Mamaleek member Eric Alan Livingston has died

Eric Alan Livingston of anonymous experimental heavy band Mamaleek has passed away. The band's label, The Flenser, shared a statement from the band and added, "We are shocked and saddened by his sudden departure and offer our deepest condolences to his friends and loved ones."

Eric's credits also include music, art and video in various capacities with multiple Justin Pearson, Dave Lombardo and Mike Patton projects including Satanic Panic, Mr. Bungle, Dead Cross, and Tomahawk.

"It is with the heaviest of hearts to report the death of one of our members," the band's statement reads. "Eric Alan Livingston was a close friend to each of us, long before he joined Mamaleek. He was my best mate in middle and high school, whic we endured together through the shared love of music. He showed me Devo, Slayer, Iron Maiden, Naked City, King Crimson, and Kraftwerk for the first time, and I was forever changed by its power. Eric had a lot of power that flared within him, which he was able to channel in any medium, whether skateboarding (nollie flips on lock!) art, design, performance, stage production, fashion, activism, comedy...you name it. He dripped personality, as anyone who met him would know immediately. He looked out for us and was extraordinarily generous with his time. We would walk for hours in the evenings and pour our guts out, laughing all the while. It was better than any therapy I ever experienced, and I never wanted those nights to end. I still can't believe that we took our last walk together, an excruciating reality to bear."

"In Mamaleek, Eric played keyboards, saxophone, violin, bells/percussion--anything that he could get his hands on, really," the statement continues. "His intuition and free-form style elevated our sound and created an unbridled dynamism that would be hard to behold anywhere else. Eric also designed the celebrated artwork for Diner Coffee. This was a boon to the record, animating it to a visual mode that we previously thought impossible."

"For those of you who appreciated Eric's unique voice, amplified in his extraordinary art and ferocious playing, Eric felt that, and it meant the world to him and to us," the statement goes on. "Our upcoming performances at Roadburn and Oblivion Access will be in homage to the life and memory of our dear brother and fellow musician, in that order. In the meantime, we encourage you to love and support one another in as many ways as humanly possible. Rest in power, Eric." It's signed, "B, J, G, T."

Read more about Diner Coffee on our list of the 30 best metal records of 2022 and stream it below.

Rest in peace, Eric.