The sudden departure of veteran heavy metal journalist Malcolm Dome came as a shock to many in the music industry. 

Dome reportedly passed away over the weekend at the age of 66, according to Kerrang!. The cause of the journalist's death is still unknown at the time of publication.

Dome was mainly known for coining the term ‘thrash metal’ whilst writing about the Anthrax song ‘Metal Thrashing Mad’ in February 1984.

Prior to the conception of this subgenre, bands such as Anthrax and Metallica dubbed their music simply as ‘power metal.’ In fact, Dome’s advocacy of ‘thrash metal’ was so influential that notable bands including the likes of Slayer and Megadeth would later go on to adopt this label.

In his prolific career as a writer, Dome has published several rock biographies on artists like AC/DC, Led Zeppelin and Mötley Crüe but his most prominent release was his first book from 1980, Encyclopedia Metallica which he co-wrote with fellow journalist Brian Harrigan. The self-professed bible of heavy metal not only provided an in-depth history of the genre’s roots dating back to the late 60s but also inspired Metallica’s name.

As a pioneering music journalist, Dome has been writing about metal since 1979, and has contributed to a plethora of reputable music magazines including Record Mirror (in the late 70s), Metal Fury (in the early 80s), Kerrang! (when it first launched in 1981), Classic Rock (in 1998), and Prog (since its inception in 2009). 

With a journalistic career spanning four decades, Malcolm Dome is one of the most revered correspondents for rock and metal music. Having written extensively about countless metal musicians, many have taken to social media to personally express their condolences whilst acknowledging just how prominent his work has been in the music sphere over the years.

Extremely sad to hear of Malcolm Dome’s passing. Not only was he an incredible talent who helped guide my relationship with heavy music, but he was also a great person. Today, I’m thinking of the fun, memorable times we spent together back in the day. https://t.co/9chlIVjSMm

— Lars Ulrich (@larsulrich) November 1, 2021

Malcolm was a lovely guy, he interviewed me many times and was always positive about the music. He was one of the first journalists to totally get metal. We even worked together last year when he helped me sort out my Wikipedia entry. Sadly missed. - Tonyhttps://t.co/Te8hippkxB

— Tony Iommi (@tonyiommi) November 1, 2021

Words cannot express how sorry I feel to hear about the passing of Malcolm Dome. Rest In Peace. God Bless

— Ozzy Osbourne (@OzzyOsbourne) November 1, 2021

RIP Rock Journalist & friend #MalcomDome
we'll miss you https://t.co/m8mfEZjj5P

— Slash (@Slash) November 1, 2021

We are all very much saddened and shocked to hear about the passing of our friend Malcolm Dome. He was fearless, intrepid, passionate and forthright as a journalist and latterly a broadcaster and we respected him immensely. pic.twitter.com/NMRWqGT1zV

— Iron Maiden (@IronMaiden) November 1, 2021

Sad to hear about the passing of Malcolm Dome. He was such an important figure for all things rock and metal and championed so many bands over the years. RIP Malcolm https://t.co/Ogy4HSr7Eb

— Mötley Crüe (@MotleyCrue) November 2, 2021