What are you gonna be for Halloween? There are so many possibilities — just pulling from the world of heavy music alone. That being the case, we hit up a man who knows more than a little about the things that go bump in the night, Life of Agony bassist and The Beauty of Horror creator-illustrator Alan Robert, for some suggestions for badass metal-themed costumes. He spotlighted five artists "known for their twisted visuals and their frightfully visceral performances."
"When it comes to heavy music, we've been blessed with an abundance of horrific characters and imagery," Robert says. "So much so, that when my friends at Revolver asked me to do this piece, my brain went haywire with all the amazingly gruesome stage theatrics I've seen over the decades and the masterminds that created them. Alice Cooper, Ozzy Osbourne, Iron Maiden, Twisted Sister, Rob Zombie, the Misfits ... where does it end? Hopefully, it never will. Any of these would make phenomenal costumes on Halloween — I've been a few of them myself — but when it comes down to what I think would be the most instantly recognizable, these are my top five! As an added bonus, I couldn't help but draw them all up for ya!"
5. Marilyn Manson
The evolution of Marilyn Manson's various looks have gone from goth to glam depending on each album, but for me, there's nothing that compares to his Antichrist Superstar look when he channeled his inner-Exorcist. Life of Agony had the pleasure of sharing the stage with Manson at Belgium's Alcatraz Hard Rock & Metal Festival a few years back, and we had an awesome time. He's got one of the best live shows around.
4. King Diamond
The legendary Mercyful Fate frontman is known for his signature, bone-crucifix microphone stand, so keep that in mind when choosing your costume accessories! The King's makeup has changed a few times over the years, and while his new top hat look does the trick, nothing really tops his iconic Mercyful Fate-era style.
3. Slipknot
You've got nine members to choose from, so you can really take your pick! Each one is more disturbing than the next. You can't go wrong with the classic red jumpsuit and it's probably the most recognizable. Ever since deranged masked killers have taken over movies like The Purge, You're Next and The Strangers, it might be easy for your non-metalhead buds to mistake you for one of those, so be sure to paint the Slipknot logo on your jumpsuit with a barcode. And if you choose Clown, don't forget your baseball bat!
2. Ghost's Papa Emeritus
Lead singer Tobias Forge has reinvented himself several times over with different iterations of his Papa Emeritus character ... and each one is unmistakably sinister. He looks like he just walked off of a horror movie set, so even if party goers don't know the band, going this outrageous route will definitely get ya some eyeballs.
1. Gene Simmons
Like every other KISS fan on the planet, I was completely crushed when they took off their makeup on MTV in the Eighties. Gene Simmons' fire-breathing, blood-spitting Demon character has always been larger than life and the coolest of the group. As a young kid, I remember saving up my money to buy KISS Double Platinum on vinyl and cranking it up so loud that the neighbors were fuming. But can you really listen to "God of Thunder" lower than 11?
If you enjoyed these illustrations, be sure to check out Robert's best selling coloring book series, The Beauty of Horror.
