CARCASS Drummer Slams Magazine Over Award 'Cancellation'

June 18, 2008

According to a posting on the MySpace page of the reactivated British extreme metal pioneers CARCASS, the band was supposed to be presented with the "Inspiration Award" at this year's Metal Hammer Golden Gods ceremony, which was held Monday night (June 16) at London, England's state-of-the-art Indigo2 complex, but Metal Hammer magazine, which owns the annual awards bash, cancelled the award "on the actual day."

CARCASS drummer Ken Owen said in a statement: "I'd have been proud and glad to pick up the award on everybody's behalf, but didn't make the ceremony due to the fact that Metal Hammer messed me around so much. In the end, they didn't even have the decency to admit that they either couldn't or wouldn't get transport for me. They just kept me hanging on with promises to get back to me to the point where it was too late for me to organize my own transport to London."

Low-quality fan-filmed video footage of Ken Owen being cheered by the audience at CARCASS' first-ever "reunion" show, which took place on June 6, 2008 at the Sweden Rock Festival in Slvesborg, Sweden can be viewed below (courtesy of YouTube user "rfkohndk").

In February of 1999, Owen suffered a near-fatal brain hemorrhage, leaving him in a coma for over 10 months. As a result, he is not taking part in CARCASS' current reunion run (ARCH ENEMY skinsman Daniel Erlandsson is filling in),but will reportedly be traveling with the band whenever possible and making brief appearances at select shows.

Martin Carlsson of the Swedish newspaper Expressen, who witnessed CARCASS' first reunion show, told BLABBERMOUTH.NET, "The most touching moment was when Ken was brought up on stage. Few knew that [he] was in such a bad condition. Someone described it as 'shocking' to see one of the greatest blastbeats drummers ever being helped up to the drum podium. Ken fiddled around on the drums for about a minute before he left the stage. Jeff [Walker, bass/vocals] urged him to come out again to say a few words and Ken thanked the audience for supporting CARCASS. The entire audience chanted 'Ken, Ken, Ken!' and afterwards people couldn't stop taking about this touching moment."

Photos of CARCASS's Sweden Rock Festival performance can be found on the band's official MySpace blog.

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