[Let's show] a generation of kiddies raised on Darkest Hour and the Black Dahlia Murder how we old farts really do shit up in this bitch.

My expectations for band reunions are usually pretty low—like, Van Halen low. My expectations for death metal band reunions are even lower—like, Candlebox low. Sure, the semi-recent rebirths of both Obituary and Suffocation produced a pair of decent records from each. And Morbid Angel’s fence-mending with frontman David Vincent did lead to a Decibel cover story in early 2005. (Uh, how’s that new studio album coming along, dudes?) But it seems that in the past few years everyone who was barely anyone—from Cerebral Fix to Brutality to Resurrection—have, er, resurrected in a dubious attempt to recapture the gory glory and modest payday of the late ’80s/early ’90s death metal eruption.

Our own J. Bennett thoroughly examined this phenomenon with his excellent “Back From the Dead” piece [November ’06, #25] on the pros and cons of metal band reunions, concluding it’s often best to let sleeping corpses lie. Of course all of this talk of “legacy” and “integrity” flew out the fucking window the moment both Carcass and At the Gates—who have each been defunct for over a decade—announced in October that they’d be reforming to play some European summer festivals in 2008. Seriously, this is the kind of news that sends sweatpant boners rising from Tampa to Gothenburg. And yeah, my expectations were um, growing, too.

So why are these reunions so different? Well, beyond the simple satisfaction derived from showing a generation of kiddies raised on Darkest Hour and the Black Dahlia Murder how we old farts really do shit up in this bitch, there’s the obvious nostalgia factor. You know what that means, people: a spike in Choosing Death sales—woo-hoo! Also, I know for certain that Carcass frontman Jeff Walker has been growing his “just in case” hair since 2005. Although I’m having trouble convincing him to bring back the dreadlocks, so I encourage each of you to MySpace message him this demand. Plus, ATG vocalist Tomas Lindberg has personally assured me that “we will be good—promise.” The return of his matted ropes, however, is much less likely.

But whatever—I’m officially psyched.

Now, has anyone got Chris Reifert’s phone number?

 

Guitarist/vocalist Dave Gorsuch of the long-running San Francisco Bay Area death metallers INSANITY has issued the following update:

""It is with the heaviest of hearts I post this update.

"Our dear friend and bandmate Bud Mills [drums] is finally at peace after a hellish battle with esophagial cancer. A few of his close friends and I were there with his wife Megan when he passed sometime after 1am last night [November 14]. Although this was the worst night of my life, I feel privileged to have been there with him, his wife and our other friends.

"I am still in awe of the tidal wave of support and love he received from his very special circle of friends and family. He was not only an amazing talent but an amazing person with a huge heart, wit and sense of humor. His loss is completely devastating and will leave a huge void in all of our lives. He really appreciated all of the comments and support he received from his friends, fans and the metal community. We need to keep that support going for Megan and all of us grieving his loss.

"Local friends and fans are welcome to his service which although not yet 100% confirmed will likely be Saturday at 3pm at First Presbyterian Church of Burlingame - www.burlpres.org 1500 Easton Dr, Burlingame - (650) 342-0875 which is where he and Megan were wed.

"Once again thanks for all of your support during this hellish time."

INSANITY was formed in 1985 in the San Francisco Bay Area and unleashed some of the most intensely brutal death metal of that time. According to the band's official bio, Bud Mills "innovated the 1-1 drum beat that was faster than the fastest thrash beat used at the time."

In the summer of 2007 as the band was preparing to record and preparing for shows in Northern and Southern California, Bud was diagnosed with bloodclots. After more tests cancer was discovered and it turned out to be esophageal cancer stage 4.

The pre-production tracks Bud recorded prior to his death are being mixed and will be released in the near future on the "Visions of Apocalypse" album.

For more information, visit www.myspace.com/insanity.

