Shannon Hamm (born December 10, 1967) is an American guitarist, best known as the rhythm guitarist for

death metal Death metal is an extreme metal, extreme subgenre of heavy metal music. It typically employs heavily distorted and low-tuned guitars, played with techniques such as palm muting and tremolo picking; deep death growl, growling vocals; aggressive ...

band

Death Death is the end of life; the irreversible cessation of all biological functions that sustain a living organism. Death eventually and inevitably occurs in all organisms. The remains of a former organism normally begin to decompose sh ...

from 1998 until their breakup in 2001 upon the death of leader

Chuck Schuldiner Charles Michael Schuldiner (May 13, 1967 – December 13, 2001) was an American musician. He cofounded the pioneering Florida death metal band Death in 1983, in which he was the guitarist, primary songwriter and only continuous member until his ...

. He was also part of Schuldiner's other band

Control Denied Control Denied was a progressive metal band formed by death metal musician and Death co-founder Chuck Schuldiner. History Background Schuldiner, in a 1993 Terrorizer interview with Borivoj Krgin, mentioned that he had entertained the possibili ...

Career

Hamm was part of a

Houston Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

-based metal band called Metalstorm back in the 1980s. He was particularly good friends with "Diamond" Darrell Abbott of

Pantera Pantera () is an American Heavy metal music, heavy metal band formed in Arlington, Texas in 1981 by the Abbott brothers (guitarist Dimebag Darrell and drummer Vinnie Paul), and currently composed of vocalist Phil Anselmo, bassist Rex Brown, an ...

. According to Abbott, Hamm "out shredded" Darrell in Pantera's

glam metal Glam metal (also known as hair metal or pop metal) is a subgenre of heavy metal music, heavy metal that features pop music, pop-influenced Hook (music), hooks and guitar riffs, upbeat arena rock, rock anthems, and slow Sentimental ballad#Powe ...

days while Hamm was in Metalstorm, as they were both part of the local metal music scene in Texas. He moved to Florida in 1994 and began searching for fellow musicians, connecting with Chris Williams, the drummer for Talonzfury. Williams auditioned for

and was hired as the first Control Denied drummer, with Hamm following a month later. Schuldiner signed with

Nuclear Blast Nuclear Blast Records is a German record label with subsidiary, subsidiaries located in Germany, the United States and Brazil. It was founded in 1987 by Markus Staiger in Donzdorf. Originally releasing hardcore punk records, the label moved on ...

in 1997, which allowed him to do a Control Denied album after releasing another Death album. As a result, Hamm played on the last Death album, ''

The Sound of Perseverance ''The Sound of Perseverance'' is the seventh and final studio album by American death metal band Death, released on August 31, 1998, by Nuclear Blast. The album featured guitarist Shannon Hamm, drummer Richard Christy, and bassist Scott Clend ...

'', and toured with the band in 1998. The following year, he played guitar on the album for Control Denied, '' The Fragile Art of Existence''. On December 12, 2007, Hamm played in a tribute show at Theatre Imperial in

Quebec Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...

for the anniversary of Schuldiner's death. Former Death guitarist Bobby Koelble and former Death bassist

Scott Clendenin Scott Clendenin (January 17, 1968 – March 24, 2015) was an American musician most notable for his time spent in the bands Death and Control Denied, both of which were formed by Chuck Schuldiner. Following Schuldiner's passing, both Death an ...

, along with Nick Barker of

Cradle of Filth Cradle of Filth are an English extreme metal band formed in Suffolk in 1991. The band's musical style evolved originally from black metal to a cleaner and more "produced" amalgam of gothic metal, symphonic metal and other metal genres. Their ly ...

and

Dimmu Borgir Dimmu Borgir () is a Norwegian symphonic black metal band from Jessheim, formed in 1993. The name is derived from Dimmuborgir, a volcanic formation in Iceland, the name of which means "dark cities" or "dark castles/fortresses" in Icelandic lang ...

fame, also played at the show. Most of the guitar work and singing was performed by the members of Symbolic, a Death tribute band. The show was filmed and was set to be released in December 2010.

Personal life

On October 1, 2009, it was announced that Shannon Hamm had suffered a serious

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when Ischemia, blood flow decreases or stops in one of the coronary arteries of the heart, causing infarction (tissue death) to the heart muscle. The most common symptom ...

while at home and was hospitalized.

Discography

- ''

'' (1998) *

- '' The Fragile Art of Existence'' (1999)

References

Death (metal band) members American heavy metal guitarists Living people 1967 births 20th-century American guitarists Control Denied members {{US-metal-guitarist-stub