THE BEAST

Ron Holzner , formerly of doom metal legends   TROUBLE   and currently in   THE SKULL , spoke to the   Chicago Reader   about the recent passing of his longtime bandmate   Eric Wagner .   Eric , who was   TROUBLE 's original singer, died last weekend after a battle with COVID pneumonia. He was 62 years old.

According to the bassist,   Wagner   was generally opposed to institutionalized medicine but he wouldn't make an exception for the COVID vaccine.

"We argued about it, and he stood his ground on the matter,"   Holzner   said. "I always joked, 'The World According To Eric Wagner — you should write a book.' He lived his life his way."

Wagner , who smoked cigarettes and occasionally drank and vaped, had health issues, but had begun taking better care of himself and switching to a plant-based diet,   Holzner   said.

Ron   also confirmed that   Eric   recently completed work on a solo album. "It will be released in 2022," he said. "I played on three songs, as well as members of his bands   BLACKFINGER   and   LID   and   TROUBLE   alumni   Sean McAllister ,   Dave Snyder , and   Chuck Robinson   — as well as former   PENTAGRAM   guitarist   Victor Griffin ."

Less than a week before   Wagner 's death, his bandmates in   THE SKULL   went public with the fact that he was infected by the novel coronavirus.

Unvaccinated people, like   Wagner   was, are far more likely to be hospitalized or die from COVID-19 than people who are fully vaccinated.

According to a study released this past Tuesday by the   Centers for Disease Control and Prevention , unvaccinated people are also nearly five times more likely to be infected with COVID-19 than people who got the shots.

Infectious disease experts have said that large-scale outbreaks among unvaccinated people are being fueled by the highly contagious delta variant.

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. Via Blabbermouth