Rob Miller, also known by the stage name the Baron Rockin Von Aphid or simply the Baron or Aphid, is an English musician and swordsmith. Beginning his musical career in 1978, he is primarily known as the lead vocalist and bass player of pioneering crust punk band Amebix. He also plays in the international supergroup Tau Cross.

Early life

Miller grew up near Tavistock in

Devon Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, followed by Devon's county town, the city of Exeter. Devon is ...

with his older brother Chris. His father was a gunsmith, descended from Scottish mercenaries who fought for royals in Sweden and Norway. He spent his childhood playing with

submachine gun A submachine gun (SMG) is a magazine-fed, automatic carbine designed to fire handgun cartridges. The term "submachine gun" was coined by John T. Thompson, the inventor of the Thompson submachine gun, to describe its design concept as an autom ...

s and

flintlock Flintlock is a general term for any firearm that uses a flint-striking lock (firearm), ignition mechanism, the first of which appeared in Western Europe in the early 16th century. The term may also apply to a particular form of the mechanism its ...

Career

Amebix: 1978–1987

When Miller was involuntarily discharged from the airforce in 1978, due to being intoxicated while on duty when stationed in the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

. The same year, Chris Miller returned to Devon from

Jersey Jersey ( , ; nrf, Jèrri, label=Jèrriais ), officially the Bailiwick of Jersey (french: Bailliage de Jersey, links=no; Jèrriais: ), is an island country and self-governing Crown Dependencies, Crown Dependency near the coast of north-west F ...

, wanting to form a band. This led to the formation of ''the Band with No Name'', with Rob Miller on vocals, Chris Miller on guitar, Clive Barnes on bass and Andy Hoare on drums. In 1979, the band changed its name to Amebix, and recorded a self-titled six-track demo. Soon after, when Miller was sent, by the publication he was a journalist for, to review a live performance of

anarcho-punk Anarcho-punk (also known as anarchist punk or peace punk) is ideological subgenre of punk rock that promotes anarchism. Some use the term broadly to refer to any punk music with anarchist lyrical content, which may figure in crust punk, hardcor ...

band

Crass Crass were an English art collective and punk rock band formed in Epping, Essex in 1977, who promoted anarchism as a political ideology, a way of life, and a resistance movement. Crass popularised the anarcho-punk movement of the punk s ...

at Abbey Hall in

Plymouth Plymouth () is a port city and unitary authority in South West England. It is located on the south coast of Devon, approximately south-west of Exeter and south-west of London. It is bordered by Cornwall to the west and south-west. Plymouth ...

, he presented the demo to the band, who included the track ''University Challenged'' on their Bullshit Detector compilation. In 1981, Miller and Amebix relocated to

Peter Tavy Peter Tavy () is a village along the A386, North-East of Tavistock, Devon, England; it is named after the River Tavy The Tavy () is a river on Dartmoor, Devon, England. The name derives from the Brythonic root "Tam", once thought to mean ...

and began living with new drummer Martin Baker in Glebe House, the former site of a

Saxon The Saxons ( la, Saxones, german: Sachsen, ang, Seaxan, osx, Sahson, nds, Sassen, nl, Saksen) were a group of Germanic * * * * peoples whose name was given in the early Middle Ages to a large country (Old Saxony, la, Saxonia) near the Nor ...

burial ground. After Baker's departure from the band, the band moved to Gunnislake in

Cornwall Cornwall (; kw, Kernow ) is a historic county and ceremonial county in South West England. It is recognised as one of the Celtic nations, and is the homeland of the Cornish people. Cornwall is bordered to the north and west by the Atlantic ...

to live with newly recruited keyboard player Norman Butler. They then relocated to

Bristol Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...

, where they began

squatting Squatting is the action of occupying an abandoned or unoccupied area of land or a building, usually residential, that the squatter does not own, rent or otherwise have lawful permission to use. The United Nations estimated in 2003 that there ...

with local punk bands like Disorder and Chaos UK. They released their debut EP

Who's the Enemy ''Who's the Enemy'' is an extended play and the first studio release overall by the British crust punk band Amebix. It was released on Spiderleg Records on 28 August 1982. The EP was re-released as part of the compilation ''No Sanctuary: The Sp ...

on 28 August 1982 through Spiderleg Records, whom they had been turned onto in the brief period they were living with Crass. The EP peaked at number 33 on the

UK Independent Singles and Albums Charts The UK Independent Singles Chart and UK Independent Albums Chart are charts of the best-selling independent singles and albums, respectively, in the United Kingdom. Originally published in January 1980, and widely known as the indie chart, the rele ...

