LaCaze

PHILIP ANSELMO Remembers EYEHATEGOD Drummer

Former PANTERA and current DOWN frontman Philip Anselmo spoke to U.K.'s Metal Hammer magazine about the Joey LaCaze, New Orleans native and drummer for EYEHATEGOD, MYSTICK KREWE OF CLEARLIGHT and OUTLAW ORDER, who passed away on August 23 of respiratory failure. He also suffered from severe long-term asthma. "It was dreadful news and still is for everyone round here," remembers Phil. "Honestly, Joey was one of the funniest motherfuckers you could ever meet in your life. He was one of the most down to earth people I've ever known, as well as one of the most humbly yet superbly talented drummers I've ever had the opportunity to watch play. "I was at his funeral. It was held at a place in the French quarter called the Voodoo Temple. It was a beautiful ceremony and a moment where we all felt the pain of the loss. "I'm not a spiritual guy, but when the high priestess was giving her sermon, they passed out tambourines and percussive instruments to all these people that loved him. We went through interludes in these gigantic drum circles in his honor. Tears were streaming down my face, sweating was pouring off the top of my head and I was lost… I had my eyes completely closed and I was beating this drum until my thumb basically got disolocated! I wasn't paying attention to what was around me; I was thinking about Joey. [EYEHATEGOD frontman] Mike IX Williams was stood next to me, and little did I know, but I was getting sprinkles of blood on my head because he was beating this tambourine with such intensity. He had bloodied up his knuckles and pretty much ruined this tambourine… but we all took it later, wrote messages and buried it with his ashes.

EYEHATEGOD Drummer Dies

According to numerous reports out of New Orleans, Joey LaCaze, drummer of EYEHATEGOD, OUTLAW ORDER and TEN SUICIDES, has passed away. He was 42 years old and leaves behind a wife and a child. No further details are currently available. EYEHATEGOD just completed a month-long tour of Europe and was gearing up for a string of dates in celebration of its 25th anniversary. It was recently announced that EYEHATEGOD would make an appearance at Philip Anselmo's first annual Housecore Horror Film Festival this fall in Austin, Texas. Since forming in 1988,EYEHATEGOD has defied all odds and continues to exist and persist despite personal and professional setbacks. They've been called doomcore, sludge and stoner rock, survived line-up shuffles, label hassles and a short-lived split. And after more than two decades of creating some of the most corrosive, vile music known to man, EYEHATEGOD still hasn't lost the piss and vinegar that fueled it back the late Eighties.