'Bonded By Baloff: A Decade Of Remembrance': New 15-Minute Video Report Posted Online
January 11, 2013Reality Check TV has uploaded a 15-minute video report on "Bonded By Baloff: A Decade Of Remembrance", a special concert which marked the 10-year anniversary of former EXODUS singer Paul Baloff's passing. The event took place February 4, 2012 at the Oakland Metro Operahouse in Oakland, California and featured performances by EXODUS, POSSESSED, FORBIDDEN and HEATHEN, among others. In addition, METALLICA/ex-EXODUS guitarist Kirk Hammett, former EXODUS axeman Rick Hunolt and original EXODUS bassist Jeff Andrews all joined the current lineup of EXODUS on stage at during the show.
It was eleven years ago — on January 31, 2002 — that Paul Baloff suffered a major stroke and was brought to Highland General Hospital in Northern California, where he remained in a coma until he was declared brain dead. On February 2, 2002, his doctors shut off his life support, leaving him to die in his sleep. He had no previous known health problems, and the stroke was a complete surprise to everyone around him.
Regarding EXODUS' decision to stage last year's concert, the band's guitarist Gary Holt said, "With February 2nd [2012] being the 10-year anniversary of Paul's passing, the band knew it was high time we do something special to remember the legend of Paul Baloff, so we decided to put together a show the Bay Area will not soon forget. We've pulled some of the Bay's finest for this, bands who knew and shared many a stage and drink with Pavel. It [was] ten years and two days since the thrash world lost one of its greatest frontmen ever, and we will always make sure his memory lives on and is never forgotten. Long live The Destroyer!"
"Let There Be Blood", the controversial re-recording of EXODUS' classic 1985 debut album, "Bonded by Blood", was issued in October 2008 through Zaentz Records.
Regarding the band's decision to re-record "Bonded By Blood", Holt previously said: "It is our way of paying homage to Paul Baloff by showing how relevant these songs we had written together still are. We aren't trying to replace the original; that's impossible anyway. We are just giving these songs the benefit of modern production. It's something we talked about before Paul's death and it's always been important to us to do. We were super-excited about entering the studio once again to record these classics." Current EXODUS vocalist Rob Dukes added, "Paul was rad, totally original. He was not like [METALLICA's James] Hetfield or [SLAYER's Tom] Araya. I think at times he wanted to be, but he was simply himself. He had a really cool way of going up with his voice in the weirdest spots. I, myself, find it cool and original."
Comments Disclaimer And Information