Archive | In Memoriam
It’s being reported that former White Zombie/Last Crack drummer Phil Buerstatte was found dead this past weekend in Madison, Wisconsin. No further details have surfaced as of yet. Buerstatte was 44 years old.
Buerstatte played in White Zombie between 1992 and 1994, which included the La Sexorcisto tour. Though having never recorded an album with the band, the drummer did play on “Feed The Gods” from the Airheads soundtrack, their cover of “Children of the Grave” and “I AM HELL” from the Beavis and Butthead soundtrack.
Buerstatte’s former Last Crack bandmate Paul Schluter issued the following statement regarding the drummer’s passing:
“We are sorry to have to announce that Last Crack drummer and our musical brother Phil Buerstatte has passed away today. He will be greatly missed by his many friends, family and fellow band members.
Pull out your Last Crack albums, crank them up loud and remember what a great drummer he was! It is the end of an era for us and sad to say the original lineup will never be able to play together again. Our last show with Phil from 2009 is posted on YouTube in its entirety. The remaining members of the band are discussing doing a tribute show in Phil’s honor in the coming months. We’ll post details soon.”
Sadly, Buerstatte was last in the news for unfortunate circumstances, when a man claiming to be the drummer was arrested on suspicion of defrauding a drug and alcohol rehabilitation center in Sausalito, CA. The man in question allegedly tried to pay $75,000 for his treatment at the Alta Mira Recovery Center in June with a fraudulent check and bank account information.
Earlier today, Slayer revealed that guitarist and original member Jeff Hanneman passed away. While he had been sidelined from the road for over two years due to an infected spider bite, Hanneman reportedly suffered from liver failure. Hanneman was 49 years old.
Slayer issued the following statement confirming the news of Hanneman’s death:
“Slayer is devastated to inform that their bandmate and brother, Jeff Hanneman, passed away at about 11AM this morning near his Southern California home. Hanneman was in an area hospital when he suffered liver failure. He is survived by his wife Kathy, his sister Kathy and his brothers Michael and Larry, and will be sorely missed.
Our Brother Jeff Hanneman, May He Rest In Peace (1964 – 2013)”
It’s unclear how Hanneman’s death will affect Slayer’s long-awaited new album. However, this is without question a major loss for both Slayer and the metal community. Hanneman played a major role in the band both onstage and in the studio, having written some of Slayer’s staple songs including “Angel Of Death” and “Raining Blood.” Hanneman’s last appearance onstage with Slayer was at the Big 4 show in California back in 2011, where he joined the band to play the “South Of Heaven” and “Angel Of Death.” Fan filmed footage of that performance can be seen below. Our condolences go out to Hanneman’s family, friends and bandmates.
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Through the heartbreaking tragedy and ultimate loss last week of deftones bassist Chi Cheng, website oneloveforchi was a constant presence. Started and maintained by fan Gina Blackmore and endorsed by Cheng’s mother Jeanne Marie Cheng, it served not only as a charitable site to solicit donations for his medical expenses, but also as a place to get updates about the bassist. That’s why it’s fitting that there’s a post from Cheng’s mom that there’s doing to be a gathering with his family and fans this Sunday in Stockton CA:
Dear One Love Family,
We’d love for you to join the Cheng family on Sunday April 21, 2013 at 2:00pm for a One Love Family gathering at Oak Grove Regional Park in Stockton, CA on Eight mile road and i5 at the pavilion. Parking is $6 per car. Bring your own drinks etc. They have picnic tables and BBQ pits if you want to bring food.
Your outpouring of love and condolences is so very appreciated. Please come join the family as we pay a tribute of love to our dear Chi.
Love always,
Mom J, Chi & the Cheng Gang
It’s sure to be an emotional experience, and it’s a thoughtful gesture of Cheng to not only have a family gathering, but also to invite fans whose lives were touched by Cheng. Cheng died this past Saturday, and had been a semi-conscious state since sustaining head trauma in a 2008 car accident.
Earlier this evening, it was revealed that Deftones bassist Chi Cheng passed away. The bassist had been in a semi-conscious state since a serious car accident in 2008, though had been showing signs of improvement over the past year. Cheng was 42 years old.
