Archive | Hoping For The Best
2012 was a horrifying year for Randy Blythe, who was arrested for manslaughter in Prague, accused of causing the death of a fan during a show two years ago. And on February 4, the Lamb Of God singer will return to the Czech Republic to stand trial. Blythe has stated numerous times that he would return to Prague if needed since returning to America (after having been held there in jail for over a month), which he reiterated in a recent post on Instagram.
“The last 2 or 3 days I have been getting ready mentally to leave my home & return to Prague to do this whole trial thing in early February,” Blythe says in the Instagram post. “It’s not something I particularly WANT to do; but inside, my gut & heart tells me it is the RIGHT thing to do. I cannot turn my back on the right thing.” While Blythe is certainly doing the right thing by returning for the trial, the singer has every right to be scared. No one could have imagined finding Blythe in this ordeal (making it without question the most shocking moment of 2012). All we can do is hope for a positive outcome from the trial.
Earlier today, Max Cavalera revealed that he is recovering from a bout with Bell’s Palsy, a temporary condition that is a form of facial paralysis resulting from a dysfunction of the cranial nerve VII (the facial nerve) that results in the inability to control facial muscles on the affected side. The Soulfly/Cavalera Conspiracy frontman was reportedly diagnosed with the condition last week following his return from Australia.
Fortunately, though, Cavalera says his condition is improving greatly, releasing the following statement:
“I woke up one morning after coming home from Australia and the whole room was spinning. I looked at Gloria [Cavalera, Max's wife and manager] and said, ‘There’s something wrong here.’ She said, ‘Your face looks weird.’ I went to the mirror and couldn’t move half of my face. We thought I was having a stroke, so we rushed to the hospital. I learned my condition was called Bell’s Palsy but I’d never heard of that. It’s a fucking weird disease. My right eye won’t blink, and half of my face feels like I’ve been punched by Mike Tyson! It hurts like hell. Anyway, I am leaving for Brazil. The show must go on and this Bell’s Palsy ain’t gonna stop a metalhead from his duties. I hope I’ll be OK and thanks to all the fans concerned with me. Stay Metal.”
We’re pleased to hear that the former Sepultura frontman is recovering well. It’s also a good sign that Cavalera will still be able to tour behind his new album Enslaved. Hopefully Cavalera’s condition will continue to improve.
[statement via]
Earlier today, former Deep Purple keyboardist Jon Lord revealed that he was diagnosed with an unspecified form of cancer. He released the following statement on his blog:
“I would like all my friends, followers, fans and fellow travelers to know that I am fighting cancer and will therefore be taking a break from performing while getting the treatment and cure.
I shall of course be continuing to write music – in my world it just has to be part of the therapy – and I fully expect to be back in good shape next year.”
Lord was one of the founding members of Deep Purple, and also played in Whitesnake in its beginnings. Along with drummer Ian Piece, he was the only constant members of Deep Purple until retiring from the group in 2002. Lord is also an acclaimed composer, being a classically trained pianist. Most recently, Lord joined Black Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi and Deep Purple singer Ian Gillan’s new charity recording WHOCARES. We hope that Lord makes a speedy recovery.
This past Sunday, Danny Bobis (drummer for Long Beach, NY hardcore/metal/punk band Cipher) went missing while surfing in Indonesia. According to a Facebook page set up to monitor updates, Bobis’ board was found, but his body is still missing. His wife, friend, and father along with Local and Globe Aid are currently in Indonesia searching for him.
However, because the local government in the remote part of Indonesia (where Bobis went missing) doesn’t have the resources for a full-on rescue search, all of the money going into searching for him is coming out of the family’s pocket. Thus, Danny’s family is asking everyone to help raise awareness about this tragic news and if at all possible to even donate money to the search effort. Funds will be allocated to any resources that will support the search including helicopter rental, local manpower, travel expenses, etc. and will be given directly to the family. To donate, log in to Paypal and send funds to dannybobisfund@gmail.com. For those in Long Island, there will be a benefit concert tonight at the Leaky Lifeboat, 3603 Merrick Road, Seaford tonight. More information can be found out about that here.
It’s obvious from the outpouring of emotion and support that Bobis is a beloved figure in Long Island and beyond. In addition to drumming in Cipher, Danny is a math teacher and surf coach at Long Beach, NY’s local high school. In fact, he started the first surfing team in New York State for his students. Our thoughts go out to the Bobis family, and we hope Danny is found soon. You can go to this Facebook page to stay up to date on this case, or visit this Tumblr page as well.
Sodom guitarist Bernd “Bernemann” Kost has reportedly been rushed to the hospital for unknown symptoms. This turn of events has forced the German thrash legends to cancel their appearance at the Silesian Massacre Festival Vol. 2 this Saturday (April 2). Sodom’s booking agency has posted the following message on MySpace:
“A few minutes ago I received an upsetting phone call from Tom and Makka as Bernemann has been rushed to hospital. We do not know what exactly has happened as I write this e-mail, he is currently under medical observation in the emergency section to discover exactly what the problem is. We feel very sorry, but unfortunately and obviously because of the situation as it stands at the moment the band cannot travel to Katowice on Saturday. I know it is not the best time and it is short notice, but the situation as it is with Bernemann leaves the band no choice. I hope for your understanding and I regret that this situation has come about, the band were looking forward to playing at your festival. With our best regards, Fleisch (booking agency)”
Hopefully Kost will make a speedy recovery from whatever he is suffering from currently. We’ll keep you posted when more develops, while we wish Kost the best of luck.
