Sad news to report as Casey Chaos (Amen, Christian Death, Disorderly Conduct) has died. He was 59 years old (EDITOR’S NOTE – CORRECTED FROM 54 IN A PRIOR REPORT). No cause of death has been announced at this time. News of his passing came from a press release by his label, Cleopatra Records. Casey first appeared on the scene with his 1999 Roadrunner Records label self-titled debut, produced by Ross Robinson (Korn, Limp Bizkit, The Mars Volta). Casey toured internationally and chose to be a beacon of hardcore music and real rock n roll. RIP.
From the press release:
Los Angeles, California: It is with great sadness that Cleopatra Records announce the passing of Casey Chaos, one of the most exciting, and individual punk and metal performers of the last 30 years, and one of the very few, too, to have received a Grammy award. Born in Trenton, NY, but growing up in Melbourne, FL, Chaos – real name Karim Chmielnski – took his musical lead from teenaged encounters with hardcore legends Black Flag. He formed his first band, Casey & The Skatepunx, soon after, and quickly developed his own unique performing style as the band – now named Disorderly Conduct – launched onto the Florida punk scene.
Chaos relocated to Los Angeles in 1990, where he formed Amen; a friendship with former Christian Death guitarist Rikk Agnew also saw him perform and cowrite several songs on that band’s Iconologia album; and, in 1993, appear alongside Agnew and original Christian Death vocalist at the band’s reunion show. A video recording of the show was subsequently released by Cleopatra Records.
Label head Brian Perera says,
I had the privilege of working with Casey during his unforgettable live performance with Christian Death at the American Legion Hall back in 1993. Walking into the hall with my good friend Matt Green and my wife, Yvonne, was an experience I’ll never forget—especially seeing Nicolas Cage sitting front-row center, completely captivated.
Touring with Slipknot, Coal Chamber and others, Amen were a key figure on the late 1990s metal scene, winning acclaim for the albums Amen, We Have Come For Your Parents and Death Before Musick; subsequent projects include Headband, Scars on Broadway and Scum, while a fourth Amen album was seldom far from Chaos’s mind.
“Casey wasn’t just an extraordinary musician,” Perera continues. “He truly lived and breathed the lifestyle.
“May he rest in peace alongside Rozz Williams and the many tortured souls we admire and respect.”