Birmingham and the Black Country have launched an online exhibition lauding the region's status as the birthplace of Heavy Metal and celebrating the iconic headbanging local sons of the genre.
Home of Metal is launching its digital archive this month documenting the likes of Black Sabbath (above), Led Zeppelin, Judas Priest, Napalm Death and Godflesh, who have all come from the West Midlands.
There are video interviews with the forefathers of Metal, Ozzy Osbourne and Tonny Iommi of Black Sabbath, reaffirming their pride as Brummies and discussing the industrial inspiration of their genre.
As the name suggests, Metal was born from the factories in a backlash against the hard times they faced, shredding against the hippy grain of peace and love which dominated the late 1960s and 1970s.
This signed photo of Robert Plant is one of the early contributions
Home of Metal is calling for fans to contribute their memories and memorabilia to the online archive, giving recognition to the highly influential genre that has put the West Country on the musical map.
"Heavy metal was born in the West Midlands and has developed a global following matched only in hip-hop," said Daniel Trilling, writing in the New Statesman. "It's time to stop sneering and celebrate this proud cultural heritage."
The digital archive is looking for everything from concert tickets to photographs, t-shirts, album covers, fan letters, fanzines, set lists and promotional materials to build the collection online.
The archive will form a series of exhibitions curated by Capsule, in addition to a conference, concerts and film programme touring throughout the Black Country and Birmingham in the summer of 2011.
Home of Metal also has ambitions to turn it into a permanent collection for fans to visit.
Images © homeofmetal.com
Visit Home of Metal to find out more and upload memorabilia.
Watch an introduction to the Home of Metal:
