Caleb Scofield (Cave In, Old Man Gloom, Zozobra) Passes Away At 39

30 March 2018 | 2:10 pm | Alex Sievers
Originally Appeared In

Rest in peace Caleb Scofield.

Rest in peace Caleb Scofield.



Caleb Scofield is widely known in alternative and heavy music circles for his bass and vocal roles in influential alternative rock/metalcore outfit, Cave In, his lesser-known sludge metal band Zozobra, as well as being a key part of imposing hardcore/ sludge/post-metal supergroup, Old Man Gloom.

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Tragically, the 39-year-old musician was killed earlier this week on March 28th, in a severe traffic accident in New Hampshire, America, with the news of his passing now breaking out to the rest of the world. Scofield died away when his pickup truck collided into a concrete barrier on the Everett Turnpike at the Bedford toll plaza at high speed, with the vehicle bursting into flames outside shortly after crashing just past 1 p.m.

In a statement by New Hampshire state police Sgt. Bryan Trask, "It appears the subject was trying to change lanes right before they entered the toll plaza and didn't make the lane quite clear and crashed into the barrier".

"It removed part of the concrete barrier right out of the toll plaza," Trask also added, saying "I've never seen that happen."

Scofield grew up in Pembroke, New Hampshire and he currently lived in Boston. He is survived by his wife and two young children.

He joined Cave In full-time in 1998 and in that same year, the band released their revered debut album, 'Until Your Heart Stops' - an integral record for the metalcore and hardcore scenes at the time. Scofield remained in the revered group through all five of their full-length albums and through the band's evolving sound into more alternative, spacier rock areas, he helped guide those newer ideas with his growling vocals and sombre bass tones. Outside of Cave In, Scofield joined sludge-metal giants Old Man Gloom, lead by Isis' frontman Aaron Turner, and he also formed and served as the frontman of Zozobra, featuring Cave In members Adam McGrath and J.R. Conners and then-Isis member Aaron Harris.

Since news of his passing broke, a fundraising campaign has been set up to help support his grieving family and their funeral expenses, which since going live has seen over 840 donators generously give; totalling nearly $40,000 of an original goal of $1K.

On top of that, plenty of love has come in from all over social media today, from Scofield's friends, family, bandmates and peer musicians who knew him well and loved the music that he was a part of.

‪”We are shocked and devastated by the passing of Caleb Scofield. He was one of a kind, our best friend and an unfathomable world of inspiration. Thank you for your support, and for understanding how difficult this is for us. Please donate to his family” wrote Cave In on social media recently.

 

 

Caleb's passing is just awful news, not only for his family and close friends but also for the music world that his bands have helped to shape. I'm not sure about you, but I'm going to be putting on some old Cave In tunes today in honour and in memory of his work and the impact that it had.

Rest in peace Caleb.