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Vice Blog

THRASH AND DEATH METAL SHIRTS

Since posting all my Slayer and black metal shirts over the summer, I thought it only fitting to end the season with what's left in my closet: death and thrash metal shirts. These are all from my own collection and are all bands I truly worship. So load up a bong, stick on some old thrash (Slaughter's "Strappado" is perfect), and just zone.

THRASH METAL

I fucking love this shirt. In fact, I am wearing it as I type right now. I can remember wanting it as a 10 year-old, but imagine trying to convince your folks you need a Metallica T-shirt that has a hand with a knife coming out of a toilet that says Metal Up Your Ass underneath. As if this shirt wasn't amazing enough already, the back print glows in the dark.

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OK, this is most likely not an original from the 80s, I'd say it's probably a 90s print. Still, when have you ever seen a Master Of Puppets,, or any Metallica shirt in a long sleeve? This is still my favorite Metallica record.

Alright, I know they were kinda wack by the time this came out, but you can't go wrong with white metal shirts, especially Metallica ones. Summer jam shit right here.

Metallica had definitely gone off the deep end by '93, but this is a killer shirt. I love the bleeding logo, Pushead's ability to squeeze a million skulls into one print.

Again, a killer Pushhead print during a shitty Metallica era. In the 90s he could do no wrong for me. Apparently back then you could get him to do you a graphic for like $300.

Ah, Megadeth. I love you. Nobody quite rocked the whole "thrasher" look better than Dave Mustaine. Seriously, have you seen their website? It has like a million photos from each album, and all are ridiculous. When it came to metal tees and Jordans, Dave is the originator.

This is one of my favorite shirts ever even though it's super thin, faded, and sleeved pretty much down to the bottom. "Black Friday" is one of my favorite riffs ever, and if you haven't heard their classic "Peace Sells… But Who's Buying" then remedy that right now.

Like some of the Metallica shirts above, this is not exactly classic era Anthrax, but I liked the record a lot as a kid, and it's a cool print. I like how the Not Man separates all the dates on the back. They always had to pun their tour names (badly) for some reason.

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Trippy mushroom print on the front? Check. Guy smoking massive zoot on the back? Check. Death to posers indeed! This is the only shirt I own that my girlfriend likes.

I got this shirt at a Pentagram show last year, which was maybe the best metal gig I've ever been to. Not bad for a band with only six songs. Also, that backprint… I am at a loss for words.

OK. Body Count shouldn't technically be here as they are more of a hardcore/crossover thrash band, right? But, this is my post and I have been obsessed with the Ice-T fronted band since I was a kid. In fact, in '93, this record got me into hip-hop. I actually have two more original Body Count shirts, an original back patch, and an original small patch. This one is very rare because it says "Cop Killer" on his chest, which is awesome.

Killer blood red font and Venom-style logo, huh? Colombia's Witchtrap make some of the finest blackened thrash I have ever heard, and their Witching Metal EP is as good as 2000s thrash comes.

The Norwegians have it down. Deathhammer are for me one of the best thrash bands I have ever heard. If you like early Slayer, you'll love this band. Plus, their hand drawn demo sleeves were insanely cool and make amazing shirts. I part-traded this shirt with Sindre of Obliteration and Nekromantheon for a bottle of Patron.

Kolbotn's Nekromantheon are also totally killer. I traded my original Sindrome shirt with frontman Sindre for the white shirt above and never regretted it.

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Then there's the orignators of the black thrash attack, Aura Noir. This was given to me by frontman and Immortal bassist, Apollyon, on one of his trips to the UK. He's a really swell guy who likes nothing better than to smoke bongs, listen to old thrash, and sleep on my sofa. This was actually a long sleeve made exclusively for the band, but it was a size small, so I had to give it a little sleevectomy to wear it.

DEATH METAL

Possessed's Seven Churches. Man, that record still gives me chills. Never really understood why the album font is in some semi-faux Chinese scrawl, but whatever. Their band logo is probably the best thing I have ever seen.

Posers will be all, "Darkthrone are a black metal band, duh." WRONG. Their debut, Soulside Journey, is a death metal masterpiece. I got this from a guy in Italy, and am fairly certain it's a bootleg because usually the ship thing is to the right, and there are two pentagrams at the top of the logo where it looks like the screen slipped.

Florida's finest, Obituary, always had a cool steez. They wore a lot of color (much to Varg's disdain), and fittingly their shirts were a bit loud too. I love this all-over print. Although, I'm not so much into this record, their first is better.

Sadistic Intent were one of the coolest 90s death metal bands. I love the Resurrection EP, and it wasn't till a friend went to their shop, Dark Realm, that I acquired the shirt. Killer backprint. These guys are now all in Possessed.

Obliteration are one of the best new death metal bands out there. Their 2009 Nekropsalms record has already attained classic status. I hung out with the guys last week in their native Kobotn, Norway, and they hooked me up with the two bottom tees.

JONATHAN ROCKWELL