Life of Agony's Alan Robert has a new Xmas coloring book, lists his top LPs of '18

Alan Robert

This new addition and format in the popular adult coloring series will fill even the longest nights of the year with the Beauty of Horror.

May your days be scary and bright! Ghouliana sinks her fangs into The North Pole, causing all kinds of chaos and havoc on Christmas Eve with this spooktacular holiday-themed coloring book!

Ghosts of Christmas is a perfect stocking stuffer with its new 7″ x 7″ size… and for the first time in the series, enjoy one-sided, perforated pages. Now you can color, frame, and display your GOREgeous creations under the mistletoe.

Intricately illustrated by best-selling artist Alan Robert, this new volume is overflowing with limb-filled stockings, zombified elves, burning gingerbread houses, and decaying reindeer. Even good ol’ St. Nick is terrified to turn the pages! A terrific gift idea for horror enthusiasts and fans of the Beauty of Horror series.

As you may know, Life of Agony bassist/songwriter Alan Robert also makes adult coloring books, and he’s got a new one out now for the holiday season, The Beauty of Horror: Ghosts of Christmas Coloring Book. That’s the description above, and you can hear Alan talk more about it on the latest episode of the MetalSucks Podcast.

Life of Agony are about to wrap up 2018 with co-headlining shows with Sick Of It All at Long Island’s Paramount on Friday (12/14) (tickets) and NJ’s Stone Pony on Saturday (12/15) (sold out). Both will be opened by BillyBio (Billy from Biozhard’s new thing).

Lastly, we asked Alan what his favorite albums of the years were, and he sent a list that includes both Sick Of It All and BillyBio, as well as Madball, Muse, A Perfect Circle, Clutch, Jonathan Davis of Korn, Alien Weaponry, and more. Check out Alan’s list (with commentary on each pick) below.

Alan Robert’s Favorite Albums of 2018
Lots of new music dropped this year from some pretty great artists. Everyone from Alice In Chains and Smashing Pumpkins, to Mark Lanegan and Corrosion Of Conformity… so it’s a bit tough to narrow it down, so here’s eleven records that came out this year that are still in my heavy rotation!”

Madball – For the Cause
If there’s one thing you can always count on, it’s my friends in Madball to deliver the NY hardcore sound they’ve been cranking out for decades! For the Cause is full of energy and great grooves, and it’s awesome to hear Matt Henderson back on guitar – he really shines on this one. For the Cause has some stellar production thanks to Rancid’s Tim Armstrong, and features a guest appearance by Ice-T, making it a must-have for any hardcore fan!

BillyBio – Feed the Fire
BillyBio is a brand new band fronted by Biohazard/Powerflo’s Billy Graziadei and I had the absolute pleasure seeing these new tunes performed live every night when Life of Agony brought BillyBio out on tour in Europe this past October. Feed the Fire comes out swinging with furious and infectious hardcore/punk anthems intended for a new generation. This debut kind of picks up where Biohazard left off, but amps up the energy and the angst. Great to see my brother Billy back doing what he does best! BillyBio will be opening the upcoming shows we’re playing with Sick Of It All on Dec. 14th at The Paramount in Huntington, NY and Dec. 15th at The Stone Pony in Asbury Park, NJ.

Jonathan Davis – Black Labyrinth
Life of Agony had the pleasure of playing with Jonathan’s solo band over the summer on an Open-Air European festival, and it was an amazing experience watching them from the side of the stage. He’s got a group of top notch players and the vibe is atmospheric and eclectic. His songs are filled with harrowed tales of despair as only Jonathan can pen. Korn fans won’t be disappointed either, there’s some big grooves on this one courtesy of Korn’s very own Ray Luzier.

Stone Temple Pilots – Stone Temple Pilots
I have always loved STP and they made a huge impact on me growing up, so when Scott Weiland passed away a few years back, it was a major blow. It’s great to see the DeLeo boys back in action with newcomer Jeff Gutt taking over lead vocals. At first, like many, I was a bit skeptical – because how on earth can anyone replace Weiland, but Jeff actually does a really solid job of integrating himself into this amazing band. At times, his vocal tones and phrasing even sound reminiscent of Weiland. Catchy hooks throughout. Highly recommended.

Shinedown – Attention Attention
I was lucky enough to meet Shinedown vocalist Brent Smith before they exploded with 2003’s Leave a Whisper, and got to hear the demos for hit songs like “45” and “Burning Bright” before they were recorded for the album. Brent is a super, down-to-earth, talented songwriter with some great pipes. I actually designed some artwork for them back in the day, and I’m proud to have their gold album hanging on my wall. It’s so great to see these guys continue their unstoppable success, and “Attention Attention” kicked off with a giant groove, featuring the monster single “Devil.” Probably their heaviest stuff since their debut.

Clutch – Book of Bad Decisions
One of my favorite bands delivered another kick-ass addition to their catalog this year. I have literally drawn half of my graphic novels to a soundtrack of Clutch songs over the years. LOA used to play a ton of shows with these guys on the East Coast back in the day, so I may be a bit biased, but Neil Fallon and crew always make me smile. Great band, great record.

Muse – Simulation Theory
Muse really changed things up on this one, and it’s definitely much less rock, but there’s something really interesting and cool about this retro ’80s/electronic sounding approach. It almost feels more like a film soundtrack at times, but as soon as Matt Bellamy’s recognizable vocals kick in, you know immediately who it is.

Alien Weaponry – Tu
LOA’s Joey Z turned me onto these guys while we were on the road and they just so happen to be labelmates of ours (Napalm Records). Definitely keep your eyes on these guys… a great new, young trio out of New Zealand… some of their songs are actually sung in their native language, Te Reo Māori. I can hear some early Sepultura influences at times, and they’re also very melodic with interesting vocal patterns and harmonies.

A Perfect Circle – Eat the Elephant
Maynard Keenan and crew delivered their first new music in something like 14 years, and I think it threw some diehard fans for a loop, mostly because of how different this is from their classic “Mer de Noms” album. I happen to really dig how stripped down this album is at times and Maynard’s emotional vocals are a real highlight for me. He sounds great… and it reminds me just how much I miss Tool.

All Hail The Yeti – Highway Crosses
These guys are some of the nicest guys around and their latest album just plain rocks. Just got off the road with them in Europe and watched them kill it night after night with these tunes. Don’t believe me? Check out lead off single “Nuclear Dust”!

Sick Of It All – Wake the Sleeping Dragon
I got hooked on SOIA back in ‘89, with their debut Blood, Sweat and No Tears, and they pretty much ruled the NY hardcore scene ever since. Their new album is explosive… full of anger, rage and intensity… almost a direct response to how the world is crumbling down around us here in 2018. Extremely honest record, as you’d expect from these scene veterans. They’ve never been afraid to stand up for the underdog and scream in the face of the oppressor. I’m so excited that LOA and SOIA are finally teaming up for the first time in 30 years this December for a couple of NY area shows. Can’t wait!