Heavy Metal Magazine, 1977 (vol.1 № 01 09)

While he'll always be known first and foremost as the prototypical heavy metal frontman of Judas Priest, Rob Halford spent much of the '90s away from the group (before returning in the early 21st century). During this time, the singer certainly didn't go silent, as he launched several projects – the Pantera-esque Fight, the Nine Inch Nails-esque Two, and ultimately, a return to his Priest roots, Halford…

By the end of the 1970s, the original triumvirate of hard rock heroes Zeppelin, Purple and Sabbath had either graduated to the arenas of the world, or even split up, whilst the second wave of British heavy rockers, including UFO, Motörhead and Judas Priest, were beginning to fill theatres across the land. Punk exploded in 1976 and 1977, and the DIY ethos that sprang up in its wake soon influenced the grassroots metal bands who had yet to leave their local bars and clubs. Often independently released, some of the bands in this set never made more than one now highly prized and collectable 45 or one-off EP.

Documentary profiling the history of British heavy metal, with the emphasis on the godfathers of the genre, Iron Maiden, along with other bands of that ilk, including Samson, Saxon, Diamond Head and many others.

Many heavy metal fans will agree that Quiet Riot's peak occurred during 1983 and 1984, when the quartet's mugs were constantly plastered all over MTV, and Metal Health and Condition Critical were two of the genre's top sellers. As a result, it seemed inevitable that a "rarities" set that focused specifically on those years would emerge, and in 2005 Live and Rare, Vol. 1 appeared. On the one hand, there's no denying the party atmosphere the band cooks up on such live tracks as "Let's Get Crazy" and "Metal Health" – you can easily imagine an arena filled with finger-less glove/headband wearing, mullet-sporting headbangers whooping it up.