The Ultimate Metallica
By Ross Halfin
Chronicle Books
While he’s also shot
Iron Maiden, Def
Leppard, the Clash,
and the Sex Pistols—
all when they were
in their prime—Ross
Halfin’s most important
contributions to
rock photography are
his iconic shots of Metallica. With the help
of his Olympus OM-2 and Nikon D3S, Halfin
has captured almost every move Metallica
has made onstage and off throughout their
legendary career. From the scrappy, denim
jacket days to the “I can’t believe they cut
their hair” years to the current lineup’s
mixing of Tom Waits-inspired attitude and
old-school thrash, everything is captured
in this 232-page hardcover. The showcased
images include spectacular live shots at epic
concerts like England’s Monsters of Rock
in ’87, as well as intriguing liner notes and
magazine covers. But the real mojo lies in
the candid photographs that only Halfin
could’ve taken: As the unofficial fifth member
of Metallica, he took shots of the band
at their highest peaks and lowest valleys.
The end result is a collection of intimate
visuals you’ll not find anywhere else. Halfin’s
most compelling images aren’t those from
the stage, but when the four horsemen let
their guard down behind the scenes.
Other than the love-hate foreword by Lars
Ulrich and the complimentary afterword by
Kirk Hammett, the book is short on context
or explanation from Halfin. But with photos
like these, there’s not much more to be said.