A chronological review of the most essential and heaviest metal and hard rock albums, illustrated throughout, demonstrating the global popularity of the genre and just how much it has grown. The 1970s was the era when the great heavy metal pioneers laid down the blueprint for everything that was to come after, forefathers like Black Sabbath and Deep Purple dominated. But as metal began to take hold in the mainstream - and then began to diversify - bands such as Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, Metallica and Motley Crue made their presence felt among new fans, and it continues to evolve today with bands like Clutch and Ghost. Providing an extensive overview of the music and the stories behind each album, this inclusive reference chronicles the history and development of heavy metal, including sub-movements such as death metal, rap-rock, grunge, industrial rock, grindcore, nu metal, and stoner rock, illustrated with iconic album covers and archive photographs. Essential reading for metal heads and hard rock fans everywhere. AUTHOR: Paul Elliott started writing about rock in 1985 as a contributor to Sounds, and has since worked for Kerrang!, Q, Vox, Heat, Blender (US), Metal Hammer and various other titles. His books include the first biography of Guns N’ Roses (published by Hamlyn), and Star Man, the autobiography of rock bodyguard Danny Francis (published by Simon & Schuster). Paul currently writes for Classic Rock and MOJO.
200 colour images