[picture via]
Since being sent to the hospital this past Sunday (February 27), which forced Slayer to cancel their Soundwave Festival appearance in Sydney, Australia at the last minute, we’ve been receiving minor updates about singer/bassist Tom Araya’s condition. Today, though, we hear word from Araya’s wife Sandra that he was diagnosed with vertigo. Mrs. Araya posted the following update on her Facebook account:
“TOM’S HEALTH…he was suffering from VERTIGO due to EXTREME DEHYDRATION – AND LACK OF REST! Our doctor is in the process of getting the results on the test that were ran (major time zone difference and being the weekend has held up those results). Hopefully there will be nothing more to add after the results are returned.”
So there you have it. No word on whether this new diagnosis will affect Slayer’s immediate touring plans (including the remainder of the Soundwave Festival). We will keep you posted when more if confirmed. We hope that Araya makes a speedy recovery.
UPDATE: The Soundwave Festival’s organizers released the following statement supposedly from Tom Araya:
“Sorry I couldn’t make the Sydney festival show. I am feeling much better and look forward to performing in Melbourne [on March 4].”
Yesterday, we reported on how Slayer singer and bassist Tom Araya was taken to a hospital, forcing the band to cancel their appearance at the Soundwave Festival in Sydney, Australia. Not much was known about what caused Araya’s sudden illness. However, later on in the day, Araya’s wife Sandra provided an update about her husband’s condition via Facebook. She claimed that Araya was already beginning to feel better and that it would be a few more days until the test results return. She also commented on rumors that Araya was suffering from a severe ear infection, saying:
“Tom does not have a ear infection! Not sure who came up with this, but it is not true… They are waiting on test results… If this is coming from the promoter, I am sure he is only saying what he was told!”
It is quite possible that this recent health scare can be related to Araya’s recent back troubles, which have forced Slayer to cancel shows and tours as recently as last year. While the Soundwave promoter says the band will be back to play the festival’s leg in Melbourne this weekend, Slayer’s return has not been confirmed by their camp. We’ll keep you posted when more is revealed.
For those who don’t know, Slayer guitarist Jeff Hanneman has also been sidelined from the band’s upcoming Soundwave appearances in order to recover from surgery on his arm after a spider bite gave him necrotizing fasciitis. The band, though, tapped Exodus guitarist Gary Holt to fill in for the Soundwave appearances. You can check out video of Holt performing with Slayer after the jump. Read more »
Slayer just can’t catch a break lately. Minutes before they were set to take the stage to headline the Soundwave Festival in Sydney, Australia, singer and bassist Tom Araya was taken to a hospital, forcing the band to cancel their appearance. The Sydney Morning Herald reports that the band showed up at the venue mid-afternoon, but after being taken to the hospital, was “ordered by the doctors to stay in for observations.” There’s no word on what’s wrong with Araya, but initially, it seems like he’ll be ok, as the show’s promoter said that he should be able to play the next leg of the Soundwave festival on Saturday in Melbourne.
Keep in mind that the band was playing without guitarist Jeff Hanneman, who is recovering from surgery on his arm after a spider bite gave him necrotizing fasciitis, otherwise known as flesh eating disease. Exodus’ Gary Holt was set to fill in for him. And Araya’s illness might have something to do with the back surgery he had about a year ago that’s kept him from being able to bang his head. God might not hate us all, but he sure seems to have it in for Hanneman and Araya. We’ll keep you updated on his condition.
On Wednesday, February 16, Nevermore bassist Jim Sheppard reportedly underwent brain surgery to remove a benign tumor. While benign tumors are generally non-cancerous, they can still cause major damage such as compressed brain tissue. In addition, Sheppard has previously battled Crohn’s Disease, which forced him to miss a handful of shows back in 2006 to undergo surgery. However, according to a post made by Nevermore on their Facebook fan page, Sheppard “made it through the surgery and is in the recovery room already cracking jokes.”
However, while it would appear that Sheppard is already starting to recover well, his status in the band is currently uncertain. As metalsucks.net points out, Sheppard was absent from Nevermore’s set during the 70,000 Tons Of Metal Cruise, though he performed with Sanctuary (singer Warrel Dane, guitarist Jeff Loomis and Sheppard’s band pre-Nevermore) on the same cruise. Reportedly filling in for Sheppard during Nevermore’s 70,000 Tons Of Metal Cruise set (as well as other shows late last year apparently) was Dagna Silesia, bassist for Warrel Dane’s solo band. It is quite possible that Sheppard at the time was simply not healthy enough to pull two band sets at the time, and he simply didn’t want to miss out on Sanctuary’s “reunion show.” We will keep you posted when more is revealed, and our best wishes go out to Sheppard. Hopefully he will make a full recovery soon.
2012 was a horrifying year for Randy Blythe, who was arrested for manslaughter in Prague, accused of causing the death of a fan during a show two years ago. And on February 4, the Lamb Of God singer will return to the Czech Republic to stand trial. Blythe has stated numerous times that he would return to Prague if needed since returning to America (after having been held there in jail for over a month), which he reiterated in a recent post on Instagram.
Posted by Zach Shaw on Mon, Jan 14, 2013 at 9:50 am
Hoping For The Best