As we predicted last year, Quietus scribe and gentleman of rock Joel McIver is penning 12 books this year alone.

Not content with birthing the excellent and argument provoking The 100 Greatest Metal Guitarists - out later this month, he has now turned his pen on metal icon, Cliff Burton.

Burton, Kvlt bassist for Metallica and sartorial deity to Quietus Editor, Doran, appeared on Kill 'Em All, Ride The Lightning and Master Of Puppets before dying at the age of 24 in a coach crash in Sweden.

According to McIver's publishers, Jawbone: "In the 23 years since that devastating event, no one has chronicled Burton's huge talent and achievements in book form. However, in June 2009 this is set to change with the global publication of To Live Is To Die: The Life And Death Of Metallica's Cliff Burton, written by U.K.-based author Joel McIver. The foreword has been provided by Cliff's close friend in Metallica, Kirk Hammett."

Speaking to Blabbermouth McIver himself said: "I'm deeply honored that Kirk spoke to me for the Cliff Burton biography. We talked about the rollercoaster ride of Metallica's early career which he and Cliff experienced, from the time that both men joined the band in early 1983 until Cliff's death three and a half years later. The impact that Burton had on the rest of Metallica, both musically and as an example of how to stick to your principles in the music industry, was profound — and Kirk provided a perspective on that impact which couldn't have come from anywhere else."

McIver's earlier book, Justice For All: The Truth About Metallica, will be republished in its third edition in the summer by Omnibus Press. "Looks like that first book has taken on a life of its own," comments the author. "Since its publication five years ago it's been translated into nine languages: clearly there was a gap in the market for a fully comprehensive book on [the band]. Lars Ulrich told me recently that he's constantly asked to sign copies of it all over the world."