Yet another shitty start to a week, as Jason McCash, former bassist of the Indianapolis-based doom lords The Gates of Slumber, has passed away over the weekend. He was 37 years young.
The news was broken by guitarist/vocalist Karl Simon, who posted on the band's Facebook:
My best friend died last night. There will be no reunion – no more of TGoS. It's dead beyond dead, and I've lost a brother.
Please be respectful or silent. It's a small world and I'm still alive. Remember that shit.
McCash had left the band this past September, and was planning on releasing several songs that he had previously written for The Gates of Slumber under a new banner. The band formed back in 1998 as a backlash against the rising stoner rock trend with their doomy mixture of Black Sabbath, Saint Vitus, and Pentagram, among others.
I had first heard of The Gates of Slumber early last year when they released a free EP called Stormcrow through Scion A/V. The extended play, which was recorded by Sanford Parker, was by one of the heaviest — and grittiest — releases of 2013.
It's a goddamn shame we will never see what great things could have happened in a reunion. RIP Jason. He leaves behind a wife and two daughters. A memorial fund has been set up to help his family. You can donate here.
