In Memoriam|

Photo: Randy Rampage at an art exhibit in 2007.

Randall Desmond Archibald (February 21, 1960 – August 14, 2018), better known by stage name Randy Rampage, was a Canadian musician who was a founding member, bass player and vocalist of the Canadian hardcore band D.O.A., and the lead singer of the thrash metal band Annihilator in 1988–1989 and again from 1998 to 2000.

He played on D.O.A.’s seminal early punk albums Something Better Change and Hardcore ’81, along with vocalist/guitarist Joey Shithead, drummer Chuck Biscuits and guitarist Dave Gregg in Hardcore ’81. Rampage left D.O.A. in 1981 but returned in the year 2000 after a nearly two-decade absence. He played on their 2002 Win the Battle album but then left the band again. He rejoined D.O.A. in 2007, remained in the lineup through 2008 and was featured on their latest album, Northern Avenger, produced by Bob Rock. On the eve of the Northern Avenger tour, it was announced that Rampage was leaving D.O.A. once again.

Rampage was occasionally the vocalist for the Canadian speed metal/thrash metal band Annihilator. He first joined the band in 1988, appearing on their debut album Alice in Hell (1989), and left after its accompanying tour. Around 1998, Rampage returned to Annihilator and recorded another album with them Criteria for a Black Widow (1999), after which he left once again to rejoin D.O.A.

Randy spent substantial time being filmed for the documentary film Bloodied But UnBowed, a historical look at the evolution of punk rock on the West coast of North America during the 1978-1983 timeframe. His appearance in this film along with Art Bergmann, Jello Biafra, Joe Keithley, Duff McKagan, Henry Rollins, Ron Reyes (ex-Black Flag), Penelope Houston, Ginger Coyote, Buck Cherry and many others.

Rampage had also been the front man of metal band Stress Factor 9 along with Annihilator drummer Ray Hartmann, guitarist Francis Frightful of Singapore band Opposition Party, guitarist Kick of Vertical After, and bass player Duane Chaos of 22nd Century (band). Randy reunited to play a single show with longtime friends William Chobotar (a.k.a. Zippy Pinhead), Brad Kent and Mary Armstrong (a.k.a. Mary-Jo Kopechne) as “The Sick Ones” and joined SNFU drummer Jon Card, Duane Chaos and Jimmy Cummins to play bass for the iconic art-punk act I, Braineater.

In fall 2012, Randy booked a show with a new band named “Rampage”. They debuted backing up D.O.A. on the start of their farewell tour January 18, 2013 at the Rickshaw Theatre in Vancouver to a sold out audience. The band was composed of lead guitarist Duane Chaos, Drummer Zippy Pinhead and newcomer bassist Tim Bitz.

In 2013, following an appearance at the San Francisco, CA Punk Homecoming Festival, bassist Bitz and drummer Pinhead left the band. The duo’s departure made way for seasoned professionals to join including former The Real McKenzies bassist Brent Johnson, Kick Axe lead singer “Danny Nargang” and former D.O.A. drummer “The Great Baldini”. The current lineup is due to start recording several new tracks including “Dopesick”, rumored to be a sad legacy of Duane and Randy’s lifelong battles with addiction to various substances. The band has already received accolades from the press and are writing more new material.

Rampage died on August 14, 2018, though no cause of death has been revealed.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Randy_Rampage

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Other Notable Musicians’ Deaths…

August 2018
14: Valentina Levko, 92, Russian opera and chamber singer; Teo Maiste, 86, Estonian opera singer; Randy Rampage, 58, Canadian thrash metal singer and bassist (D.O.A., Annihilator, Stress Factor 9); Alberto Tosca, 63, Cuban singer-songwriter and guitarist.

10: Scepaz, 30, Australian hip-hop artist, slashed.

9: Arthur Davies, 77, Welsh opera singer (death announced on this date).

8: Linda Mkhize, 37, South African rapper and DJ, seizure.

7: Carlos Almenar Otero, 92, Venezuelan singer and songwriter/ Vicki Archer, 41, British radio DJ (BBC Radio Shropshire); Étienne Chicot, 69, French actor (The Da Vinci Code) and composer; Guilherme Lamounier, 67, Brazilian singer-songwriter, composer and actor (The Sandpit Generals), pneumonia.

http://www.wikipedia.com

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