While details are still sketchy, Sons of Azrael vocalist Joe Siracuse has died at the age of 29. The Buffalo death metal band had been on Ironclad/Metal Blade since 2006. Sons of Azrael are no strangers to tragedy. Last year, the band’s guitarist Tony Lorenzo was shot by an armed robber, and wound up paralyzed from the waist down.

At this point, it would be conjecture and premature to speculate that drugs were involved, but an anonymous comment on Lambgoat, who broke the story, said that “Joe was clean for almost two years,” and suggested a recent breakup might have caused him to relapse. Regardless of how he passed, it’s sad news that Siracuse has died at such a young age.