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THRASH AND DEATH METAL SHIRTS

Since posting all

my Slayer shirts

, and

my black metal shirts

over the summer, I thought it only fitting to throw in what remains: 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.

I fucking love this shirt. In fact, I am wearing it as I type right now. I can remember being a 10 year-old and wanting it so bad, 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? Exactly. I think the back print used to glow in the dark, at one time or another. Wait up, it still does.

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Okay, this is most likely not original from the 80s, I would say it is more like a 90s print. Still, when have you ever seen a Master Of Puppets, or even a Metallica, long sleeve? I think this is still my favorite Metallica record, coincidentally.

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 were DEFINITELY wack by 93, but this is a killer shirt. I love the bleeding logo, and artist Pushead's ability to squeeze a million skulls into one print.

Again, bad-era Metallica, but killer Pushead print. 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 Jordan's, Dave is like the originator.

This is one of my favorite shirts ever, even though it is super thin, super faded, and is sleeved down to the bottom almost. "

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' guy 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

Pentagram

's show here 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 though is very rare, as it features the words "

Cop Killer

" on his chest.

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. Well…

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 will love this band. Plus, their hand drawn demo sleeves were insanely cool, and make amazing shirts too. I part-traded this shirt with Sindre of Obliteration and Nekromantheon for a bottle of Patron, ha ha.

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 in parts. Never really understood why the album font is in some semi-faux Chinese scrawl, but hey. I am just going to put it out there, but their band logo is maybe the best 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 I am fairly certain it is a bootleg as usually the ship thing is to the right, and there are actually 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 thus their shirts were a bit loud too. I love this all-over print. In fact, I love all-over prints in general. Although, I'm not so much into this record,

their first

is better.

Sadistic Intent

were always one of the coolest 90s death metal bands. I love the "Resurrection" EP, and it wasn't till a friend went to their shop,

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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 already attaining classic status. I hung out with the guys last week in their native Kobotn, Norway, and they hooked me up with the two bottom tee's. Really nice prints, shame I missed the red one. Maybe they'll print some more up for their tour here in October… JONATHAN ROCKWELL