The man himself doesn’t need an introduction nor does his persona. I choose to focus on his despotic fascination for homemade costumes and “clothing” that he chooses to adorn himself with on stage for Mayhem, Void Ov Voices and Sunn O))). At one gig going as far to make himself up as a tree, explaining that Sunn O))) music was for the plants. Some of his appearances have nonetheless been deemed controversial or lame, but opinions are irrelevant because it is not made with the intentions to impress. Some of his masks were designed by Nader Sadek, who i also plan to write about. Various others designs that have come across were the German Hitler outfit, broken mirror man, the death priest (over 70 years old and made by nuns) and the mummy…

Atilla states about the purpose of the visual aesthetics “I like to challenge the audience, so the worst thing for me is going on stage with something that has been seen a million times before, like corpse paint. Actually, the first time I wore corpse paint was in 1987 with my band Tormentor. Alien Sex Fiend were using white make-up, so I started to wear a white base and put black make-up on top, around the eyes and the mouth. It was cool then”

Read about his other thoughts and check out all the costumes here READ MORE…

One of the raddest things about being a punk kid in the 80′s was the fanzine culture. D.I.Y was not a word for us but an lifestyle. Out of this culture grew the cottage industry of fanzines & from this, the independent publishing houses that produced them. Back then these fanzines were our internet – they actually connected the East Coast punks to the West Coast punks. My first love was my local, Flipside, & my second favorite was NoCal’s Maximum Rock & Roll (they brought the global perspective to fanzines with their global scene reports). Today, CVLT Nation is featuring two epic zines from the 80′s: the punk zine Urban Decay & the metal zine Brain Damage. Both of these have some awesome interviews from bands of the day, plus some killer art. Get your fanzine download on after the jump!

URBAN DECAY

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A while back, I did a post on the metal battle jacket, or kutte, and it’s proved to be one of our most popular, so here’s a part two. Again, I searched T-shirt Slayer for some of their finest examples of what is a staple of the metal wardrobe, after long hair and a band tee. Anyone whose ever tried to make one of these knows how painstaking the process is, from the placement of the patches and studs to the actual stitching and studding. These works of art can sometimes take months or years to fully complete, and others are in a constant state of progression. I have so much respect for the effort and artistry that has gone into these vests, regardless of how I may feel about the bands they are repping, or the flowery sheet or shag carpet that makes up the background of the photo, I can’t fault their dedication or talent when it comes to making a killer piece of clothing. After the jump, check out a mega epic gallery of battle jackets…

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Cultivation of surrounding primitive cultures, evolution through self education, and complete spiritual ties to the flesh; these are all things that Marc Riedmann, better known as Little Swastika, manifests. He came into his own at a young age, and from starting out on a swiss army knife, I think it’s safe to say he’s certainly come a long way in his arts of the flesh and otherwise, as today he is viewed as a prodigy amongst the body-mod culture. While he has evolved into 21st century tattooing techniques, he still maintains a love for reverting to traditional means of tattooing. The DIY approach has really been all that he’s known, and the “‘build something new and then have a go at it’ approach is something,” he says, “I find deeply fascinating…” This do-it-yourself, street lifestyle he grew up knowing reflects in his work and seems to be responsible for his entire aesthetic; an aesthetic which comprises ornate and detailed imagery with raw, sketchy lines and technique.

Tattooing and body modification can be viewed as mere extensions upon the soul, and our means of merging the material with the spiritual. In some cultures, the swastika represents creation, which alone is the sole reason we are the beings we are. If we do not create, we cannot destroy, and if we cannot or will not destroy, we refuse to fully live.

