The Art of Metal

Description

Since the late 1960s, the imagery of the heavy metal genre has been closely connected with the music itself. Classic albums evoke memories of famous cover artwork; metal bands have become forever synonymous with their iconic logos; and landmark live shows have led to instantly recognizable gig posters that embody the time, place, and passion of the events. It’s even possible to trace the genre’s evolution by examining a continuum of its art. In The Art of Metal, renowned music journalist Malcolm Dome offers a beautifully presented chronological collection of the colorful, outlandish, and sophisticated album covers, posters, T-shirts, and more that span decades of heavy metal music. More than 400 gorgeously reproduced works of art are complemented by in-depth features, including quotes from the graphic artists and musicians responsible for them. Dome also spotlights the metal genre’s most influential artists and photographers and delves into other topics that include metal merch, magazines, fashion, and tattoos. In the process, The Art of Metal illustrates and explores the close-knit relationship between those timeless riffs that thunder from Marshall stacks and the images that have come to represent the songs, anthems, and sheer nature of headbanger culture—a must for any true thrasher’s bookshelf.

Malcolm Dome started writing about music, and metal in particular, for Record Mirror in 1979. He was part of the Kerrang! team in the 1980s, cofounded RAW magazine in 1988, and now writes for Metal Hammer, Prog, and Classic Rock, among others. Dome has also authored a number of books, including Encyclopedia Metallica (from which a certain band got its name), an official book on Bon Jovi, and histories of Van Halen, Aerosmith, and AC/DC. He has presented his own radio shows for TotalRock and has appeared in a number of documentaries, including the award-winning Anvil: The Story of Anvil.

Working out of Toronto, Canada, Martin Popoff (martinpopoff.com) has penned more than 100 books on hard rock, heavy metal, classic rock, and record collecting, including Rush: The Illustrated History, Led Zeppelin: Song by Song, Pink Floyd: Album by Album, Bowie at 75, AC/DC at 50, Kiss at 50, and In the Groove. In addition, he has appeared in Revolver, Guitar World, Goldmine, RecordCollector, bravewords.com, lollipop.com, and hardradio.com. Martin also worked on the award-winning documentaries Rush: Beyond the Lighted Stage and ZZ Top: That Little Ol’ Band from Texas for Banger Films.

Lemmy Kilmister is the lead vocalist, bassist, principal songwriter, and founder of heavy metal band Motorhead, as well as a former member of Hawkwind. www.facebook.com/pages/Lemmy-Kilmister/300294930093 www.imotorhead.com

Additional information