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This Sucks

EARLY GRAVES VOCALIST MAKH DANIELS KILLED IN VAN ACCIDENT

Monday, August 2nd, 2010 at 2:20pm by

early graves

Early Graves vocalist Makh Daniels was killed in a van accident early this morning en route to a show in Reno, NV, according to The Gauntlet [via reader Stephen Parker]:

The van’s driver reportedly fell asleep and he lost control. The van and trailer traveled off the right shoulder, rolled and came to rest off the freeway in a grassy area. None of the nine occupants were using safety restraints and the adult male victim was ejected from a rear cargo area where he and two others were. The victim was pronounced deceased at the scene by responding emergency medical services personnel.

The driver and one passenger were transported by ambulance to Rogue Valley Medical Center for treatment of non-life threatening injuries.

It’s incredibly tough to sum up our feelings about this in words. Early Graves were a fantastic band who were only just getting started; we premiered a track from their crushing new album Goner this Spring, and the former band comprised of the same dudes — Apiary — was a favorite of Kip W’s. We’ve also gotten a ton of emails from readers expressing how much they loved the new album.

We can only imagine the pain all the members of the band and Daniels’ family are currently experiencing. On behalf of the entire MS staff, our thoughts go out to them.

-VN, AR and everyone at MS

Photo credit: Rebecca Reed

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  • Pat

    Sad – which one is he in the picture?

    • http://raiseyerfists.wordpress.com raiseyerfists

      Dude on the right with the beer.

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Stephen-Parker/1048411723 Stephen Parker

    Man. I only slightly knew The Funeral Pyre, having played with them last year.
    And I can’t even imagine what’s going through their heads, or the other members of Early Graves.

    It really is heart wrenching.
    *sigh*

  • Driven9

    shitty news indeed

  • Bob Cock

    This blows. He was a great, great dude. Thoughts go out to all the guys.

  • Sambo

    Never heard their music but death still does leave a bad image in people’s heads for the rest of their lives. My thoughts are for his family and band members.

  • http://myspace.com/theswampzombiecult Blake

    Dude… that blows. If memory serves, he was from Portland (just north of me).

    R.I.P. Mahk…

  • tim

    This sucks. Rest in peace, man. My thoughts and prayers go out to your family and friends.

  • Aesop Dekker

    Only met him recently after being neighbors for years. Really great dude, amazing frontman. This is sad news indeed.

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Will-Morley/618112437 Will Morley

    RIP.

  • M.

    Incredibly sad…I can’t help but feel a bit angered none of them wore seat belts though..that could have prevented this..but either way RIP…

    • festernaecus

      true enough. but you can’t lie down to sleep on a bench seat and wear a seat belt at the same time. I’d guess the odds are pretty strong that’s how this happened.

    • paganheart

      Given what death traps these vans can be, frankly it amazes me we don’t hear about accidents and fatalities among travelling bands more often. Musicians lead charmed lives I guess. I can’t help thinking how tragically ironic their name seems now. Hopefully they can find a way to regroup and carry on but it can be nearly impossible after a tragedy like this. They were just getting started, and now one of their own is gone far too soon. May he rest in peace, and a condolences to his family and friends.

      • fester

        actually, you hear about it quite a lot. Especially in the extended 15-passenger “church vans”. Which happens to be what I drive. It really does pay to know how your vehicle is likely to behave in an accident and how to minimize risks. Proper tire inflation is a big one, as is well-thought-out distribution of weight. Sadly, in this instance, the human factor was in play more than the mechanical one. Everyone should realize that if you’re on tour, it’s way better to be late for a show because you stopped to sleep than to wind up another sad statistic.

        • stu1

          Considering the amount of bands on the road at any one time, we hear about a surprisingly small amount of bad accidents.

  • Raoul Dukenstein

    This is some sad shit. We put our livlihoods and sanity on the line and in a shitty van for the love of the music, but it shouldn’t be life threatening. Seriously, weat a searbelt. Safety is \m/.

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Dan-Burton/784250631 Dan Burton

    This is serious suckage. Just getting into this band, totally my cup of tea. Its such a terrible thing to hear and I can’t imagine what the guys in the bands are feeling right now.

    However, always always wear a seatbelt.

  • GoingDeaf?

    Fuck. That’s horrible. I’m a fan of this band and was even planning to see them tomorrow night. I’m glad I got to see them when I did. Daniels was a great front man and had a gift for expressing anger that was unparalleled.

    My thoughts go out to his family and friends.

