The new wave of British heavy metal began in the late 1970s and achieved international attention by the early 1980s. Encompassing diverse mainstream and underground styles, the music often infused 1970s heavy metal music with the intensity of punk rock to produce fast and aggressive songs. The do-it-yourself ethic of the new metal bands led to the spread of raw-sounding, self-produced recordings and a proliferation of independent record labels. Song lyrics were usually about escapist themes from mythology, fantasy, horror or the rock lifestyle. The movement involved mostly young, white, male musicians and fans of the heavy metal subculture, whose behavioural and visual codes were quickly adopted by metal fans worldwide after the spread of the music globally. The movement spawned perhaps a thousand bands, but only a few survived the rise of MTV and glam metal. Among them, Motörhead(singer pictured) and Saxon had considerable success, and Iron Maiden and Def Leppard became international stars. (Full article...)
Chartres Cathedral, also known as the Cathedral of Our Lady of Chartres, is a Catholic cathedral in Chartres, France, about 80 kilometres (50 miles) southwest of Paris. It is the seat of the bishop of Chartres. Mostly constructed between 1194 and 1220, it stands on the site of at least five cathedrals that have occupied the site since the Diocese of Chartres was formed as an episcopal see in the 4th century. It is one of the best-known and most influential examples of High Gothic and Classic Gothic architecture. Chartres Cathedral is known for its stained glass, and contains 167 stained-glass windows dating from the 12th century to the 20th century. This photograph shows the stained glass in the north transept of Chartres Cathedral. The rose window, which is 10.5 metres (34 feet) in diameter, was installed circa 1230 and contains imagery relating to the Virgin Mary and figures from the Old Testament. The presence of the coats of arms of King Louis IX and his mother Blanche of Castile are taken as a sign of royal patronage for this window. Below the rose are five lancet windows, each 7.5 metres (25 feet) tall, depicting Saint Anne and four Old Testament figures.Photograph credit: PtrQs
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