A Vulgar Display Of Power: Courage And Carnage At The Alrosa Villa Book Review

December 8th, 2004 is a date that heavy metal fans will never forget. That's the night Nathan Gale entered the Alrosa Villa in Columbus, Ohio and murdered Darrell "Dimebag" Abbott while Damageplan was playing their opening song of the show. It was a tragic loss for the heavy metal community, as Dimebag was one of the best guitarists in the world, and one of the most loved and respected people in the business.

Most of the media attention was focused on Dimebag because of his celebrity, but Jeffery Thompson, Erin Halk and Nathan Bray were also murdered that same night. Others were wounded, and countless people's lives were forever changed. A Vulgar Display Of Power does an excellent job of chronicling the events of that tragic night, and also of giving insight and information about everyone involved.

Author Chris A. interviewed family members of Thompson, Half and Bray and gives us a picture of their lives and accomplishments and the effect of their deaths on their friends and family. He also investigates the background and history of troubled murderer Nathan Gale, whose mother agreed to be interviewed and supplied some interesting information. Chris A. skillfully weaves facts and emotions together to create a very compelling and readable telling of this tragedy.

This book is not exploitative or sensational in any way. It's a very respectful and factual account, and the author did his research. The forward of the book is written by Officer James Niggemeyer, who is the police officer who responded to the 911 calls from Alrosa Villa and shot and killed Gale, ending the carnage. Family members of Thompson, Halk and Bray also wrote tributes to their loved ones that appear in the book.

A Vulgar Display Of Power: Courage And Carnage At The Alrosa Villa is a well-written book, but one that is difficult to read because the events they chronicle are so recent and so painful. However, it's well worth it to read the facts of what happened, and to get to know those whose lives ended too soon and so tragically.