Product Description

Ex-Pantera guitarist Dimebag Darrell Abbott was attacked and murdered while performing with his new band Damageplan on Dec. 8, 2004. While the media focused only on the crime, several unsung heroes remained forgotten. This is the story of three brave men who made a difference in countless lives by paying the price with their own.

Over the span of 14 months, author Chris A has researched the people, places and circumstances leading to the horrific murders of beloved guitarist, Dimebag Darrell Abbott, bodyguard Jeffery Mayhem Thompson, professional roadie Erin Halk and fan, husband and father, Nathan Bray. The result is an insightful, thought provoking book that induces a powerful range of emotions.

While the book explores the background and motive of the killer who callously took the lives of these four innocent people, the focus goes far beyond the specifics of the crime. A Vulgar Display of Power: Courage and Carnage at the Alrosa Villa crosses many genres; its part rock n roll history, part true-crime and part biography. The result is a modern-day inspirational chronicle of good versus evil. At times graphic in its content, its intention isn t to shock or sensationalize, but rather to clearly articulate the raw courage and selflessness of those who paid the ultimate price. Above all, the author placed great emphasis on recounting the events with accuracy and taste. The book has been meticulously researched and the author has personally interviewed and corresponded with hundreds of people involved. Augmented by 240 photos, most never published, readers will meet the heroes, the police officers, paramedics, fans and venue employees who worked together to try to save lives and demonstrate compassion. A Vulgar Display of Power: Courage and Carnage at the Alrosa Villa delivers a powerful, inspirational and educational message that will touch all who turn its pages.

A book by Chris A.
Foreword written by first responding Officer James Niggemeyer.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #158677 in Books
• Published on: 2007-04-14
• Released on: 2007-04-14
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Perfect Paperback
• 352 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9780976291770
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

From Publishers Weekly
Anticipating the third anniversary of revered heavy-metal guitarist "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott's onstage murder, author Chris A. (abbreviated from "Armold") presents an exhaustive account of the people and events involved in that December 2004 evening. Abbott, known primarily for his work with fan favorite Pantera, is relegated to secondary-character status, along with his band, Damageplan, while Chris A. focuses on the three other men who died that night at Columbus, Ohio's Alrosa Villa concert venue while coming to the guitarist's aid. (The gunman, Nathan Gale, was also killed at the scene, by Columbus Police Office James Niggemeyer, who provides an introduction.) In the first half, Chris A. recounts individual stories of doomed Damageplan security honcho Jeffery "Mayhem" Thompson, Alrosa Villa roadie Erin Halk, fan Nathan Bray and the murderer (referred to throughout as "the Beast"). The second half provides gripping minute-by-minute documentation of the tragic night. Despite an amateurish style, which occasionally reads like a term paper and contains little dialogue, Chris A. has reconstructed the crime in admirable detail, and includes 240 black-and-white photographs (many from the crime scene). Chris A.'s narrative is gripping, but not a rock bio by any means; as such, it's more fitting for the true crime crowd than hard-core headbangers.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Review
"...chillingly precise. Truly brilliant detective work ...one of the most heartfelt books you'll ever read on the awful subject of murder." --Guitar Player Magazine

"The author should be congratulated. The book was hard to put down, the pictures were awesome, the research well done." --BC Book Review

...chillingly precise. Truly brilliant detective work ...one of the most heartfelt books you'll ever read on the awful subject of murder. --Guitar Player Magazine

The author should be congratulated. The book was hard to put down, the pictures were awesome, the research well done. --BC Book Review

An incredible accomplishment. -Zakk Wylde, Black Label Society & Ozzy

...Heavy, Respectful and Emotional... -José Mangin, Sirius Satelite Radio: Hard Attack

Salute and Congrats on a Great Book! -Ted Nugent

...possibly the most important book about rock and heavy metal to ever be written. --RockUnited.com --BC Book Review

