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IN MEMORY OF : CHUCK SCHULDINER (05/13/1967 - 12/13/2001)

He was born on May 13, of 1967, on Long Island of New York. He was the youngest of three children. He started to play guitar at his 9 and on his teen age he formed his first band, Mantas, with Kam Lee (drums/vocals) and Rick Rozz (guitars). The band recorded their first demo “Death By Metal” on 1984 and shortly after this, they changed their name to “Death”. After several changes to the line-up of the band and the recording of some more demos, they recorded the 1987’s “Mutilation” demo, which makes Combat Records to sign a contract with the band. It was on 1987 that the band released their debut album “Scream Bloody Gore”. A year later and after a complete change to band’s line-up, Death released one of the most influential albums for death metal genre, 1988’s “Leprosy”. On 1990, Death released their 3^rd full-length album, “Spiritual Healing”, and a new face of Chuck Schuldiner appeared. The gore lyrical theme was abandoned and a new social theme appeared. The music turned to be more progressive and complicated to structure, with many technical parts and many melodic too.

On 1990, and after some disputes into the band, Chuck expelled Terry Butler (bass) and Bill Andrews (drums) and decided to continue Death as his band with session musicians to come and go. It was then that Chuck earned the reputation of a “perfectionist” person, besides metal community. On 1991 “Human” album released, which was the breakthrough for the band, and the song “Lack Of Comprehension” was the first videoclip that they filmed. Until 1995 Chuck released (1993) “Individual Thought Patterns” and (1995) “Symbolic” albums and the parade of session musicians continued, with Gene Hoglan (drums), Sean Reinert (drums) and Andy La Rocque (guitars) to be some of them. Shortly after “Symbolic”, Chuck dissolved the band and begun to compose material for his new project Control Denied. Finally Chuck left aside for a while, the idea of Control Denied and he released another Death album on 1998, the “The Sound Of Perseverance” album. Some of the songs of the album was initially intended to be into Control’s Denied debut, but finally appeared to Death’s “swan song”. Finally Control Denied made their debut on 1999 with “The Fragile Art Of Existence”.

In May 1999, Schuldiner experienced pain in his upper neck, which he initially thought was a pinched nerve. On his birthday, May 13, 1999, Schuldiner was diagnosed 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.

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, his mother, 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, 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.

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. Chuck with his departure, left behind a big treasure, his music, which will be eternally influential for everybody who will play death metal. Death metal as a genre is his spiritual child. The void of Chuck’s absence is huge, six years after his death. He paid homage to death, calling his band at the same name, but death took him next to him very early. Rest in peace, Chuck.

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PARADISE LOST - IN REQUIEM [2007] (album review)

Here we go. The band from Yorkshire is back with a new album. This new album will surprise many people and of course many fans of the band. This situation is always, more or less, predictable every time that Paradise Lost release a new album, because everyone is curious to listen to the new songs of the band and depending to each listener likings, to love or hate them. The fact of making so many argument and dissent around their music and their name, is an element that makes Paradise Lost a huge band (except the quality of their music, of course).

This time Paradise Lost decided to make a big return to their roots. They composed new killer songs with heavy/doom riffs, which could excellent, be into “Icon”, “Shades of God” and “Draconian Times” albums. Attention, the order that I referred the albums isn’t randomly. It reflects excellent the mood of the album. Even the double-pedal playing on drums is present on many songs. The new album starts from there, where their last one, “Paradise Lost” album, stopped and continues in a heavier, darker and sadder motive. Elements from the rest albums, are also present here and there. The high quality of the songs must be taken as granted, and the sound of the album is unbelievable, as Rhys Fulber, on the production, and Mike Frazer (Ac/Dc, Aerosmith, Metallica) on the mixing, made amazing work. If I had to mention some songs, as my favorites, these will be: “Ash & Debris”, “Praise Lamented Shade”, “Requiem”, “Prelude To Descent” and “Fallen Children”, without this means that the rest songs aren’t good.

Concluding, the shadowkings are ascending again there where they deserve to be, at their throne. They managed to eliminate all these 12 years, since the releasing of “Draconian Times” and to present us an album which to some years will be mentioned as classic. I kneel humbly before their majesty. The kings are alive, long live the kings.

PARADISE LOST discography:

(1990) Lost Paradise
(1991) Gothic
(1992) Shades Of God
(1993) Icon
(1995) Draconian Times
(1997) One Second
(1999) Host
(2001) Believe In Nothing
(2002) Symbol Of Life
(2005) Paradise Lost
(2007) In Requiem

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MUSIC GIANTS: TONY IOMMI

His full name is Anthony Frank Iommi and he was borned on February 19, 1948, in Birmingham of England. He began to play guitar as a teenager after being inspired by the likes of "Hank Marvin" and "The Shadows". At the age of 18 he was working on a sheet metal factory and at his last day to work, on an accident, he cut off the tips of the middle and ring fingers of his right hand. The tragic of the story is that, he had decided to quit his job for having more time to play music. After this, and being left-handed, he tried with his right hand to play in the fret board of his guitar, but he couldn’t play well. A friend of his, encouraged him to follow the example of a gypsy guitarist, Django Reinhardt, who had lost two fingers at a fire, and he played his guitar like nothing to have be going wrong. So, Tony decided to wear plastic covers, that were made from melted dish soap bottle, over those two fingers (which he covered with leather, so he could grip the strings properly) in order to play properly. He tuned his guitar 3 semitones lower and he played slow and stable, for not to strain his prosthetics. And the miracle was done. A heavy, solid and dirty noise came out of his guitar.

After playing in several bands, among them Jethro Tull, he forms his own band, “Earth Blues Band”. They renamed to “Earth” and they had a minor success to England. One day as they watched a Boris Karloff film, they decided to use two words taken from there, to rename again the band. These two words was “BLACK SABBATH”. Black Sabbath debuted with the “Black Sabbath” album on February 13, 1970, when Tony was 22 years old. The release of the album was a thunder stroke to music scene. Never before a band sounded the way Black Sabbath did. Iommi combined at his songs, blues-like guitar solos and dark, minor-key riffing with a revolutionary high-gain, heavily distorted tone with his use of a modified treble-boosting effect-pedal and a Gibson SG, as well as plugging his guitar into his amp's bass socket.

From then Tony has released almost 30 albums, both with Black Sabbath and as a solo musician, and he keeps composing beautiful music. He had participated in many other albums as a guest and also to albums with charitable character, such as “Rock Aid Armenia”. He keeps touring the earth with Black Sabbath and his solo band. Tony is also a fan of Aston Villa F.C. in English Premier League. Ending, Tony Iommi is a living legend of music, as he had made his name as a synonym of heavy rock music.

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