Back in the day, Christmas shopping for music lovers couldn't have been simpler: just head on down to the record store, pick up the latest hot release or a rare collector's item, wrap it up with a Warehouse Music gift certificate and you were golden.
Now that the music business has evolved into a digital game, our options have basically been reduced to the dreaded iTunes gift card. Has there ever been a less exciting gift to unwrap in the history of Christmas?
No, not that we're aware of.
That's why we recommend getting a little creative with your music-related Christmas shopping. We realize that you're probably a little busy trying to find parking at the mall at the moment, so we've saved you the trouble of thinking by coming up with the following list of weird and quirky gift ideas for the (gasp) Last Christmas on Earth.
Truly, some of them are better to give than receive. Read on to see what we mean.
Satanism was never so warm and fuzzy! These officially licensed Slayer jumpers sold out in a hurry at the band's online store, but that's no cause for mandatory suicide. Just keep an eye on eBay - a few are bound to pop up between now and the 25th. Pick one up, and your favorite thrasher will stay warm as hell wearing this outrageous holiday blasphemy to midnight mass.
Honestly, it really feels like we shouldn't have to explain to you why everyone you know wants this. It's a Slayer Christmas sweater. Look at those festive pentagrams! Your Christmas is seriously bound to suck without one of these. It's this year's must-have accoutrement for the naughty-list set.
9. Clockwork Angels: The Novel
2012 was a big year for Rush. Not only did they release their first concept album in decades - and their best work in ages - with Clockwork Angels, but human drum machine/literary freak Neil Peart pushed the band into a new realm by novelizing the record.
If that sounds a tad ridiculous, it's because it totally is. But Clockwork Angels: The Novel is also an easy, enjoyable read for fans of the prog-rock gods. Peart brought in longtime fan and sci-fi ringer Kevin J. Anderson to help flesh out the story, and the result is a lot better written than a novelized version of a 21st Century Rush album has any right to be. It's the ideal gift for any loved one who own a bass guitar with what seems like kind of a lot of strings on it.