Charles Michael "Chuck" Schuldiner (May 13, 1967, Long Island, New York – December 13, 2001) was an American musician and genre innovator. He is best known for being the founder, singer, rhythm/lead guitar player and main songwriter of Death, which he founded in 1983 as Mantas, and was one of the first bands of the death metal genre. He played an important role in the development of death metal with his band Death, which later evolved into more of a progressive metal sound. In 1998, he put Death on indefinite hiatus and founded another band, Control Denied. Music biographers have referred to Schuldiner as the father of death metal.[
Battle with cancer
In May 1999, Schuldiner experienced pain in his upper neck, which he initially thought was a pinched nerve. He consulted with a chiropractor followed by a massage therapist/acupuncturist who recommended an MRI Exam. He was correct about the pinched nerve; unfortunately, it was being caused by a tumor. On his birthday, May 13, 1999, Schuldiner was diagnosed with pontine glioma, a type of brain cancer that invades the brain stem and immediately underwent radiation therapy.

In October 1999, Schuldiner’s family announced that the tumor had necrotized and that he was on the way to recovery. In January 2000, Schuldiner underwent surgery to remove what remained of his tumor. The operation was a success, however, the Schuldiner family was struggling financially. The total costs of the operations would come to $70,000, a price the Schuldiner family could not afford. Many fundraisers, auctions, and benefit concerts took place to help cover the costs. The money began to come in as the metal community, in total shock, realized that Schuldiner's life was in danger. The metal community and the Schuldiner family showed deep concern because Schuldiner could lose his life due to lack of funds. The doctors that removed his tumor called the original diagnosis of pontine glioma a misdiagnosis.

Schuldiner continued to work on his music, continuing his work with Control Denied. About two years after his original diagnosis, in May 2001, the cancer returned and Schuldiner fell ill again. He was originally denied surgery (which he needed immediately) due to lack of funds. A press release called for support from everyone, including fellow artists. Jane Schuldiner urged all who read the statements about Schuldiner and his illness to go out and get insurance, showing her frustration in the American system. Schuldiner had gotten medical insurance after his first surgery, but the insurer had refused to pay because the tumor existed before he had gotten the insurance. Schuldiner received a chemotherapy drug called vincristine to help with his therapy. Like most drugs used in the treatment of cancer, the side effects were harsh and weakened Chuck greatly. Undaunted, Schuldiner fought on. In late October/early November, Schuldiner became ill with pneumonia. He died on December 13, 2001, at approximately 4 p.m. Eastern Standard Time.

[edit] Legacy
His mother, Jane Schuldiner, handles his legacy. She frequently interacts with Schuldiner's fans and has stated many times that she enjoys his music. Schuldiner's sister Beth seems to keep track of his recordings. Beth has a son named Christopher, who also plays guitar and has all of Schuldiner's guitars except his first one, which his mother keeps.

Although Schuldiner never married or had children, he dated a woman named Kim for several years, his second long-term relationship.

Despite his passing, his legacy lives on through his fans and his recordings. However, a legal battle is in progress on the settlement of the rights to the partially completed second Control Denied album. Part of these incomplete recordings were released in the Zero Tolerance two-part compilation of Death's early demos.

[edit] Religion
Although his parents were both Jewish, Schuldiner was raised in an irreligious home and he did not go through any formal religious training. In the documentary, "666 At Calling Death", he was asked whether Satanism was a part of his music. He replied, "Not at all. I really don't want to involve any type of religious theme in our music. I think that's more of a personal thing. Yeah, I'm not a satanist and I definitely don't put that into our music. No purpose. When the band started out, I was really young when the band first started out. I was never really into writing satanic lyrics at all, personally. We did write gore lyrics, but it was more like kind of tongue-in-cheek, horror-movie type level. Nothing... Encouraging people to go out and hurt themselves or anything stupid like that. It's pure fantasy-movie type, scary stuff. And then, I just really got into writing about reality, which is what we all have to deal with."

Despite creating the original Death logo, he later changed the inverted cross 't' to an upright one precisely so fans and critics would not link the band with anything 'evil'.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chuck_Schuldiner

 

DEATH METAL!!!