. We’ve raved about Decibel editor-in-chief Albert Mudrian’s Choosing Death: The Improbably History of Death Metal and Grindcore many times in the past, but let us re-emphasize: this is THE definitive book on the creation and rise of two of metal’s most extreme subgenres, and it’s one that every metal fan should read. Indeed, were there to be an actual Metal 101 course taught in schools across the world, surely Mudrian’s tome would be at the top of every syllabus — it is the Moby Dick of metal history books. Whether you’re just getting into death and grind and want a primer, already love the genres and want to learn more about their roots, or think you already know everything there is to know about death and grind and want to be proven wrong, you should choose to read Choosing Death.

So, great news: Mudrian has revised and expanded Choosing Death for its tenth (really eleventh but who’s counting?) anniversary! It will now feature A HUNDRED PAGES OF NEW CONTENT, including both expansions of the original text AND three entirely new chapters.

Although Mudrian coyly denies that MetalSucks’ 2011 gag about him allegedly penning Choosing Death II: The Improbably History of Deathcore was the inspiration for the second edition of Choosing Death (“Emmure are deathcore, right? Seriously, I have no idea.”), the new content sounds totally killer nonetheless. Fresh material includes a chapter about the birth of the Dutch and Finnish death metal scenes, a chapter examining the rise of the retro death metal and technical death metal movements, a chapter on the reunions of bands like Carcass, At the Gates, and Repulsion, and a lengthy section detailing the Death/Pestilence/Carcass 1990 fall U.S. tour, which Mudrian notes “was the first legitimate all-death metal tour of the States” (Carcass didn’t even have an album out on this side of the pond yet), and which turned out to be quite, um, eventful: “Every day on this run was practically a new adventure for the bands,” says Mudrian. “Riots in Houston, members of Death nearly getting run over by angry Denny’s patrons in parking lots, the turmoil that directly let to Pestilence’s split with celebrated death metal frontman Martin van Drunen.” Drool. You had me at “angry Denny’s patrons in parking lots,” dude.

OH! And as if all of that wasn’t enough, the book is also getting some SWEET new cover art (above) by the legendary Dan Seagrave, whose work for bands like Suffocation and Morbid Angel helped to define death metal as we know it today.

This fully redesigned hardcover version of Choosing Death will be the inaugural release of brand-new imprint Decibel Books, and will be limited to 3,000 hand-numbered copies. So don’t dawdle!!! Pre-order your copy here. The book will ship the week of April 12. SO STOKED!!!