Ultimate Metallica

Metallica collects the best of Halfin's amazing images, taken over the years with access granted exclusively to him as friend to the band. His candid, on stage and backstage, on and off tour photographs are supplemented by text from numerous people close to the band-managers, engineers, roadies, music writers-as well as personal observations by Halfin and the band members themselves. Including a foreword by James Hetfield (or Lars Ulrich, TBD), Metallica is a powerful and definitive collection of images and text and a must-have for the band's fans around the world. SALES HANDLE: Collecting more than 25 years' worth of photographs from 'the fifth member of Metallica,' British rock photographer Ross Halfin, METALLICA presents a heavy visual history of the band from its early days, supplemented with text from those close the band, and by the band themselves. BLESSED BY THE BAND: The band and their inner circle, of which Ross is part, are contributing to the book with text and the band is participating in image selection. Lead singer and guitarist James Hetfield (or founding drummer and figurehead Lars Ulrich) is writing the foreword. Ross has toured with, partied with, and spent cumulatively and literally years with the band documenting them over time. He's their friend, and the candor and access shows in his photos. ABOUT METALLICA AND THEIR FANS: * The only band with 5 albums that have debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Top 200 (including their most recent album, Death Magnetic) * The fourth highest-selling music artist since sales tracking began, Metallica has sold over 100 million albums worldwide, with sales of over 50 million albums in the United States alone. * Band has its own Guitar Hero game: Guitar Hero: Metallica * Metallica fans are loyal and extremely devoted to the band, in part because the band treates them with great resepct through their highly active fan club, fan appreciation events, and road-soldier schedule tours. They have been on the road around the world behind their most recent record since September 2008, so more than a year now and have shows scheduled in Latin America and Eastern Europe through the first 6 months of 2010. * They have a MUCH bigger international fanbase than Motley Crue or Van Halen, both of which were seen as distinctly American bands. Proof of this has come with the great increase in foreign interest in this title over those others. ABOUT ROSS HALFIN: Legendary British rock photographer Ross Halfin has photographed Metallica since 1984, right on through to their most recent tour this year. He is frequently referred to as the 5th member of Metallica---he's actually been 'in the band' longer than any of the band's three bass players, and longer than any 2 of them combined. He's also photographed Iron Maiden, Def Leppard, Judas Priest, and many others as a founding photographer for Kerrang, as well as documented the first wave of punk and onward.