I am deeply saddened to report that Alan Moses, co-author of Glorious Times: A Pictorial of the Death Metal Scene (1984-1991), passed away on November 8, 2024 from a heart attack. Alan profoundly impacted the lives of many musicians in the extreme metal community, including myself, as I had the privilege of knowing him since I was 12 years old.
In the late 1980s, during the era of the tape-trading underground, Alan Moses became a well-known figure in the extreme metal scene while living in Australia. Along with his fervent passion for tape-trading, his DIY zine, Buttface, gained underground recognition across Europe and North America. Through the mail system, Alan forged connections with many individuals who are now household names in death metal, black metal, and grindcore.
Although Napalm Death, who influenced Alan into saying the word “chuffed” all the damn time, invited him to move to England and work with them, Alan followed his heart and chose instead to support Morbid Angel (“the morbid ones,” as he often put it). This decision led him to relocate to Tampa, Florida, where he became heavily involved in the city’s flourishing death metal movement. Beyond managing Morbid Angel’s Covenant of Death fan club, Alan worked at Ace’s Records, which was a hub for extreme metal enthusiasts and musicians alike, where his charisma left a long-lasting impression. One particularly humorous anecdote he shared with me was about Erik Rutan, who had placed a gum-ball machine in Ace’s Records. Rutan would stop by weekly to collect the quarters and refill the machine, which was just a small part of a larger candy operation he had across Tampa.
When I met Alan in 1996, he was the maintenance man at a Christian private school I went to. He saw that I listened to Metallica and Slayer, so he brought in a signed copy of Morbid Angel’s Blessed Are the Sick for me to check out along with its lyrics. The moment I hit play, I was hooked for life. He told me all about his experiences with Morbid Angel and the broader debauched extreme metal scene, which wasn’t the usual kind of experience one gets at a Christian private school.
Eventually, Alan moved back to Australia with his family. Around 2009, he and Brian Pattison began working on Glorious Times: A Pictorial of the Death Metal Scene (1984-1991). Alan dedicated all of his energy to the project. Most of the bands featured were already very close to him, and many of the photos exhibited were from his personal collection, which made the book feel like an extended family album in many ways.
I want to extend my heartfelt gratitude to Stephanie Moses, Alan’s wife, for informing me of his passing. I hope this news reaches everyone whose lives Alan touched. Although Alan wasn’t particularly fond of most metal released after 1993 (there were exceptions!), he remained an enormous supporter of the musicians and fans in the sphere around him. The underground has lost one of its greatest. —Jason Kiss
