CATHEDRAL frontman Lee Dorrian has paid tribute to Eric Wagner, saying TROUBLE's "The Skull" is "the heaviest doom metal album ever recorded." Wagner, who was TROUBLE's original singer, died yesterday (Sunday, August 22) after a battle with COVID pneumonia. He was 62 years old. The news of Wagner's passing was confirmed late last night by his son Luke Wagner. Luke wrote on social media: "Hey all this is Luke Wagner his oldest son. Eric Wagner has passed away." Earlier today, Dorrian took to his Facebook page to write: "I had heard that Eric Wagner was ill in hospital but doing well and receiving good care. The news that he has died is nothing less than a tragic shock. "There's no denying that TROUBLE were a massive influence on me since first hearing them in the mid 80s and they changed the very notion of what true heaviness was to me. Their first two albums in particular are stunning examples of how soulful and punishingly heavy the art of Doom Metal can actually be. They completely reinvented the genre and transcended the basic formula into something truly unique. Their influence on early CATHEDRAL was unquestionable, even more-so than [BLACK] SABBATH, particularly with regard to the the twin guitar aspect. To me, 'The Skull' is the heaviest Doom Metal album ever recorded. I still remember the day it came in to Revolver record shop in Coventry and asking the guy behind the counter to play it. It literally felt like the building was about to collapse when 'Pray For the Dead' kicked in. "The first time TROUBLE came to the UK in 1990, I went to every show bar Scottish dates. We (CATHEDRAL) toured with them on several occasions and some crazy, crazy times were had. "My condolences go to Eric's friends, family and former bandmates. RIP Eric." TROUBLE formed in 1979 and released several classic albums like "Trouble", "Manic Frustration" and "Plastic Green Head". Wagner left TROUBLE in April 2008, citing his disdain for the touring life as the main reason for his departure. Eric was one of the guest singers on Dave Grohl's (NIRVANA, FOO FIGHTERS) heavy metal side project PROBOT, whose 2004 album featured heavy metal vocalists from the '80s and '90s. Last year, TROUBLE partnered with Hammerheart Records to re-release the legendary doom legends' entire musical catalog, in addition to their upcoming album. This partnership that will see the distribution of the band's entire library of music that spans over three decades.
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I had heard that Eric Wagner was ill in hospital but doing well and receiving good care. The news that he has died is... Posted by Lee Dorrian on Monday, August 23, 2021
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