Cliff Burton and Randy Rhoads – R.I.P. Tees

There are a few personalities that upon hearing their name, one immediately recognizes a certain metallic majesty.  Lemmy, Ozzy Osbourne, Ronnie James Dio, and Rob Halford all have names that trumpet their infamy like a host of heralds from Hell.

There is another pantheon of names, however, whose utterances crush a mind into a momentary silent reverence (well, for some of us anyway).  The dearly departed of the metallic brethren have names that have weight like fallen heroes, like martyred saints.

Cliff Burton and Randy Rhoads are both such names.  Their careers were as brief as they were mightily impressed upon not just the history of heavy metal, but of all music.  There style was singular, their image unmistakable, and their sound was as loud as life itself should be.  They are a brutal reminder to play your solo in this world at 11, for the Reaper may be clapping at the end of the song, but he still may choose you for his own personal house band down below after the encore.

Their deaths were rude gestures by a cold and bitter fate.  One was a tour bus skidding on ice and then turning on its side, only to crush an unsuspecting Burton.  The other, a chance plane ride for Rhoads that ended in a horrible accidental crash.  Both were as tragic as they were heavily mourned by the metal faithful.  Not only that, but their legacy haunts the groups they were made famous by.  Arguably, both Ozzy Osbourne and Metallica never recovered from the creative high points both Burton and Rhoads helped them achieve.

Here’s some tees that pay homage to the two aforementioned immortal metal maestros.  Also included are some clips of them in their prime.  Thunder and lightning.  Cliff Burton and Randy Rhoads.  Live even after death.  Eternal amplitude.  Cliff ’em all…