About the Author
Rock writer and photographer, Chris A., has worked with many great names in the rock and heavy metal industry, and contributes to many publications. Chris is a patch wearing member of Zack Wyldes, Black Label Society. He is also an avid guitar collector and player. When he is not writing under his Rock/Metal pseudonym, Chris A., his other works can be found under his full name, Chris Armold, MSgt, USAF (Ret), Writer/Photographer. The author of two military books detailing the history of the US combat helmet from WWI to present. Chris worked for three years in the Pentagon under both Admiral Crowe and General Colon Powell. He has a bachelors degree in criminal justice and a masters degree in Human Resource Development and another masters in Public Administration. Rock writer and photographer, Chris A., has worked with many great names in the rock and heavy metal industry, and contributes to many publications. Chris is a patch wearing member of Zack Wyldes, Black Label Society. He is also an avid guitar collector and player. When he is not writing under his Rock/Metal pseudonym, Chris A., his other works can be found under his full name, Chris Armold, MSgt, USAF (Ret), Writer/Photographer. The author of two military books detailing the history of the US combat helmet from WWI to present. Chris worked for three years in the Pentagon under both Admiral Crowe and General Colon Powell. He has a bachelors degree in criminal justice and a masters degree in Human Resource Development and another masters in Public Administration.

Customer Reviews

Gripping account of a terrible tragedy.
The book has a dual thesis; one being the victim's lives and the second the nightclub rampage and police shooting. What I did not realize while reading the book is that the author did a splendid job of weaving Thompson's, Bray's, Halk's and Abbott's seemingly unintersecting lives into the tragic end. I felt this book was in-depth and gripping.

There is no shortage of research done by the author. He has credited numerous people for contributions of photos, interviews and documents. Given the subject matter, it may have been easy to invoke a morbid fascination from the reader for the sake of selling books but, he tastefully used hundreds of crime scene photos. He obviously established a repor with CPD Officer J. Neggemeyer as well as other investigators. He did a fine job of delving into the lives of the victims and articulated what good people they really were, which made the occurrence that much more disturbing and tragic.

I thought the book was accurate for the most part, save for a few mistakes in municipalities. The only reason I didn't give the book 5 stars was I felt that referring to Nathan Gale as "the beast" was childish. Although he slowly changed into a beast given his mental illness, changing the moniker does not change the fact that Gale was single-handedly responsible for immeasurable pain and damage.

Fallen Heroes At The Alrosa Villa
This book is a book that should be read by everyone, not just Heavy Metal fans. It is a true story honoring the memories of not only Dimebag Darrell Abbott, but also about Erin Halk, Jeff Thompson and Nathan Bray, each of which lost their lives trying to help Dimebag and others from the attack of an armed madman.This book goes into the background of these men, and also of the killer, his motives, and the actual incident at Alrosa Villa. "A Vulgar Display Of Power: Courage And Carnage At The Alrosa Villa" is a deep, moving story. I think that anyone who reads this book will be enlightened and find the book as interesting as I did. I would highly recommend it!

A Highly Recommended Reading for ANY Music Fan
Much like many heavy metal fans across the world, I felt like I hit a concrete wall face-first at 100 miles per hour upon hearing the news of Dimebag Darrell's tragic death. Being a long-time metal guitarist, I always looked up to Dime during my formative years as a player. The events at Alrosa Villa, where 3 other individuals were murdered on the night of 12/8/04, piqued my curiosity as to what really happened, how it happened, and what caused it to happen. Not only does this book objectively describe the volatile personality of the perpetrator (I refuse to mention his name), it also does a great job at presenting all the facts that led him to "snap". However, the true purpose of this book was to offer a glimpse into the lives of the 3 other people who died at Alrosa Villa: Nathan Bray, Erin Halk, and Jeffery "Mayhem" Thompson. Considering the fact that a rock superstar was murdered that night, it's easy to overlook the less prominent victims of this tragedy. What Chris A accomplished here was a humanization of those whom the media overlooked or relegated to the sidebars. Three seemingly different individuals showed remarkable courage, willingly putting themselves in the path of gunfire in an attempt to end a lethal situation and help the injured. This is what this book is REALLY about. It is NOT an attempt to capitalize on the death of a celebrity.