Exit light, enter… Ross Halfin, who is collaborating with legendary heavy metal band Metallica on a photography book to celebrate one of the most iconic rock records of all time, The Black Album.
Released in August 1991, the album has sold over 30 million copies and has just turned 30 years old – and to mark the anniversary, Metallica: The Black Album in Black & White is being released with a collection of classic and unpublished photographs of the band between 1991-1993.
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Halfin is an iconic photographer in his own right, and in addition to working with Metallica since 1984, has shot everyone from Led Zeppelin and Kiss to Van Halen and Iron Maiden.
Not only was he on hand to photograph the album sessions at North Hollywood's One on One studios, he joined the band on its subsequent 300-date tour and shot thousands of rolls of film capturing rehearsals and performances, backstage moments and band meetings, unique portraits as well as candid moments during travel and interviews.
"We would always go to places and do pictures and we would stop wherever we felt somewhere had a vibe," says Halfin. "You have to realize with Metallica, it’s always about the vibe."
Many of the images are being published for the first time, but others will be familiar to fans of The Black Album.
"Ross came to the studio at different stages and every time we took a ton of pictures," said guitarist Kirk Hammett. "And some of those pictures ended up being the black portrait shots that came with the album."
Metallica: The Black Album in Black & White by Ross Halfin is published by Reel Art Press (ISBN: 978-1909526-76-1) and is available now in hardback priced $49.95 / £39.95 (approximately AU$66.82). For further information and full list of stockists visit www.reelartpress.com.
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