SLAYER Drummer DAVE LOMBARDO: Late GRIP INC. Singer 'Was An Amazing Lyricist And Performer'

SLAYER/ex-GRIP INC. drummer Dave Lombardo and guitarist Waldemar Sorychta — former member of GRIP INC./DESPAIR and producer for such bands as LACUNA COIL and MOONSPELL — have released separate statements to BLABBERMOUTH.NET regarding the passing of former GRIP INC. vocalist Gus Chambers, who died on October 13, 2008 at the age of 52. Chambers reportedly took his own life.

Joint satement from World Management (GRIP INC.'s former management company) and GRIP INC.:

"World Management and the members of GRIP INC. are deeply saddened by the recent loss of Gus Chambers. Gus was a very talented singer/songwriter and his contribution on our collective songs was immense. He had one of the most distinctive and great voices on the planet. He was amazing on stage as a perfomer. We are certain that his legacy will stand the test of time. We were privileged to work with him during the years we recorded and toured together. He was a creative force and the band made some great music together.

"We are sending out our condolences and best wished to his family and loved ones both in Europe and his family in America. Our hearts are with you. We would like to say to all the fans of Gus and GRIP INC., thanks for your support through the years. We will miss Gus. He was our brother on our collective musical journey. RIP."

Statement from Waldemar Sorychta:

"In the summer of 1993, I met a man named Gus Chambers. On October 13, 2008, I lost a friend. In those 15 years, we went through good and bad times together, but always shared profound friendship. Being a singer and a frontman was just one face of Gus; beyond that, he was much deeper, a great human being and like a brother to me. Though we had our times off, we always managed to find our way back. I thought we'd been 'built to resist'; I believed in the power of these words. Now only sadness runs through my veins. Colors are black, sorrow is soaring high. Though I have to accept his decision to leave this world, I will never agree with it. You will always be a part of me, Gus. With honor and respect."

Statement from Dave Lombardo:

"I am still coming to the realization of the recent news. We had lots of laughs writing recording and touring. He was an amazing lyricist and performer. Another loss for the music world. I will always remember 'Gas' Chambers as one of the greatest metal sounding vocalist. I am so glad we were introduced and chose him to be the singer in GRIP INC. There were good times and bad times but we never 'denied the power of inner strength.' Gus, you will never be forgotten. May God bless you. RIP."

Coventry, UK punk band MANTRA SECT, which counted Chambers as one of its members at the time of the singer's death, recently uploaded a new video (see below) for the song "Jesus Slaves" featuring Gus. The clip features performance footage that was shot on May 8, 2008 at The Three Tuns in Coventry. MANTRA SECT bassist Wendy X said in an online posting, "What Gus did at the beginning while we were rehearsing was very typical of him! I thought he would ask me to change that bit but he loved the clip being on there. He made us laugh a lot."

According to the Coventry Telegraph, Chambers made a name for himself in the UK punk scene as the frontman for SQUAD in the late '70s. He later took his skills as a top notch front-man to the new band 21 GUNS. They released the single "Ambition Rock" on Neville Staples's Shack Records.

Gus later moved to America and formed SONS OF DAMNATION before hooking up with SLAYER drummer Dave Lombardo and German guitarist Waldemar Sorychta in GRIP INC. They released three acclaimed albums in the mid-to-late '90s — "Power of Inner Strength" (1995),"Nemesis" (1997),and "Solidify" (1999) — and finally came back with a fourth entitled "Incorporated" in 2004, which was greeted as a true return to form by the critics.

In an October 15, 2008 online posting, Wendy X stated about Gus' decision to take his own life, "My emotions are swimming round and round in my head, trying to comprehend it all, so I will not say too much on here except to say to everyone that has asked why, as I do myself, that we were always, as normal, constantly in contact with him (myself virtually daily) yet none of us saw this coming. Nor many other friends that also constantly kept in touch with him either. We are at a loss about why. My usual daily phone calls with Gus all the days leading up to this didn't give any clue whatsoever that anything was THIS wrong."

"I've been very lucky in my career," Gus once said, according to the Coventry Telegraph. "I have had the privilege of playing in front of thousands of people at festivals like Rock in Rio and the Dynamo festival in Holland. Nothing though brings back fonder memories than playing in front of maybe 20 or 30 people in The Hand and Heart or the back room of The Swanswell."

GRIP INC. - "Ostracized":

GRIP INC. - "The Answer":

GRIP INC. - "Curse (Of The Cloth)":

GRIP INC. - "Hostage To Heaven" (live in 1997):

MANTRA SECT - "Jesus Slaves":