Since their formation in 1983, Chuck Schuldiner was the creative center of the influential heavy metal band Death. Combining strong songwriting with powerful, brutally delivered lyrics, the group was nothing if not extreme. Seeking a project a little closer to his classic metal roots, in 1996, Schuldiner assembled Control Denied, a band that borrowed most of Death's personnel and added the strong and clear vocals of Tim Aymar. Aymar had provided vocals for a string of successful metal bands, including Psycho Scream, and he suited the more melodic approach that Schuldiner was looking for. To Schuldiner, Control Denied was part of a vision -- he acted much like a director or coach in bringing that vision to fruition. He maintained tight creative control yet allowed the creative talents of musicians like Aymar and bassist Steve DiGiorgio to shine through. The project produced one album, The Fragile Art of Existence, issued by Nuclear Blast America in 1999, before Schuldiner began experiencing pain in his neck and shoulder. After consulting a chiropractor and acupuncturist, he got an MRI that revealed a cancerous tumor on his brain stem. In the autumn of 1999, he began intensive radiation therapy, which did succeed in breaking apart the tumor, but both Control Denied and Death were on indefinite hiatus until he regained his health. Cancer claimed Chuck Schuldiner on December 13, 2001; he was 34 years of age. Singer Tim Aymar died on February 13, 2023, at the age of 59. ~ Stacia Proefrock, Rovi