Oneloveforchi, a website set up by the Cheng family to provide updates on his condition, confirmed the sad news via the following statement:
“Our dearest Family,
This is the hardest thing to write to you. Your love and heart and devotion to Chi was unconditional and amazing. I know that you will always remember him as a giant of a man on stage with a heart for every one of you. He was taken to the emegency room and at 3 am today his heart just suddenly stopped. He left this world with me singing songs he liked in his ear.
He fought the good fight.You stood by him sending love daily. He knew that he was very loved and never alone. I will write more later. I will be going through the oneloveforchi and any other information may not be reliable. If you have any stories or messages to share please send them to the onelove site. Please hold Mae and Ming and the siblings and especially Chi’s son, Gabriel in your prayers. It is so hard to let go.
With great love and “Much Respect!” Mom J (and Chi)”
Cheng was an original member of Deftones, while former Quicksand bassist Sergio Vega has been filling in on bass (both live and in the studio) since the car accident. A statement from Deftones regarding the passing of their bandmate has yet to be released, and details are still emerging. It goes without saying, though, that everyone had high hopes for Cheng’s recovery. Our condolences go out to Cheng’s family and friends.
It has been reported that bassist Slawek “Mortifier” Archangielskij of Polish death metal group Hate has passed away. Archangielskij was reportedly found dead by his bandmates late Friday night/early Saturday morning (April 5 and 6) shortly after performing in Germany. The bassist was only 27 years old.
Hate issued the following statement confirming the news of Archangielskij’s passing:
“At night 5th/6th April near a German town of Munchberg, our friend, best comrade and longtime bass player unexpectedly passed away. After the show in Stuttgart last night he went to sleep and never woke up. We found him lifeless early in the morning and immediately called an ambulance. He was reanimated, but to no avail. Results of Slawek’s autopsy should be known soon. In this situation, we decided to cancel the remaining shows and return home. We gave detailed testimonies to the German police. We are shocked and shattered by his sudden, unexpected death. We mourn together with Slawek’s family and friends.”
Archangielskij first joined Hate as a session player in 2007, becoming an official member in 2009 and appearing on 2010’s Erebos and 2013’s Solarflesh. In addition to his work with Hate, “Mortifier” also played guitar in Polish black metal group Saltus and bass in Naumachia.
As mentioned in their statement, Hate has cancelled the remainder of their tour. Meanwhile, an autopsy has yet to reveal the cause of death. Our condolences go out to Archangielskij’s family and friends.
If you’re a drummer, then you probably already know this, but Sabian cymbals founder Robert “RZ” Zildjian has died at the age of 89. The company’s website reported yesterday that Zildjian had passed, but didn’t name a cause of death. Sabian Inc. was founded by Zildjian in 1981 after Robert left his family company, the Avedis Zildjian Company, following a dispute with his brother. Sabian went on to become the second-largest cymbal manufacturer behind the company his father founded in 1928.
It has been revealed that guitarist David Parland, who previously played in Swedish death and black metal groups including Dark Funeral, Necrophobic and Infernal, passed away on March 19. An official cause of death has yet to be revealed. Parland was 42 years old.
Dark Funeral guitarist Mikael Svanberg [aka Lord Ahriman] issued the following statement about the passing of his formerbandmate:
“A couple of days ago I was reached by the terrible news that my old brother David ‘Blackmoon’ Parland had passed away and entered the eternal fire once and for all. It’s taken me a few days to grasp it all. And it still hurts, a lot, to even think talk about it.
During the last couple of weeks I was in close contact with David. He was going through an extremely difficult time of life, whereof he contacted me to ask for my help. Even though the two of us had a bit of a complicated relationship over the years, (much excessive in the media though) he knew that he could always call or visit me when needed, which he also did once in a while.
Last time I talked to him was when he called me on March 15. From what I could understand things were going in the right direction. I also had some very good news for him, which he was very happy to hear about. What happened after that I simply can’t understand. And I can’t understand WHY he didn’t call me (again). So close, so fucking close to get back on track brother. Why?
You will be missed deeply! May you reign forever and ever in the eternal hellfire. Hail the hordes!”
Parland was a member of both Dark Funeral and Necrophobic’s initial lineups. After leaving Dark Funeral, the Swedish guitarist went on to co-found the groups Infernal and War. Our condolences go out to Parland’s family and friends.
