Damage Incorporated: Metallica and the Production of Musical Identity offers an interdisciplinary study investigating a range of topics that intersect in the music and cultural influence of Metallica. As part of a collection of heavy metal bands -- among them Slayer, Anthrax, and Megadeth -- grouped together under the rubric ''speed metal,'' Metallica's music presents a number of avenues for investigation. Specifically, Damage Incorporated focuses on identity in popular music as a set of performing conventions, with Metallica's place within certain conventions of genre, race, and gender serving as a constant impetus. The book also engages broadly with larger questions of the politics of culture, American history, musical analysis, and the character of musical discourses in the context of commerce.

An essential book for students of popular culture, mass media, and music, Damage Incorporated sets a new standard for the study and exploration of issues of class, gender, and race in popular music.