Article By: Pat ‘Riot’ Whitaker ‡ Edited By: Leanne Ridgeway
Most folks within the thrash and metal community are aware the Sean Killian, the vocalist for Bay Area icons Vio-lence, was recently diagnosed with stage four liver cirrhosis. It is caused in part by a genetic condition called hemochromatosis and he is currently a candidate for a live donor transplant. A living-donor liver transplant involves transplanting a portion of the liver from a living donor into a recipient whose liver no longer functions properly.
Sean remains a candidate only as long as he is healthy enough for such a transplant. Sean’s blood type is O+ and a matching donor must have type O+ or O-. Once this window closes, he will be reassessed to determine if he will be placed on the official list for a donor’s liver through UNOS (United Network for Organ Sharing).
The metal community are rallying around The Killians with a multi-goal benefit dubbed “Killian On Command: An Evening Of Vio-Lence“. Happening at Oakland Metro on January 20, 2018, the gathering will see musicians from TESTAMENT, EXODUS, DEATH ANGEL, FORBIDDEN, and VIO-LENCE to play only VIO-LENCE material spanning the band’s entire catalog of songs written from 1985 through 1992.
The “Killian On Command: An Evening Of Vio-Lence” organizers said in a statement:
“The rehearsals have begun and will be ramping up over the coming weeks.
“Just hearing those VIO-LENCE riffs and the songs themselves with different groups of musicians has been very exciting. The classics never go away!
“We are selling a lot of tickets and folks are already planning on flying in from all over the world to be a part of the event and help Sean.
“We will be holding 200 tickets at the door once the pre-sales are all accounted for. That will give a chance for some folks to get in via walk-up.”
“Our main goals are…
A: Find a liver match and donor for Sean ASAP!
B: Make more much-needed money for the Killians to help them get through this most difficult time.
C: Honor Sean and his legacy with a giant thrash metal party!”
Tickets for “Killian On Command: An Evening Of Vio-Lence” can be purchased at Eventbrite.
There is a “Killian & Kings” t-shirt is available from the web site of Robb Flynn’s [former VIO-LENCE guitarist and current MACHINE HEAD frontman] Killers & Kings clothing line.
A GoFundMe page raising money for Killian‘s medical expenses can be found at this location.
There are currently bands being lined up to support the all-star group of musicians set to headline the evening and the first-named confirmation is MORDRED. The band is a long-running Bay Area staple and one of the first band’s to ever blend metal, rap, and electronica influences into one cohesive sound.
Other bands are expected to be announced soon but until then, check out Ted Aguilar and Will Carroll from DEATH ANGEL talking about their relationship with Sean Killian and his involvement with their former band WARFARE D.C. in the video clip below.
My blood type is O +, maybe I could be a donor??