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Massive hair and evil eyes defined the Death Rock style of the 80s, the actually super fly precursor to today’s mostly cheesy goth and 100% terrible emo fashion. In my opinion, these women look amazing and are style icons; I have no idea where those bastard babies of Death Rock came from. I think this style is kind of what those Rick Owens-worshiping hipsters are going for, but please people – try a little harder. These all-black-everything outfits are as authentic and creative as they come. Plus, the sheer amount of talent and practice it takes to paint on eyebrows and eyeliner like this makes Death Rock makeup a work of art. And the hair, worn perfectly bushy by women and men alike (although I have to say, I prefer a man who doesn’t spend any time styling his hair), it a feat in itself – defying space, time and gravity to rest atop their heads like black fluffy halos. Death Rock hair is the white woman’s answer to the Afro of the 70s, labeling her anti-system and against all of society’s norms of attractiveness, but looking fabulous in her own right. As a new mother, I haven’t really found the time to brush my hair yet, but I am not averse to one day soon bringing back the Siouxsie eye. After the jump, peruse some amazing photos of Death Rock ladies of the 80s…

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Cvlt Nation extended family member GIVE UP is at it again with his recent release  of HATEFUCK 10. This issue contains the filth, the scum, the collected and spill-over from the elements of GIVE UP art and design. The black and white photocopy zine, 8.5×5.5, numbered edition of 75. Issue 10 features a black on black card cover with a screen printed detail 8.5×12 centerfold, and additional printed transparency pages of the most recent spew. You can pick up your copy of HATEFUCK 10 over at the GIVE UP webstore. More after the jump.

I just discovered a new tumblr dedicated to punk jackets. I have a special affinity for punk jackets, having spent almost a month & a half making one for Sean’s birthday last year. His wasn’t the typical punk jacket…there is no Discharge patch on it…it’s kind of a combination of gothic, metal, crust & doom-inspired. As far as punk jackets go, I especially appreciate the hand-painted ones, where the entire jacket becomes a canvas, because those take so much painstaking effort and really imbue the jacket with love. Fuck Yeah Punk Jackets appears to be run out of the UK by a couple of punks who go by the names of Rats & Booger, I think. But it is also a kind of open-source blog where people post their own creations, which is pretty awesome, because you get an unfiltered look at what people are making, even when the photos are shitty. I have assembled a gallery of some of the jackets I most liked from the site, including Sean’s…so check that out after the jump!

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We are really happy to release our first collection of tees, tanks, raglans, henleys & hats in the form of CVLT Nation One. We are also offering a couple of the graphics on canvas back patches for your own DIY enjoyment. We worked with some really amazing artists for our first season, who have set the tone for the CVLT Nation clothing line. If you haven’t already checked out our collections page, we worked with Daniel Desecrator, Toshihiro Egawa, Elias Tormentor and Alemsahim to create dark and powerful hand-drawn pieces. Everything is at our stockists’ worldwide next week, and it’s up here in the CVLT Store. After the jump, take a peek at what we are offering this season, and then head over to the store to pick some up for yourself!

ASUNDER – Daniel Desecrator

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These two are so busy, they remind me of Sean and I on speed. Somewhere in between hand-silkscreening their t-shirts and studding and sewing leather cuffs, Amanda and Le Messie at FALSE also produce FALSE Magazine. True to their craft, they hand-cut, finish and bind every signed and dated issue, and also include 3 handmade 1″ pins. False Flag, their third issue released today, is a series of mixed-media artworks in the spirit of Adbusters – revealing the corruption and deceitful reassurances of modern day societies and their rulers. FALSE inject every page of this zine with their anarcho-punk spirit and create scathing imagery that blasts both government and corporate mind-control of the idiot masses. Their cover image is of a flag that has represented lies and genocide since it’s inception. As a Communications major from a lefty school of thought, this shit is right up my alley. After the jump, check out some images from the new issue, and pick up your copy HERE.

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A classic part of the metalhead uniform is the long-sleeve t-shirt, a piece that has barely changed for more than 20 years. At almost every show, you can find yourself an epically screened longsleeve, with front, back and sleeve placements. These shirts come in handy for hiding your skinny, hairy arms, and for covering up any unsightly tattoos you thought were an awesome idea when you were 18. I spent a little time perusing T-shirt Slayer, and I found some choice picks among the countless shirts posted up there. Keep in mind, this is very DIY photography, but you can definitely feel the spirit of the shirts. I even threw in some epic bootleg Ozzy & Metallica raglans from their 1986 tours…I just picture some mustachioed dude in aviators hawking these babies. In true metal spirit, CVLT Nation Two will feature some pretty rad longsleeves for your Fall wardrobe, so stay tuned for those. After the jump, take a peek at some of my favorites, old and new…

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