December 13th, 2011 – The day the metal world lost a hero. It’s been 10 years since the death of Charles Michael Schuldiner, guitarist and vocalist of Death and the world has never been the same.

Chuck Schuldiner is widely hailed as the founding father and one of the most significant personalities in the history of death metal.

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Death’s debut album Scream Bloody Gore, released in 1987 introduced the world to ‘death metal’ as a sound, which has since been hashed, rehashed and emulated by millions of bands the world over. The album was raw, brutal and technical, a form of music that the world was yet to discover.

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After the release of the seventh studio album ‘The Sound of Perseverance‘, Chuck decided to take a break from death to work on his other band, Control Denied. Branching out from Death’s death sound, Control Denied combined power and thrash metal with very minor death metal influences.

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Despite being the sole composer and songwriter, Chuck has always been supported by a slew of great musicians that include Andy LaRocque (King Diamond), Chris Reifert (Autopsy), Steve DiGiorgio (Testament) and Gene Hoglan (SYL).

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In May 1999, Chuck was diagnosed with a malignant brain cancer which despite being treated, returned to haunt him two years later. After being refused treatment at his local hospital due to lack of finances for his treatment, the metal brotherhood rallied together and generated funds through charity shows and auctions. However, the treatment left him extremely weakened and he eventually succumbed to pnemonia on Dec 13th.

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