-consuming. Therefore, we mainly seek news mentions that clearly explain where to download 'FORTRESS EUROPE (The Big Shiny Prison Vol. II)' for FREE.

"FORTRESS EUROPE is the sequel to THE BIG SHINY PRISON. Both books are works of nonfiction travel journalism revolving around modern counterculture. While THE BIG SHINY PRISON covered the USA underground, FORTRESS EUROPE details the author's odyssey throughout the EU in 2011.

"Furthermore, Ryan Bartek will be engaging in a DIY book tour throughout 2011. Details TBA."