Guitarist found dead after leaving Twin Cities metal band – Rick Kupchella’s

Justin Lowe, former guitarist of the metalcore band After the Burial, was found dead near the St.Croix River in Minnesota.

A search for Lowe commenced on Saturday (18Jul15), and Knudson says authorities from St. Croix and Washington counties, along with members of the U.S. Coast Guard and National Parks services, were all deployed in the hunt for the rocker.

He’d announced his split from the band last month after publishing a long and confused announcement that appeared to suggest he was suffering from mental trauma. He had been missing since July 18. It’s unclear how Lowe arrived there, as his vehicle was discovered in a Washington County, MN parking lot.

Lowe, 32, formed After the Burial with his White Bear Lake High School classmate and fellow guitarist Trent Hafdahl in 2004. The band held off on commenting a couple of days, revealing that the musician had actually gone missing and that he was in a broken state of mind and that they feared any statement might inhibit the search to find him.

According to City Pages, After the Burial is known for its thundering eight-string guitars and bellowing vocals. Since then, they have released four albums, including the 2013 album Wolves Within. ATB is scheduled to play the Skyway Theatre in Minneapolis on July 31 as part of the Summer Slaughter Tour.

Read the band’s Facebook statement regarding Lowe’s initial departure from the band below. In it, he accused “the record label, our manager, band, and who knows who else” of destroying his data, stealing from him and causing him physical harm.

This is a very sad and hurtful situation for us to grasp, and unfortunately it is one we still don’t fully understand. “A state that, despite our continued efforts, we have been powerless to get him out of”, the band wrote on Facebook after he left. Rest In Peace Justin Lowe, our condolences go out to his family, and friends during this hard time.

“Our lives are forever changed today”, he wrote.

A full copy of his post can be found here.