Arsis Mastermind James Malone Shows Off His Metal T-Shirt Collection!
A metalhead’s t-shirt collection contains some of their most prized possessions. Sweaty, stained and torn, our shirts are chronicles of our lives, physical markers of a past time and place that we pridefully put on our bodies every day. They have a clear pecking order: there are those shirts you wear only when all the best ones are in the laundry, there are the absolute favorites you wear once every couple of weeks, and there are all the shirts in between, each with their own clear rank. To a metalhead, T-shirts are EVERYTHING.
James Malone of Arsis is the latest to share his most prized threads for our series My Metal T-Shirt Collection. James has got some pretty sweet shirts — and they’ve clearly been battle tested to the max — so it’s our pleasure to show off some of his selections to you all below. Arsis’s new album Visitant comes out November 2nd via Agonia Records (Europe / Rest Of The World) and Nuclear Blast Records (North / Central / South America); pre-order here. Catch Arsis on the Bloodletting North America Tour with Decrepit Birth, Internal Bleeding and others starting next week (dates at the bottom of this post).
1. Morbid Angel
I firmly believe that everyone needs a shirt that is so worn in that anytime someone else sees it they immediately know it’s your favorite. A shirt that screams, “Hey! I own two shirts with sleeves and this is NOT one of them!” For me, this Morbid Angel shirt is that shirt. The fact that I acquired it while supporting Morbid Angel with Arsis on our first ever European tour makes it even more special.
2. Wizard Cat
NOTHING will ever be more metal than a Necromancer Cat rolling on nip while reanimating a dead mouse in the cauldron of despair. Nothing. Purchased on tour with Necromancing the Stone.
3. RiddickArt
Mark Riddick is without a doubt one of my favorite humans of all time. He is also one of my favorite artists. The design of this shirt is undeniably Riddick: it fits perfectly, and is safe for work. For these reasons it has become one of my most worn shirts ever.
4. Vulnere
We played a small run of shows last April and one of those shows was in Portland, OR. The opening band that night was impressive and I couldn’t help but notice the simple, safe for work, black and white logo shirt. The band was kind enough to hook me up with one and I have been wearing it ever since. To make it even more awesome the singer in the band was someone I met through playing shows years ago and it was great to see them doing well and to be able to reconnect.
5. Darkest Hour
This shirt has been a favorite of mine ever since I picked it up on the Thrash and Burn tour in 2008. I don’t think this picture does the pit stains on this one justice; I am fairly certain that the pit stains are more metal than the shirt itself.
Arsis, Decrepit Birth, Internal Bleeding, Pyrexia, Angelmaker and Within Destruction:
10/12 San Diego, Ca @ Brick By Brick
10/13 Pomona, Ca @ Glasshouse (moved from 1720 in Los Angeles)
10/14 Mesa, Az @ Club Red
10/16 Dallas, Tx @ Gas Monkey Bar and Grill
10/17 Austin, Tx @ Come and Take It Live!
10/18 Laredo, Tx @ Ethos Bar
10/19 Houston, Tx @ Acadia Bar
10/20 New Orleans, La @ The Howlin’ Wolf
10/21 Orlando, Fl @ The Haven
10/21 Greenville, SC @ The Firmament
10/24 Virginia Beach, Va @ Shakas
10/25 Clifton, Nj @ Dingbatz
10/26 Brooklyn, Ny @ The Kingsland
10/27 Manchester, Nh @ Bungalow
10/28 Quebec, QC @ Salle Multi
10/30 Montreal, QC @ Les Foufounes Electriques
10/31 Ottawa, ON @ Mavericks
11/1 Detroit, Mi @ Harpos
11/3 Chicago, Il @ Reggies
11/4 Mirriam, Ks @ Aftershock
11/6 Denver, Co @ The Roxy Theater
11/7 Salt Lake City, Ut @ Metro Music Hall
11/9 Seattle, Wa @ Club Sur Rocks
11/11 Watsonville, Ca @ Appleton Bar and Grill
