The metal/crust vest, aka the battle jacket, is something that has survived the ages and is still going strong today. Some people hate on them, but I think that’s because they are kind of older and embittered, and have forgotten the enthusiasm of youth when it comes to sharing their musical tastes with strangers. No offense. That isn’t to say that there aren’t some 40- or 50-something heads out there who still rock their battle jackets, or who have kept them and still cherish them. But I think the battle jacket is still the territory of the young and passionate. You have to have a decent amount of time on your hands (ie. no full time job), or be really into making shit, to spend the hours it takes to hand stud and sew patches on a vest. That kind of patience and dedication to the cause I admire.
I recently stumbled across a website that I think I will be spending hours pouring over and posting about – T-shirt Slayer. It’s basically a forum where metal and crust heads from around the world share their creations and their favorite tees with each other. I only spent about an hour on there, but I came away with some excellent specimens of the battle jacket, which I will share with you after the jump…
There are a lot of different styles of battle jacket – each is a reflection of the owner. Some people are very neat and tidy with their patch placements, and others create a kind of embroidered chaos on theirs. Some use discreet stitching, others go with the zombie dental floss stitch. Some are crowded with pins, patches and studs, and others are more sparsely arranged around centerpieces. I like a bit of hardware myself, but I also like the idea of a vest completely dedicated to the patch artwork. I think the best thing about these vests is how they transcend borders and cultures – how a Chilean kid can admire the handiwork of an Indonesian kid, and how they become a part of the same world through that admiration. Below are my tops (for now, I could spend hours looking at these on T-shirt Slayer and I probably will)…
SOURCE: T-shirt Slayer
Nick Gallagher
March 6, 2013 at 4:39 pm
I’m putting together my first Battle Vest, I’m looking for suggestions idea’s , do’s don’ts etc… been obsessed with them for a long time and like I said above, am looking for advise.
Phosphorous_redeemer
March 27, 2012 at 10:41 am
Tshirt slayer is killer. We can all admire shit that normally you would never ever see in your life, like the very first bathory lp pressing, cool shit like that. I’ve also made a few sweet trades. That First vest is one of my favorites.
uppity douche
April 15, 2011 at 6:10 am
Out of all the subcultures that love throwing patches on jackets, these are without doubt the shittiest. Punks and goths know when to stop putting shit on their jacket (or at least know how to make the clutter look good), think about logo placement, etc. Their jackets are something to be proud of, something that not only speaks to their personality, music taste and dedication, but also actually looks good when you wear it. Out of all these examples, perhaps two of them are passable.
doctordeath
April 9, 2011 at 4:32 am
Don’t forget that anyone can join tshirtslayer and submit their battlejackets and metal tshirts, theres more to tshirtslayer than just battlejackets 😀
Mr.Bunghole
April 6, 2011 at 6:29 pm
W’sup Ryonikis, didn’t expect to find you here! get back to /mu/.
Ryonikis
April 6, 2011 at 2:15 am
I have that Skiysystem patch. o.o Awesome! Pretty sweet Blasphemy patch as well. 😛