Bob Nalbandian, whose journalism and movie profession chronicled the ups and downs of the heavy metallic scene in print, movie and on-line, died Friday, December 30 in Redding, California at age 58.
Nalbandian was lately identified with mantle cell lymphoma, an aggressive, uncommon type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma, in accordance with a cousin.
Nalbandian started his profession in his teen years because the writer/editor in chief of the heavy metallic fanzine The Headbanger in April of 1982. The ‘zine achieved nationwide distribution and was among the many first publications to profile the then-unsigned bands Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth and Armored Saint.
He turned a daily contributor to music magazines overlaying the rising metallic scene in California, then parlayed that right into a stint working in publicity and promotion for Roadrunner Information, the place he dealt with the efforts backing Sepultura and Kind O Detrimental. He moved on from there to the Rhino/WEA distributed Weird/Straight Information.
Nalbandian turned the supervisor for the Orange County, Calif. metallic band Eden, getting them signed to a worldwide take care of Enigma/Stressed Information. He was additionally credited with touchdown Megadeth guitarist Marty Friedman a gig with that band.
Utilizing his outgoing character and networking abilities, Nalbandian additionally sealed license offers with main worldwide corporations equivalent to Century Media (U.S. and Europe),Roadrunner Japan, Cherry Purple/Hear No Evil/Common Music (Europe),JVC/Victor (Japan),Music For Nations (U.Okay.),Bandai/Apollon (Japan),Polystar (Japan) and Excessive Vaultage/Steel 4 Muthas (Germany).
He was an early on-line editor and podcaster at Hardradio.com, shifting on to The Shockwaves Cranium Periods podcast, which he owned and produced.
Nalbandian segued into writing, producing and directing a collection of documentaries chronicling the heavy metallic scene together with his Inside Steel collection. The primary video got here out in 2014 detailing the pioneers of L.A. exhausting rock and heavy metallic. Nalbandian directed eight movies within the collection, which had been broadly praised for his or her accuracy in capturing a second in music historical past.
Information of Nalbandian’s dying unfold rapidly all through the music and metallic group.
Megadeth’s Dave Mustaine known as Nalbandian “a music legend.”
“We’ll miss you terribly, Bob. My honest condolences to his household and pals.
Former Megadeth bassist David Ellefson additionally paid tribute. “With deep shock and disappointment, we right here provide our condolences for our buddy Bob Nalbandian who handed right this moment. Bob was one of many first metallic historian journalists I met after I moved to LA in 1983. A real buddy, fan, supporter and lover of all issues heavy metallic, he did a lot for our group and can be deeply missed.”
No info on survivors or memorial plans was instantly out there.
