And no, I don't mean the wanker music publication from over seas. I am talking about a classic American METAL band here. A legendary one of sorts because they released a piece of music in 1985 that many of us think was a precursor to what the world calls Black Metal now.The back story is this;
NME
(pronounced enemy) was a heavy thrash garage band from Tacoma Washington that released a classic album (pictured here) called Unholy Death. The band reached the ultimate cult status when the singer Kurt Struebing was rumored to have been found dancing naked on the front lawn of his of mother's house covered in her blood. Apparently, again all hear say, he was on drugs, believed he was a robot and cut open his mother with a hatchet and scissors to see if she was a robot too. Tragic yes but in the world of metal that is the stuff legends are made of.
True or not he was charged with second degree murder of his mother in 1986 and was sentenced to 12 years in prison bringing the band to a halt....until 2004 when he, now out of jail, rejoined the recently reunited band.
To make this story all the more insane ...in 2005 Kurt (according to witnesses) took his car which had been stopped at a West Seattle Swing Bridge to let a tugboat through and pulled out of the line only to crash through the barricade and drive his car off the edge. His car dropped some 60 feet and he was pronounced dead on the scene. Friends call it a terrible accident but many believe this was clearly a suicidal act.
Again, in the world of metal this brings Kurt to a God-like status leaving in his wake a very amazing groundbreaking record which is hunted by collectors of the heavy music genre world wide.
I always thought they were Venom copycats. I should give this record another chance.
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