Late Loudness drummer Muneteka Higuchi

Before we dive fistfirst into 2009 and the hidden treasures that await, let’s pause for a few minutes to remember some of our metal brethren that died in 2008.

Joey Hopkins (a.k.a. Nihil), 26, vocalist and programmer for Italian black metal project Alien Syndrome 777, died on December 31 of undisclosed causes. Hopkins also recorded with Joey Hopkins Midget Factory and Blackdrone Inc.

Metal publicist and journalist Adrian Bromley, 37, died in his sleep on December 7 of complications from pneumonia. Bromley worked for The End Records and later formed Ixmati Media. He also founded the underground extreme metal mag Unrestrained! In addition, his writing appeared regularly in Chart and M.E.A.T. magazines, and online at Chronicles of Chaos and Canoe.ca.

Longtime Twisted Sister bodyguard Salvatore Valvo, 53, died on December 1 of complications from leukemia and diabetes. Read more...