From the colourful and outlandish use of visuals for album artwork and posters, to the immediately recognizable logos of the bands involved, there's a close-knit relationship between the riffs which thunder from the guitar and the images which have come to represent the songs and anthems of metal music. Showcases 400 of the finest examples of metal poster and cover art and is the first book ever to concentrate specifically on work created by artists working in this genre of music. Spans the entire 50-year history of metal, from the earliest proto-metal bands of the 1960s to the most recent releases. Every genre is represented, including Traditional Metal, NWOBHM (New Wave of British Heavy Metal), Thrash Metal, Black Metal, Prog Metal, Nu Metal, Big Hair Metal, Doom & Stoner Metal. As well as US and UK metal, Scandinavian, European, and Australian metal are also represented. Each chapter begins with a 1,000-word overview of the featured era; detailed information about the designers, the bands, the artist/s influences is given in detailed captions accompanying each poster. Each chapter includes two special features: one on a particularly influential artist or group of artists; the other, covers a wide range of subjects - from metal tattoos to famed photographers, and from magazines, metal merchandise and metal movies to fashion and even metal humour. Quotes from artists/illustrators, and a selection from band members themselves, are featured throughout.