If you haven’t read my first part of this debacle, I was pretty honest and maybe slightly harsh. I still wished him well and hoped he recovers, so I guess it counts for something. Whether I come across honest or as an asshole that’s how I feel. The trainwreck that is Michael Keene.has gotten a ton of hits since I put it up a few years ago, and we unfortunately had another episode. Keene recently got engaged and his fiancee has helped keep him sober, until the band’s headlining show that also showcased Black Crown Initiate vocalist James Dorton as the band’s new permanent vocalist. Sadly enough this year, his fiancee passed away and also started a GoFundMe that has not even hit $300. He’s been working on a remix/remaster of this landmark album “Planetary Duality”, and supposedly has been writing scores/soundtracks since the last release “In Becoming A Ghost” a few years ago. And on top of losing his rock and big sobriety supporter (I’m assuming), he’s also had muscular issues supposedly I’ve read on the deep dark web. All while finding jobs and income, dealing with his fiancee’s passing in many ways and physical issues that impact your love that is music Keene broke yet again.

No, I am not trying to paint this in a bad light and definitely not sticking up for his shady attitude in the past. The Keene Machine had gotten himself in a good mental state doing what he wants with his band, and feeling better overall. He was on that right path to sobriety and all of this crap blew up in his face. My heart hurts for him this time around in every single facet as he’s spiraled out of control with these personal stresses. Life isn’t easy and man has this guy gotten a load of crap right now, and it’s sad to see a stellar artist get to this point. I hope he fixes his shit and gets back on stage in a good way, as we saw how that unfolded in Cali on that embarrassing headline show recently. God forbid If I lost my wife, I don’t know how strong I’d be or go down an even worse path. It’s just an awful situation and have still seen some idiots trash talking. That is always bound to happen, but even more heartwarming is a larger group of fans and fellow artists supporting him in his struggle since the last set of events from 3-4 years ago. Maybe he”s seen these messages of support, enthusiasm and encouragement to stay sober and strong. I hope he even finds this, somehow someway. He’s a fantastic artist, guitar player and songwriter who’s written some important music for technical death metal.

Maybe I’m getting repetitive at this point and does it matter? Yes, another artist struggling financially and mentally needs support from their fans again and I can’t blame the people who know his past history. But it sucks NOW as he was making the right choices (that I’ve seen at least) and don’t intend on this opinion piece being a bad or negative viewpoint. I want to see Michael get back to his dominant days and be able to consistently play shows. It’s sad to see him get to such a point in his life, as he’s so young and is personal since he is just about the same age as myself (I’m 35 at the end of the year and he’s that old now). I have dealt with the loss of close relatives and family, but not to this extent. I can’t imagine the pain and suffering the guy is going through and wish all the best for him. I hope this is a wakeup call for him before it’s too late and has my support. Say what you want, but please be respectful of people and their opinions. This wasn’t intended to bash people or Keene, just keep it classy and intelligently discuss. It’s a hot topic and I want to keep it civil here at TMR.

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