. On 26 November 1983, they released the sophomore EP No Sanctuary, which reached the top 10 of the U.K. Independent Music Chart, and gained them the attention of

Dead Kennedys Dead Kennedys are an American punk rock band that formed in San Francisco, California, in 1978. The band was one of the defining punk rock, punk bands during its initial eight-year run. Dead Kennedys' lyrics were usually political in nature, sa ...

vocalist Jello Biafra, who signed them to his record label

Alternative Tentacles Alternative Tentacles is an independent record label established in 1979 in San Francisco, California. It was used by Dead Kennedys for the self-produced single " California Über Alles". After realizing the potential for an independent label, t ...

. This led to their subsequent European headline tour. While in

Bologna Bologna (, , ; egl, label= Emilian, Bulåggna ; lat, Bononia) is the capital and largest city of the Emilia-Romagna region in Northern Italy. It is the seventh most populous city in Italy with about 400,000 inhabitants and 150 different nat ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

, Miller and the other members of Amebix were arrested for

vandalism Vandalism is the action involving deliberate destruction of or damage to public or private property. The term includes property damage, such as graffiti and defacement directed towards any property without permission of the owner. The term f ...

of a squat. Alternative Tentacles released the band's debut album Arise! on 14 September 1985, which peaked at number 3 on the U.K. Independent Music Chart. They soon after relocated to

Bath, Somerset Bath () is a city in the Bath and North East Somerset unitary area in the county of Somerset, England, known for and named after its Roman-built baths. At the 2021 Census, the population was 101,557. Bath is in the valley of the River Avon, ...

and halted their squatting. In 1987 they released their second album Monolith through Heavy Metal Records. However Amebix soon began facing major writer's block, which led them to break up in 1987.

Beginning swordsmithing: 1988–2007

After Amebix's dissolution, Miller and his girlfriend Jen separated, which left him homeless and with no contact to his children. Soon after, he was involved in a motorcycle accident which led to him breaking his arm and destroying the only clothes he owned. While working in a hotel, Miller met a man whom he described as having "very abstract ideas about mythology", which led to him wanting to a pursue a career as a swordsmith. In 1991, he moved to the

Isle of Skye The Isle of Skye, or simply Skye (; gd, An t-Eilean Sgitheanach or ; sco, Isle o Skye), is the largest and northernmost of the major islands in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland. The island's peninsulas radiate from a mountainous hub dominated ...

, where he designed his first sword for a local.

Sonic Mass: 2008–2012

in 2008, Miller reformed Amebix with his brother and Roy Mayorga. On 23 September 2011, they released their third studio album '' Sonic Mass''. In November 2012, the band parted ways once again.

Tau Cross: 2013–present

In 2013, Miller formed Tau Cross. On 19 May 2015, they released their self-titled debut album through

Relapse Records Relapse Records is an American independent record label based in Upper Darby, Pennsylvania. It was founded by Matthew F. Jacobson in 1990. The label features many grindcore, death metal, metalcore and sludge metal artists. History The label was ...

. On 21 July 2017, they released their second album ''Pillar of Fire''. In July 2019, Tau Cross were suddenly removed from their contract with Relapse Records, after it was discovered that Miller had thanked prominent Holocaust denier

Gerard Menuhin Gerard Menuhin (born 1948 in Scotland) is a Holocaust denier and activist, associated with the neo-Nazi movement in Germany. His book ''Tell the Truth and Shame the Devil'', published in 2015, argues that the Holocaust is "the biggest lie in hist ...

in the liner notes for their up-and-coming third album ''Messengers of Deception''. The rest of the band soon distanced themselves from his views on the topic, which led to him continuing the band without any of the then-members.

Personal life

Miller identifies as

gnostic Gnosticism (from grc, γνωστικός, gnōstikós, , 'having knowledge') is a collection of religious ideas and systems which coalesced in the late 1st century AD among Jewish and early Christian sects. These various groups emphasized pe ...

and believes that the universe is an illusion created by a powerful force, that "is not conscious of the fact that it's not God itself". Politically, he is an

anarchist Anarchism is a political philosophy and movement that is skeptical of all justifications for authority and seeks to abolish the institutions it claims maintain unnecessary coercion and hierarchy, typically including, though not neces ...

, however does not believe that any one personal has the right to impose their politics onto another. He has a son named Richard, to a woman he had a relationship with in the '80s.

Discography

;With Amebix *'' Arise!'' (1985) *'' Monolith'' (1987) *'' Sonic Mass'' (2011) ;With Tau Cross *''Tau Cross'' (2015) *''Pillar of Fire'' (2017)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Miller, Rob Royal Air Force officers Swordsmiths English punk rock singers English punk rock bass guitarists English heavy metal singers Musicians from Devon Year of birth missing (living people) Living people