Let’s face it, without the larger-than-life character and
imagination of the art that complements it, metal just
wouldn’t have had the same impact. From the colorful,
outlandish, yet sophisticated use of visuals for album artwork and posters, to the immediately recognizable
logos of such bands as Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Motörhead, Metallica, Slayer, and a host of others across many subgenres, there’s a close-knit
relationship between the riffs that thunder from the
guitar and the images that have come to represent the
songs, anthems, and sheer nature of the beast. Does any
other form of music immediately conjure up such
evocative and distinctive images as the mere mention of
the term "heavy metal" does? The answer is simple: no!
From its inception in the 1960s through to today’s
giants, the art has been closely connected to the music. Every classic album brings to mind a readily
identifiable album cover. Each great band has an
immediately identifiable logo. All of the landmark gigs
have a poster that quintessentially depicts the time,
place, and passion of the event. It’s all developed so far
along the road that, today, the art that has been used to
illustrate the music now stands on its own. There are
exhibitions of the finest examples created by the truly
outstanding artists. These works are collectible in their
own right. What might have begun as a way of packaging
metal has taken on a life of its own—moreover, it’s even
possible to trace the way the genre itself has evolved,
and changed, by looking at its art. This book explores the
ways in which the art has helped define each of the
crucial subgenres that make up the multifaceted and colorful centipede that is metal.

Foreword by: Lemmy Kilmister