Dayal Patterson is a British author, music journalist and founder of publishing house, Cult Never Dies. He has written several non-fiction books about heavy metal music and has contributed to a number of metal magazines, such as Decibel, Terrorizer, Metal Hammer, Classic Rock Presents, Record Collector, NME, Zero Tolerance and online publications such as The Quietus. ^[1][2] His trilogy of books on black metal, Black Metal: Evolution of the Cult, Black Metal: The Cult Never Dies Vol. One. and Black Metal: Into the Abyss, have been labelled 'essential reading' for black metal enthusiasts.^[3][4]

Patterson began his music journalism career in the early 2000s when he started his own fanzine called Crypt. Shortly after, he became a regular contributor for magazines such as Metal Hammer, Terrorizer and Record Collector.^[5] During this time, Patterson has written multiple cover stories, including Rammstein,^[6] Behemoth,^[7] Children of Bodom^[8] for Metal Hammer and Deicide^[9] and Turisas^[10] for Terrorizer.

In 2013, coinciding with Feral House’s publication of his book, Black Metal: Evolution of the Cult, Patterson founded his own publishing house Cult Never Dies, which specialises in publications, merchandise and physical music releases relating to underground metal.^[11]

In late 2023, on Cult Never Dies’ tenth anniversary, Black Metal: Evolution of the Cult - The Restored, Expanded & Definitive Edition was published.^[12] The North American version of the book was published in early 2024 by Decibel Books.^[13]

Patterson has given talks on the history of metal at events and festivals such as Midgardsblot,^[14] Beyond the Gates^[15] Cosmic Void,^[16] Inferno Festival and Bergen Literary Festival.^[17]

Patterson has also written multiple liner notes, and designed album layouts and artwork. He has also done live music and band photography.^[18][19]