Tag Archives: Eric Grief

Former Death Manager and Producer Eric Grief has Died

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Terrible news to report as Eric Grief, the lawyer, music producer for the iconic band Death has died. He was 59 years old. The news was broken by the band’s social media accounts, and you can read that message to fans below. As the president of Perseverance Holdings Ltd., Grief was the steward of the legacy of Chuck Schuldiner’s (Death, Control Denied) and was responsible for all of the lasting merch, music releases, touring projects such as Death To All, books and documentaries about Chuck. He also had a lengthy career as an entertainment lawyer for other bands in the genre such as Obituary and Massacre. Grief battled with diabetes for most of his life, and was in search of a kidney donor for transplant of late. We are deeply thankful for Eric dedicating his life to extreme music and preservation of one of its greatest legends. We send our sympathy out to his family, and friends at this time.

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Death To All Tour Kicks Off Tonight, Gene Hoglan Replaces Sean Reinert

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DTA fall 2014 tour poster

In just a few hours, the latest incarnation of the Death To All Tour (DTA) kicks off at Seattle’s legendary Studio Seven venue. Dubbed the “Swamp Leper Stomp Tour”, joining this celebration of the music of Death for the tour are Obituary, Massacre, and Rivers of Nihil. Fromer Death drummer Gene “The Atomic Clock” Hoglan has just announced as a last minute fill in for Sean Reinert (Cynic, Death), who will miss the tour due to an undisclosed illness.

A full list of tour dates is below. The tour is the brain child of former Death manager, producer, and caretaker of Chuck Schuldiner’s legacy and estate, Eric Grief.

 

 

Official Press release:

Current Death (DTA) drummer Sean Reinert has been forced to leave the Swamp Leper Stomp tour today due to health reasons. Former Death drummer Gene Hoglan will take his place starting tonight in Seattle. Death lawyer Eric Greif broke the news saying “We wish Sean all the best and that his health will bounce back quickly!”


The Swamp Leper Stomp Tour featuring Floridian death metal legends Death (DTA), Obituary and Massacre plus Pennsylvania newcomers Rivers of Nihil is easily THE death metal tour of the year. Conceived by Eric Greif, lawyer for the Estate of Death’s Chuck Schuldiner, Obituary and Massacre, as a means of getting old friends and musical comrades together; the Swamp Leper Stomp Tour kicked off last weekend in Los Angeles, CA and has already seen sellouts in two of the three markets. The three week tour includes a series of dates in Western Canada with additional support fromUntimely Demise and wraps up in Miami, FL on December 7th. A complete listing of dates is available below including additional dates with just Death (DTA).

The Death (DTA) line-up for this tour continues to carry on the torch of Death’s musical legacy, bringing the timeless music of Chuck Schuldiner to Death fans young and old. Consisting of legendary former Death members Gene Hoglan (Drums), Steve Di Giorgio (Bass) and Bobby Koelble (Guitar) with the addition of Cynic’s Max Phelpson guitar and vocals, the group’s set will consist of a cross section of the Death catalog, with songs from every album.

Death have recently seen an exhaustive reissue of their iconic catalog via Relapse Records, with 1988’s Leprosy being the most recent album to receive the deluxe treatment. All of the reissues can be streamed via the official Death Bandcamp page HERE and purchased direct from Relapse HERE along with an exclusive line of Death merch.

Swamp Leper Stomp ’14 Tour Dates:

Nov 18 Seattle, WA Studio Seven
Nov 19 Vancouver, BC The Rickshaw Theatre w/ Untimely Demise
Nov 21 Calgary, AB MacEwan Ballroom w/ Untimely Demise
Nov 22 Regina, SK Riddell Centre w/ Untimely Demise
Nov 23 Winnipeg, MB Park Theatre w/ Untimely Demise
Nov 24 St. Paul, MN Amsterdam Bar & Hall w/ Untimely Demise
Nov 25 Chicago, IL Metro
Nov 26 Cleveland, OH Agora Theatre and Ballroom
Nov 27 Toronto, ON Phoenix Concert Hall
Nov 28 Montreal, QC La National
Nov 29 Boston, MA Brighton Music Hall
Nov 30 New York, NY Best Buy Theatre

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Death – Leprosy (3 Disc Reissue)

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Death-Leprosy-Artwork

 

Death were a band so good and pioneering that the Death Metal genre may as well have been named after them. Their place in extreme metal’s hall of fame had already been cemented long before front-man and guitarist Chuck Schuldiner‘s death in 2001, but reminders of the man’s greatness are always welcome. The Death back catalogue is undergoing the reissue treatment, with the sophomore 1988 album Leprosy (Relapse) the latest to be re-released in two and three disc editions.

 

The first disc consists of the original album, remastered. As a bona fide classic there’s not much to say about it that hasn’t been said before. It is old school Death Metal, mixing thrash with musical brutality and Schuldiner‘s evil bark, taken to a new level of extremity not heard before. A swirling mass of rapid riffs and time changes, it set an impeccably high standard for others to try and follow. Whether it’s ‘Pull The Plug’ or the menacing ‘Choke On It,’ this is the sound of a genre being defined. The band may have moved onto to more adventurous grounds, but Leprosy remains an essential part of Death Metal history. The new remastered sound has an extra crispness but keeps the atmosphere of the original release, inviting you to play it even louder.

 

Disc Two is a collection of demo tapes from a couple of rehearsal sessions. Obsessive completists will no doubt be chomping at the bit to listen to these, but there is little here of interest for the average listener. The sound is raw and muddy and few will particularly relish hearing rough versions of ‘Left To Die’ multiple times in a row. It provides a nice insight into the band’s recording process, but for most this won’t be essential listening.

 

Disc Three, however, proves more interesting, featuring live recordings from two shows: Backstreets in Rochester, New York and The Dirt Club in Bloomfield, New Jersey. Little more than glorified bootlegs, the sound is rough around the edges, but it captures the energy of a band on the rise. The changing volume levels and voices occasional talking over the music add to the bootleg quality, and as a little bonus has a few tracks from their debut Scream Bloody Gore sprinkled in the set lists. Better than the rehearsal disc, this still needs to be labeled under ‘one for the hardcore fans.’

 

Even after 26 years and countless imitators,Leprosy still sounds vibrant and essential, putting the majority of today’s Death Metal acts to shame. But, as with all reissues of classic albums, the question is always “Is it worth buying it?” And the answer is usually the same: if you haven’t already got a copy, get it. If you’re a Schuldiner worshipper, you’ll get it no matter what the reviews say. And if you’re a casual fan who already has the original, probably not.

lep_dlxcd_364 deathleporsypreorder

 

10.0 / 10.0

Bonus Disks 6.0 / 10.0

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DAN SWINHOE