Vintage Heavy Metal Vinyl Records

Collectors take various approaches to acquiring heavy-metal vinyl records. Some pick a specific band. For instance fans of Black Sabbath, which, along with Led Zeppelin and Deep Purple, is considered by many to be one of the kings of heavy metal, will undoubtedly have a copy of “Master of Reality” and “Heaven and Hell” in their collections. For those whose tastes are less mainstream, records by bands such as Autopsy or the thrash metal group Possessed may be preferred.

Other collectors enjoy the often over-the-top album art associated with heavy metal. Dark, morbid images, which are commonly linked to the music’s themes, are pervasive. For instance, there is the chilling cover of Terrorizer’s 1989 album, “World Downfall,” which depicts Jesus presiding over a decaying earth. At the other end of the spectrum, however, is Dark Angel’s “We Have Arrived.” Its cover has hand-drawn pictures of the band members jumping and floating over their fans.

While classic metal bands like Metallica, Kiss, and Dio (fronted by its late namesake) continue to be popular among collectors, yet another wave of new bands, some of whom have appeared just in the past decade, are vying for attention. The Finnish band Sentenced, for example, released its incredibly popular “The Cold White Light” in 2002. In 2005, Rotting Christ delivered “Theogonia,” which mixed heavy guitar riffs with Middle Eastern sounds. Indeed, using other genres as influence for heavy metal is nothing new. Led Zeppelin’s 1973 classic “D’yer Mak’er” off “Houses of the Holy,” for example, has strong reggae influences.

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