It’s been a tough month for the coworkers, friends and especially family of Relapse Director of Sales Pat Egan, who passed away a few weeks ago due to complications from pneumonia. However, all of those people can take solace in knowing that they’re doing the best they can to cope and banding together to help the family. Relapse released a compilation, Patlapse, which had raised $5,000 towards his teenage daughter Katie’s college fund as of last Friday. Then yesterday, Pig Destroyer, one of the many bands he helped break through in his time at the label, released the Mass & Volume EP, also to go towards Egans’ daughter’s education. And today, more friends of his in the music industry have launched a fundraiser and online auction to further help the family.
From 6-9PM tonight, New York’s Idle Hands Bar will be the site of a memorial for Egan. They’ll be a $50 open bar, with proceeds going to Egan’s family, and they’ll also be taking cash donations. In addition, there’s also been an online auction set up with items from the likes of Metallica, Mastodon, Suicide Silence, Def Leppard, Children of Bodom, Jason Aldean, Rush, Korn and more available. All proceeds will go directly towards Egans’ family. It’s certainly worth looking at the items available for auction, knowing that bidding on them is not only a good way to get cool, rare stuff, but also because it’s for a more than worthy cause. And as sad as Pat’s passing was, it’s encouraging to see that even in death, he’s helping bring the metal community together.
As we mentioned on Friday, Pig Destroyer have released a two-song EP from the Phantom Limb sessions, with the proceeds going directly towards the college fund of Pat Egan’s daughter Katie. Beloved by bands, his label, and his friends and family both in and out of the music industry, Egan died on February 18th from pneumonia-related illnesses. Mass and Volume is now on sale at Bandcamp for $10. The EP is divided into two parts, with “Mass” a 19-minute long epic, and “Volume” a more compact 6 and a half minute running time. Here’s what the band had to say about Mass and Volume:
This ep was written and recorded during the final day of the Phantom Limb sessions with unexpected extra studio time and resources. In the following years, with Natasha being released on its own and Brian no longer being in the band, our intentions of releasing Mass & Volume basically evaporated. However, looking back now, Mass & Volume serves as a great epilogue to that particular era of the band.
Pat Egan was a friend and a keystone member of the Relapse family for many of the years we have been involved with it. He devoted his life to supporting underground music and he immeasurably helped develop the bands he worked with. His untimely passing on February 18 2013 shocked the many people that his life and work had touched.
This EP is dedicated to the memory Of Pat Egan and to the loving family he left behind. RIP Pat.
There won’t be a physical release of the EP. This is the only way to get it, and it’s for a more than worthy cause. You can still pick up the Patlapse compilation for as little as $5, which will also benefit Egan’s daughter. And a memorial/benefit will happen at New York’s Idle Hands Bar tomorrow, with an auction taking place on Ebay as well.
As Relapse Records and the metal community at large continues to mourn the loss of the label’s director of sales Pat Egan, the compilation that was set up to benefit his family is proving to be successful. Patlapse, a 20-track compilation featuring a large segment of the label’s roster that Egan was involved with over the decade he was there has raised over $5,000 to directly go to a college fund for Egan’s teenage daughter, Katie. That’s not bad for a compilation that’s been out for just over a week. All of the acts on the compilation waived any royalty fees they would receive for their inclusion. And considering that it’s available for as little as $5, it’s encouraging to see the metal community band together. And those wishing to make donations through PayPal, that can done by emailing wellmissyoupat@relapse.com.
Billboard also reveals that there will be more coming to help Egan’s family. VP/label manager Rennie Jaffe says that Pig Destroyer will be selling its unreleased album, Mass and Volume , on Bandcamp starting next week to benefit his family. And Metal Insider will be among those at New York’s Idle Hands Bar this coming Tuesday (5) for a memorial/benefit that will include an eBay auction. Find out more about that here.
It’s being reported that former White Zombie/Last Crack drummer Phil Buerstatte was found dead this past weekend in Madison, Wisconsin. No further details have surfaced as of yet. Buerstatte was 44 years old.
Posted by Zach Shaw on Tue, May 21, 2013 at 10:35 am
In Memoriam