Seventies Metal

The term 'Heavy Metal' may have been introduced as recently as the early 80s - before that, people talked only about Hard or Heavy Rock. However, I've stretched a point because Metal is really the only word to describe the distinctive style and sound of bands such as AC/DC, Blue Oyster Cult, Kiss and Van Halen.

Eighties Metal

AC/DC, Motorhead, Iron Maiden, Status Quo, Judas Priest, Kiss - this was the vintage era for Heavy Metal. Many leading bands were now playing to capacity audiences in the world's largest stadiums - never had Heavy Metal had it so good. This collection of pictures captures all of them at their decibel-hammering, dramatic best.

Nineties Metal

Grunge now enters the Rock vocabulary as I add some mighty new names to the Heavy Metal hall of fame. The Almighty, Extreme, Poison, Faith No More, Soundgarden, Corrosion of Conformity and Nirvana join forces with Seventies and Eighties veterans such as Alice Cooper, Iron Maiden, Motorhead, Kiss, Ozzy Osbourne, and ZZ Top.

Noughties Metal

AC/DC open my Noughties decade as I once again pick up my camera and take to the pits! In October 2003 AC/DC returned to the legendary Hammersmith Odeon, now known as the Hammersmith Apollo - tickets for this 5000 capacity venue sold out in five minutes. At the other end of the alphabet I've featured HM supergroup Velvet Revolver at Live 8 in Hyde Park.