Allen Blickle, the founding drummer of the Georgia heavy metal band Baroness, has died. His surviving ex-bandmates shared the news on Instagram today, though a cause of death was not revealed.
The band's post reads:
It breaks my heart to have to share the news that my dear friend, creative partner and former bandmate Allen Blickle passed away a few days ago. I’m still in shock that he’s gone. We ask for understanding as his family and this band process his passing and grieve his loss. Allen, I love you and miss you. I treasure every moment we shared.
Baroness formed in 2003 with Blickle, vocalist/guitarist John Baizley, guitarist Tim Loose, and bassist Summer Welch. They recorded their self-released first demo that year with Pavement drummer Steve West. Over the next couple of years, Baroness would release two EPs and a split LP with fellow Savannahian band Unpersons, garnering enough attention to ink a deal with Relapse in 2007. Baroness' debut full-length Red Album was released that September.
Blickle performed on Baroness' following two albums Blue Record (2009) and Yellow & Green (2012), both of which were produced by John Congleton. Baroness' career trajectory came to a pause in summer of 2012, however, when the band's tour bus fell about 30 feet from a viaduct near Bath, England. Nobody was killed, but Blickle suffered fractured vertebrae while Baizley sustained a broken arm and leg. Blickle would leave Baroness soon after, but he went on to perform in other bands such as Romantic Dividends, A Place To Bury Strangers, and Alpaca.
Revisit some of Blickle's songs with Baroness below.
