Ken Owen

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Ken Owen
Owen in 2009
Owen in 2009
Background information
Birth nameKenneth Malcolm Owen
Born (1970-04-23) 23 April 1970 (age 53)
Billinge Higher End, England
GenresGrindcore, death metal, technical death metal, melodic death metal, techno
Occupation(s)Musician
Instrument(s)Drums, vocals
Years active1985–1999, 2008–present (occasional only)
Formerly ofCarcass, Blackstar

Kenneth Malcolm Owen (born 23 April 1970) is an English drummer. He was born in Billinge and grew up in Gayton, Merseyside. He is best known as one of the founding members of extreme metal band Carcass, for which he also handled some of the vocals.[1] After the band broke up in 1995, he started Blackstar, along with two other Carcass members.[2]

Personal life[edit]

He remains close to Carcass and its members: in 2008, he joined Carcass on stage at the Sweden Rock Festival 2008, Wacken Open Air festival 2008, Damnation Festival 2008 & 2013, 2009 at Bloodstock Open Air and in 2010 at Vagos Open Air to play a short drum solo. Jeff Walker has noted Owen's influence on the album Surgical Steel;[3] Owen appears on the album contributing some backing vocals, as well as in the music video for Unfit for Human Consumption.[4] In September 2015, he released his first solo album, Symbiotic Possibilities, which is a techno album recorded using Reason Studios software. In 2021, Carcass released album Torn Arteries, which named after a fictional band by Owen during his teenage years.

Owen is a vegan.[5]

Health issues[edit]

In February 1999, he suffered a brain haemorrhage at home and spent ten months in a hospital slowly emerging from a coma, making it impossible at the time for him to continue playing drums.[6] More recently, he has started playing drums again, but mostly makes music using the computer software program Reason Studios.[citation needed]

Discography[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Prato, Greg. "Biography: Carcass". Allmusic. Retrieved 18 March 2010.
  2. ^ Rivadavia, Eduardo. "Biography: Blackstar". Allmusic. Retrieved 18 March 2010.
  3. ^ Lach, Stef (23 June 2014). "Carcass still owe debt to Ken Owen". Metal Hammer Magazine.
  4. ^ "Carcass "Unfit for Human Consumption" (video)". exclaim.ca.
  5. ^ "Information from Point Blank Merchandising". August 1994.
  6. ^ "Carcass Drummer Slams Magazine Over Award 'Cancellation'". Blabbermouth. 18 June 2008. Archived from the original on 6 June 2011. Retrieved 18 March 2010.