KILLJOY IS DEAD

One of death metal’s pioneering vocalists has passed away today.  Frank “Killjoy” Pucci of Necrophagia died this morning as revealed on the band’s Facebook page. One of the original tape traders of death metal, Killjoy’s legendary vocals on the phenomenal  Season of the Dead album (which predated Death’s Scream Bloody Gore by several months) paved the wave for the death/black metal technique and inspired some of the greatest artists in metal.

Killjoy’s career was unprecedented in metal music.  After creating some of the first death metal the world would ever hear and a fantastic debut album, Killjoy’s Necrophagia disbanded in 1987 despite an unreleased album (recorded before Season of the Dead) also being bootlegged and released in 1990.  In spite of this, Necrophagia stayed disbanded for 10 years and Killjoy’s career appeared to have been dead and buried.

But out of nowhere, an extraordinary happening would befall Killjoy in 1998.  In an astronomical turn of events,  immensely popular mainstream metal singer Phil Anselmo of the red-hot Pantera not only revealed himself to be a massive fan of Necrophagia but actually approached Killjoy with a prospective album completely written.  Suddenly, a dead band rotting in the depths of the underground had a superstar guitar player and massive financial/label backing behind it.  Killjoy and Necrophagia went on to release 5 more albums, shoot several campy horror-themed music videos, and spend the next 20 years playing death metal shows.  His friendship with Anselmo also led to two interesting (but ultimately lackluster) black metal side projects in Viking Crown and Wardulak.

Next time you grab a drink, be sure to raise a toast to the death metal legend Killjoy and relive his greatest work below:

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7 thoughts on “KILLJOY IS DEAD”

  1. canadaspaceman says:

    That sucks.
    Necrophagia were one of the first real underground bands that I kept reading about in fanzines, seeing the name on everybody’s tape lists, etc, plus I still laugh every time I think about an Intense Mutilation demo track that sampled his tortured voice recorded over the phone for the chorus “Do not x-ray! music cassettes enclosed!”
    For me, Necrophagia in the mid -late 1980s was as cool as any of the big name metal bands. Never really got into the newer albums, will have to re-visit them.
    https://imgur.com/ydhKHLX
    https://imgur.com/uUriXSj

  2. Carpathia says:

    PLEASE DO A TRANSMETAL OVERVIEW REVIEW bROCK.

    1. Nespithe & Burzum says:

      Also check out:

      Carbonized – Disharmonization, Brutal Truth – Need To Control, and O.L.D.

    2. NWN War Metal Tranny Rapist says:

      Hell yeah! Rape the trans and War through metal! Not Winds of Genocide. That’s shemale music!

      1. bloody dead whateverpulp says:

        el oh el

  3. GallopingGlen says:

    very important and influential man and we will see him sooner or later, man those demos and first album, even the first ravenous album is just KILLER, and his continued artistry and films (i suggest watching holocausto videos to everyone), art, music made him just a powerhouse that wont be forgotten….SEE YOU SOON KILLJOY. thanks for posting this, he is a true PIONEER, and inspiration

  4. Nuclear Whore says:

    Rest in peace.

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