| [Bio]- | [Favorite Albums]- | [Favorite Movies]- | [Favorite Books] |
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| [Bio]- | [Favorite Albums]- | [Favorite Movies]- | [Favorite Books] |
| [Email Death] | |||
A child of the eighties, Death was born unto metal in 1983. Four live concerts, in the span of one eighth grade semester, changed the boy's life forever. Black Sabbath supporting the 'Born Again' album; Judas Priest supporting 'Defenders of the Faith'; Ozzy Osbourne supporting 'Bark at the Moon' (with an amazing new band, Motley Crue, in tow supporting 'Shout At the Devil'); and, believe it or not, a sold-out Quiet Riot concert – these four shows started the boy down the lifelong path of metal. He had been to the mountaintop and had seen the light. The boy was now a metalhead, and he pledged to remain forever true.
As the years passed, the boy became a metal warrior of the highest order. With hair down to his waist and a black Jackson "V" guitar slung around his neck, the teenager fought the battle and the war on a daily basis, playing in early thrash metal bands from '85-'88, and generally living for metal in all of its forms. Devouring each new release and attending every show which rolled through town, he lived the metal scene through the glory years of Maiden, Ozzy, Dio and Priest, "discovered" Metallica in '84 which quickly begat a fascination with Slayer, Exodus, Queensryche, Fates Warning, Megadeth, Overkill and Anthrax, and stayed current with each new act that appeared, like Testament, Vio-lence, and Forbiden, Destruction, Kreator and Sepultura. By the summer of '88, he even was hosting a weekly overnight metal radio show. Yes, the boy loved his metal, and he not only was keeping his promise to keep the faith, he did everything in his power to spread the gospel everywhere he went.
By the fall of 1988, he left for college, where the metalheads were scarce. He couldn't seem to find the right musicians for a band and even had trouble finding people to go with him to the local shows. Undaunted, he continued to wave the metal flag, yet the passion began to wane. By 1991 or '92, with no real influence to start him down the death metal path that so many others followed, he began to grow interested in bands not squarely residing in the metal fold. Faith No More, Primus, Soundgarden, Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Alice in Chains, Pearl Jam -- he had discovered the intersection of alternative and hard rock, and loved it. This new breed of music coincided with a general downturn in the metal of old – Dickinson left Maiden, Halford left Preist. Metallica released the black album, and the others churned out progressively watered down albums until many became virtual parodies of their former selves. Headbanger's Ball got cancelled, and the media declared metal dead. The passion was gone, and the boy began to stray.
By 1996 he was only tangentially involved with the metal scene. But then a funny thing happened. A new tool arose, the internet, and the Metal Godz spoke to the boy through it, subjecting the fallen warrior to their wrath. The boy had broken his promise to stay true, and now he would have to pay. Through the 'net, the boy was forced to realize the error of his ways. The Metal Godz pronounced him guilty and struck the boy down, reducing him to skeletal undead form, and dubbing him "Death." Death was given one last chance to return to the Godz' good graces: scour the earth to reveal the truest of metal, and shout to the world the heavy metal gospel. If he could find the greatest metal, spread the word throughout the land and help to show other lost or fallen soldiers the error of their ways, he would once again be allowed to join the Metal Godz in drinking from the victory chalice. His mission was clear: Only if he could convert a new generation of metal legions would his task be complete. The boy had become Death, seeker of metal, champion of the cause.
