R.I.P. Malcolm Dome, 1955 - 2021
The world's biggest heavy metal journalist and author has left us too soon
This Friday, we all lost a voice that has meant far more for the world of metal than most people probably realize – and than we'll ever know.
Malcolm Dome started his career writing for Record Mirror Magazine in the late '70s, and Metal Fury in the early '80s. He became a household name for heavy metal fans in 1981 as he joined the newly-launching magazine Kerrang!, and co-authored the Encyclopedia Metallica – a chronological history of heavy metal thus far.
Those two incidences are perfect examples of Dome's influential way with words – the former name being his homemade onomatopoeia for the sound of a distorted guitar chord, and the latter name inspiring a certain band formed by ambitious Danish drummer Lars Ulrich the year after.
It was also during his time at Kerrang! – specifically in issue #62, released Feb. 23rd 1984 – that Dome coined the term thrash metal, in reference to Anthrax' since-classic tune "Metal Thrashing Mad". (Up until then, James Hetfield had described Metallica as "power metal"!)
And, as I wrote about a month ago, it was, to my best knowledge, Malcolm Dome who gave the perfect, succinct definition of heavy metal: High-energy rock'n'roll.
Nailed it right there.
Without his passionate, tireless advocation for bands like Motörhead, Saxon, and Iron Maiden in the late '70s and early '80s, it's likely that the NWoBHM might not have happened at all.
Apart from his year-long stints as a journalist and editor at Kerrang!, Classic Rock, Metal Hammer, Metal Forces, Prog magazine, and RAW, Dome was also involved with Total Rock Radio, and the author of several books on artists such as Van Halen, AC/DC, Mötley Crüe, Aerosmith, Metallica, Bon Jovi, and Led Zeppelin.
Among his peers, he was known for his kind-hearted, down-to-earth way of being, and equally for his extensive encyclopedic knowledge of hard rock and heavy metal. He was featured in such documentaries as "The Story of Anvil", Iron Maiden's "The Early Days", and Sam Dunn's "Metal: A Headbanger's Journey", and he wrote album liner notes for more bands than would be fitting or responsible to mention here.
Without his passionate, tireless advocation for bands like Motörhead, Saxon, and especially Maiden in the late '70s and early '80s, it's likely that the NWoBHM might not have happened at all, or at least that it would have been a much smaller phenomenon. And in that world, it's quite possible that metal wouldn't have been half as big as it got.
Malcolm Dome was a trailblazer and powerhouse in the world of metal. He will be sorely missed.
Rock In Peace.