  • Cliff

    Damn. Just played a show with them a little over a month ago. They were killer! Cool dudes too. Damn!

  • Metalguy

    Never listened to them before but Im downloading the album out of respect. Should have worn a seatbelt though

  • Noel

    seriously? you guys are putting this guys name in the heading now??!@? Dio just fucking died!!!!! you fucking poseueueuers!!!!! [please, someone sence the sarcasm in this comment.]

    • http://www.suckit.com Satanicbrutality

      Very weak. Not even a little funny.Don’t quit your day job…

      • Adam

        haha someones death isnt a heading contest.

  • Datrick

    dang. this sucks. RIP

  • orbital

    Absolute shit news

    RIP

  • FongChung

    RIP was looking forward to seeing you all on the East Coast.

    • stu1

      Hadn’t they just been on the east coast?

  • kmfcm

    This is fucking bullshit.

    Rest in Power!

  • wilson

    Early Graves indeed…

  • TonyT

    Headline should’ve been “Mahk Daniels goes to an Early Grave”

    R.I.P. though, it sucks how many members of the metal community we’ve lost in the past year.

    • Smoke it up, Pig

      Totally tasteless. It’d be awesome if we lost any future postings from you.

      • TonyT

        Of course it was tasteless. I was reading through the comments and was surprised no one else had said it yet. I was debating whether I should do it or not but I guess my demented side got the better of me. Oh well, successful troll I suppose. I feel dirty now.

  • marc

    so sad about this.

  • Kris

    Sad news. Got to hang out with the band after a show in Kansas, dude had like zero ego. cool as hell. He will be missed.

  • John Fire

    You misspellt the name in the headline and banner, it’s Makh.

    This sucks, and to all of those why say “wear a seatbelt” use your brains, he was obviously sleeping, you go and try sleeping sitting upright, with a seatbelt, in a moving vehicle, for some months. Yeah, right. You just HAVE TO lie down.

  • NickZH

    My prayers go out to the family, friends, and band of this Bay Area legend.

  • heavymetalnz

    RIP

    however, couldnt the driver have just pulled over for a power nap?

  • Ian

    Our deepest condolences and well wishes to all friends and family…
    Sick Drummer Magazine

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Paul-Quinn/1197379400 Paul Quinn

    I’m all torn up about this. Love the band. Finally got to see em two weeks back in Brooklyn and just like that Makh is gone. It’s been a shitty day.

    As for everyone else who has been pointing out the seatbelt factor, both bands were splitting the van, so more likely than not the seats may have been altogether removed. I read that Makh and two others were in the rear when the van flipped. It’s probable that they were sleeping. Either way, RIP Makh.

    • http://www.pandasdestroy.com jorbams

      I think it was reported that he was sleeping in a “loft” kinda thing so it was probably retro-fitted into the van and wasn’t a proper seating area with safety belts in it. So yeah, it probably wasn’t out of refusing to wear a seatbelt, it was just that he was lying down. What a fucking shitty way to go.

  • chinnymac

    RIP. :( This is sad. They are a talented band.

  • http://www.pandasdestroy.com jorbams

    Well fuck this. They had just released what is certainly going to be one of my favorite albums of the year. A super promising band dealt a shitty fucking fate. At the very least, he didn’t die in an accident commuting to his shitty fucking retail job or something like that.

  • MetalRod

    RIP

  • Moose_Knuckle

    Really terrible news, Goner was a really great record. RIP

  • http://myspace.com/theswampzombiecult Blake

    He had a blog. Great writer, and at the very bottom there’s a picture of him in the back of their van:

    http://earlygraves.blogspot.com/

  • Stonecutter

    They were AWESOME both times the played Louisville!!! Makh does not get enough credit, INTENSE frontman! Guy fuckin meant it!

  • sucks

    i worked with makh at a coffee shop when i was a kid. funniest guy i’ve ever known and all good dude with immaculate hair.

  • Egadz

    People with the “should have worn a seat belt” just shut up already. You have no idea how touring is. These guys all know how to use a seat belt! But try stretching out to sleep in a van on a bench seat with a seatbelt on. It’s not going to happen. You can’t sit normally in one position for hours at a time. You end up changing positions and sleeping in the van, sometimes lying down. You do 8-10 hour drives, sometimes overnight. That’s how it is. Even if you manage to get a seat belt around you, a major accident in the wrong position and you can die or be paralyzed anyway. Best thing is to be a safe driver and pull over if you are tired. Period. That driver is at fault here. He should have had someone else drive if he was tired.