NME (6)

Underground cult band N.M.E. formed in the 1980s and released the classic Unholy Death LP in 1986. Influenced by the sounds of bands such as Venom (8) and Hellhammer (2), it remains a cult favorite and an influence to other black metal bands. In April 1986, founding member Kurt Struebing killed his adoptive mother with a hatchet and scissors while on drugs. He claimed that he thought he was a robot. He wanted to open up his mother to see if she was a robot also. He was charged with second-degree murder and was sentenced to 12 years in prison. He was released early in 1994 and that was when N.M.E's music took a change. On March 9th, 2005 Kurt was killed when he was crossing a bridge in Seattle, Washington. His car and about 3 other cars were stopped at a barricade on a swing bridge which was open letting boat traffic go through the Duwamish Waterway. Witnesses report that his car suddenly pulled out of line, burst through the stopped traffic, and ran through the barricade falling 60 feet to his death. They are not sure if he was under the influence or suicidal. A local news report on the car crash can be found here: https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/dead-driver-had-served-time-for-killing-mother Euronymous of Mayhem was a big fan of the Unholy Death album. Original vocalist Brian Llapitan reunited with the band in summer 2004. He also has formed a side project with Luvleggs from the band Mace to form a metalpunk band by the name of Gödspit.