As they have several times over the last couple years when a worthy cause arises, the good people of Ripple Music have put together a charity auction for the family of late The Gates of Slumber bassist Jason McCash. True to McCash‘s impact on Midwestern doom as a member of the aforementioned pioneering trio and as the founder of the Templars of Doom fest, it’ll be a test-pressing of Chicago doomers Earthen Grave‘s self-titled 2LP up now on eBay with all proceeds going to the McCash family.

You don’t need me to tell you this is worth your support. You already know. Click here to go to the auction.

The first of several tribute/benefit shows for McCash took place this past weekend in Indianapolis, and the True Templar of Doom benefit is set for July 12 at The Sidebar in Baltimore, Maryland. Info on that is here.

The PR sends the following about Ripple‘s auction:

RIPPLE MUSIC launches benefit auction for the family of Jason McCash of The Gates Of Slumber

Nearly a month ago, the metal community lost a brother, a father, a husband, a friend, and a comrade when Jason McCash of Indianapolis doom outfit The Gates of Slumber passed away at the young age of 37. The entire extended heavy-music family has felt the effects of the tragedy and, in times like this, it’s more important than ever that we gather together to help one another and show the love and support we so vehemently stand for.

Ripple Music has a long-standing tradition of donating all proceeds from auctions of its rare test pressings to charity, so when the time came to let go of this beautiful 2XLP test-press copy of Earthen Grave’s debut album, it was clear that the money should go to the family of Jason McCash.

For more information, or to bid on this gorgeous, rare test-pressing, head to THIS LOCATION.

You can also read the heartfelt Ripple Effect blog post about McCash’s passing or donate directly to the McCash family by clicking here.

Ripple Music Links:
http://www.ripple-music.com/
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Ripple-Music/369610860064
http://ripplemusic.bandcamp.com/
https://twitter.com/RippleMusic

Earthen Grave, Earthen Grave (2013)

Though they’ve been effectively defunct since their final full-length, 2012’s 333, and will remain that way, North Carolina’s Hour of 13 has been resurrected in the form of a one-off single called “Upon Black Wings We Die.” The track is a trad metal homage to The Gates of Slumber bassist Jason McCash, who passed away this weekend, and finds band founder Chad Davis (also of Romannis Mötte, Tasha-Yar, etc.) playing all the instruments, adding the vocals and recording himself in a true one-man-band production.

Davis offers his own words of tribute to McCash even as he closes the book on Hour of 13, so I won’t delay further except to note that tribute shows for McCash are starting to come together in Baltimore and Boston, and those links as well as the link to the fund to help Jason McCash‘s family with their finances can be found below.

Enjoy:

Hour of 13, “Upon Black Wings We Die”

Cosmic dust. We all return to it from our birthplace. And a long journey it is to make that return. An act so simple brings forth the beginning of that journey, regardless of proper timing…

Upon hearing the news of Jason McCash’s passing, it left me extremely awestruck. The late night conversations we had, discussing the mysteries of the universe, the state of modern day Heavy Metal, and the amazing basslines that solidified all of Christian Death’s music. All now a thing of the past. And so it brings forth this:

Last night I wrote a song for Jason, a farewell to his unquestionable legacy as one of the most solid bass players in the US Heavy Metal scene. A farewell to his kind and supportive nature. A farewell to the ideas we had tossed around of doing a project in the future.

And with this memoriam brings forth the demise of Hour Of 13.

This is the last and final document of HO13. A document that proves US Heavy Metal is still alive and strong. With many great bands around to continue to carry that flame, there is no better time to let go and begin my own personal journey. Mentally I cannot foresee any other reason to remain active, as all of the bands that mattered in the resurrection of Traditional Heavy Metal have all suffered loss, it only brings about confusion and disdain. This feeling became apparent witht the passing of my celestial brother Selim Lemouchi, and now solidified with the passing of Jason. And so it begins….

Sleep well brothers, and may the experiences you both now have unlock all of the answers to the questions we had always asked.

Regards,
Chad Davis – Hour Of 13

Hour of 13 on Thee Facebooks

Baltimore Jason McCash tribute event page

Boston Jason McCash tribute event page

McCash Family Fund

To those who knew him, he was of course much more, but to the heavy underground, Jason McCash will be best remembered as the foundational low end resonating from The Gates of Slumber’s groundbreaking traditional doom. McCash, who left the trio late last year, reportedly died yesterday, April 5, from causes as yet unknown or unannounced.

McCash joined The Gates of Slumber in 2003, and his partnership with guitarist/vocalist Karl Simon proved pivotal to the band’s ultimate success. Hailing from Indianapolis, Indiana, The Gates of Slumber became a vanguard of Midwestern trad doom. From the band’s 2004 debut, …The Awakening, to their 2011 final full-length, The Wretch, the partnership between McCash and Simon — as well as drummers Chuck Brown, J. Clyde Paradis and Bob Fouts — would develop into one of the most potent in the American underground, pulling in elements from epic classic metal on 2008’s Conqueror and 2009’s Hymns of Blood and Thunder.

The Wretch found The Gates of Slumber returning to a more doomed approach, effectively doing to Saint Vitus what Saint Vitus did to Black Sabbath, creating something original out of homage. Their final release, a Scion A/V-sponsored EP called Stormcrow, was issued last year and continued along similar lines. Already influential both in their native Midwest and beyond, The Gates of Slumber ended when McCash quit, and the members had begun to move forward on other projects. The door to a future reunion seemed open.

Karl Simon had this comment on McCash’s passing:

My best friend died last night. There will be no reunion – no more of TGoS. It’s dead beyond dead, and I’ve lost a brother.

Please be respectful or silent. It’s a small world and I’m still alive. Remember that shit.

On behalf of myself and this site, I offer condolences to Jason McCash’s friends and family. Even those who knew him casually, in bands, or who just appreciated his work know that his loss leaves a void in doom and in the lives of those close to him. His death, far too soon, is a reminder of the importance of community and support in dark times.

A fund has been set up for donations to help the McCash family with their finances in the wake of Jason’s passing. Contributions can be made here: http://www.gofundme.com/mccash-family-fund