Martin Eric Ain (born Martin Erich Stricker; July 18, 1967 – October 21, 2017) was a musician best known as the bassist of the influential

extreme metal Extreme metal is a loosely defined umbrella term for a number of related heavy metal music subgenres that have developed since the early 1980s. It has been defined as a "cluster of metal subgenres characterized by sonic, verbal, and visual tran ...

bands

Hellhammer Hellhammer was a Swiss metal band from Nürensdorf, active from 1982 to 1984. Although the band's sound and style were heavily criticized and poorly reviewed during their active years, they have been widely praised in retrospect and are often re ...

and

Celtic Frost Celtic Frost () was a Swiss extreme metal band from Zürich. They are known for their strong influence on the development of extreme metalBukszpan, Daniel. ''The Encyclopedia of Heavy Metal''. Barnes & Noble Publishing, 2003. p.43 and avant-ga ...

. He used the stage name Martin Eric Ain throughout.

Biography

Ain was born in the United States and spoke English as a first language. In May 1984, pioneering extreme metal band

dissolved, but two of its members, guitarist/vocalist

Thomas Gabriel Fischer Thomas Gabriel Fischer (born 19 July 1963), also known by his stage names of Tom G. Warrior and Satanic Slaughter, is a Swiss metal musician. He led the groups Hellhammer and Celtic Frost, and today is the frontman of the band Triptykon. Caree ...

and bassist Martin Eric Ain, went on to form

in June and release their debut, ''

Morbid Tales ''Morbid Tales'' is the debut EP by the Swiss extreme metal band, Celtic Frost, released in November 1984. The first European release on Noise Records was a mini-LP with six tracks, while the American release by Enigma/Metal Blade added two tra ...

'', in November of that same year. This was followed by '' To Mega Therion'' in 1985, arguably their most influential record, which did not feature Ain on bass, but stand-in musician Dominic Steiner. Ain returned after the album was recorded. In 1987, the band released the highly experimental ''

Into the Pandemonium ''Into the Pandemonium'' is the second studio album by Swiss extreme metal band Celtic Frost, released in 1987. It is the first album to feature bassist and backing vocalist Martin Eric Ain, who appeared on 1984's Morbid Tales EP, but not the b ...

''. After a subsequent North American tour, financial trouble, personal tension between the band members and an ill-fated relationship with their record label led to the dissolution of the band. Six months later, Thomas Gabriel Fischer reformed the band with a new line-up, of which Ain was left out, and went on to record the widely derided '' Cold Lake'' in 1988. Ain returned once again for the recording of ''

Vanity/Nemesis ''Vanity/Nemesis'' is the fourth studio album by Swiss heavy metal band Celtic Frost, released on 11 April 1990 through Noise Records. Modern reviews see this album as a return-to-form compared to the band's previous album, '' Cold Lake'', but ...

'' in 1990, the band's last original album for several years. Celtic Frost re-formed in 2001 and released the critically acclaimed ''

Monotheist Monotheism is the belief that there is only one deity, an all-supreme being that is universally referred to as God. Cross, F.L.; Livingstone, E.A., eds. (1974). "Monotheism". The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church (2 ed.). Oxford: Oxford ...

'' in 2006, before ultimately disbanding following frontman

Tom Gabriel Fischer Thomas Gabriel Fischer (born 19 July 1963), also known by his stage names of Tom G. Warrior and Satanic Slaughter, is a Swiss metal music, metal musician. He led the groups Hellhammer and Celtic Frost, and today is the frontman of the band Trip ...

's departure in 2008.September 9, 2008 – PRESS RELEASE
Retrieved from Internet Archive 6 January 2014.

Other activities

After amassing a small fortune in the 1980s from Celtic Frost's activities, Ain became an entrepreneur. He owned a successful DVD shop and bar in

Zürich Zürich () is the list of cities in Switzerland, largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zürich. It is located in north-central Switzerland, at the northwestern tip of Lake Zürich. As of January 2020, the municipality has 43 ...

called Acapulco. Ain was also a co-owner of the music club Mascotte, which has become well known for hosting upcoming international bands. Since 2004, he had become the host of the "Karaoke from Hell" show, taking place every Tuesday night at the Mascotte. Ain sang the lead vocals for the song "A Dying God Coming into Human Flesh" on Celtic Frost's final album, ''

''. He played a left-handed Warwick bass for the second half of the band's career. In 2012, the project "Lieder zum Schluss", under the moniker Graber, was released, a project he worked on with longtime friend Jan Graber. In 2015, Ain started a band along with fellow musicians and artists from the Zürich scene:

Thomas Ott Thomas Ott (born 10 June 1966) is a Swiss comic artist. His comics have been published in German-speaking countries, France, the United States, Spain, Denmark, Italy and other places. Ott's often wordless comics feature a dark, grim atmosphere; ...

(a Swiss comic artist), Markus Edelmann (ex-

Coroner A coroner is a government or judicial official who is empowered to conduct or order an inquest into Manner of death, the manner or cause of death, and to investigate or confirm the identity of an unknown person who has been found dead within th ...

), Stefano Mauriello and Alain Kupper. The songs written and recorded by the group were released after Ain's death under the band name Tar Pond, in 2019. The album is entitled ''Protocol of Constant Sadness'' and contains four songs.The band Tar Pond continues with Monika Schori taking over bass duties after Ain's death. In 2017, Ain collaborated with Swiss contemporary classical composer Balz Trümpy and his son Samuel Trümpy on "Der Dorn" which was released 2018. "Der Dorn" was released on a 7-inch vinyl, limited to 222 units. Ain died on October 21, 2017, following a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which may tr ...

."Celtic Frost bassist Martin Eric Ain dies at 50"
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References

;Other sources *

External links

Interview with Martin Eric Ain
''Broward-Palm Beach New Times'', October 19, 2006
"Metal Israel Exclusive Kinda Interview with Martin Eric Ain"
1967 births 2017 deaths Swiss people of American descent Swiss bass guitarists American male bass guitarists American black metal musicians Heavy metal bass guitarists Place of birth missing Place of death missing 20th-century American bass guitarists Celtic Frost members 20th-century American male musicians {{Switzerland-musician-stub American emigrants to Switzerland