'Metal: The Definitive Guide' Book Due In April

Garry Sharpe-Young's next book, a 608-page, 600,000-word treatise simply titled "Metal: The Definitive Guide", will be published in the U.S. on April 28 by Backbeat Books.

Rob Halford of JUDAS PRIEST provided the foreword. He wrote, in part, "From its beginnings out of Birmingham, England in the late '60s, the great journey of heavy metal continues! Garry Sharpe-Young's book takes you on that journey — here you will experience all the bands that have taken part and played significant roles in the growth and endurance of metal."

Commented Garry: "When Backbeat Books sent me some samples of their books, the quality and attention to detail totally convinced me they were the right people to take on this title. They loved the idea of a book that went into extreme detail yet did not follow the fashions of the day.

"This book is called 'Metal' because that's exactly what it is — no BON JOVI or LINKIN PARK! I believe there is an important line to be drawn between rock and metal. Rather than give valuable page space to NIRVANA I devote those pages to METAL CHURCH, VOIVOD, VENOM, DARKTHRONE, ANGEL WITCH and MONSTROSITY. It traces the history of metal in the most obsessive of detail right through from when Tony Iommi first cranked out previously unimaginable riffs back in the late '60s right up to date. Basically I'm using riff quality and metal intent as a gauge for metal-ness throughout as each chapter covers the titans, such as JUDAS PRIEST, SCORPIONS, OZZY, IRON MAIDEN, to NWOBHM, Thrash, death, black, progressive, doom, gothic and the avant-garde. There are also chapters devoted to territories such as Finland, Germany, South America and Japan to highlight important acts around the globe. All of this is punctuated by quotes from the musicians themselves."