Ex-Cannibal Corpse Guitarist Plays Live for First Time Since 2018

Ex-Cannibal Corpse guitarist Pat O'Brien jammed with thrash metal veterans Exhorder at a gig in Baltimore, Maryland over Memorial Day weekend. Sunday night's (May 29) performance happened three months after shredder Marzi Montazeri left Exhorder, creating a vacancy in the group.

O'Brien has kept out of the public eye since a court appearance in March last year. The former Corpse axeman had been wrapping up the legal trouble from a bizarre series of incidents from December of 2018.

O'Brien was charged with the burglary of an occupied dwelling, along with assault and aggravated assault on a police officer. Apparently in a hallucinatory state, O'Brien had invaded a neighbor's home and refused to leave. Then he charged police with a knife. While this was all happening, O'Brien's own Florida home was burning to the ground. This situation was made all the more dangerous by exploding stockpiles of ammunition inside the home as the firefighters attempted to contain the blaze. Over 80 weapons, thousands of rounds of ammunition and three skulls were later found inside. The neighbor said that O'Brien spoke of the rapture, claimed someone was after him and also hid in a closet for a brief period.

O'Brien at Maryland Deathfest

YouTube

This dark chapter of O'Brien's life seems headed toward some closure. In March 2021, O'Brien was sentenced to time served, ordered to pay a fine and put on five years probation. He was also ordered to get drug and alcohol evaluations and do 150 hours of community service. Around that time, Cannibal Corpse announced they were replacing O'Brien with Morbid Angel's Erik Rutan.

In the video (seen below) of part of Exhorder's set at Maryland Deathfest, O'Brien appears solid. He is rooted stage left and anchoring the groove throughout the song. Before they begin, you can hear a fan recognize O'Brien (at :43 in the video) and shout out his name.

O'Brien's surprise appearance wasn't the only buzz-worthy news to come out of Maryland Deathfest over the weekend. During Autopsy's set, a couple engaged in oral sex in full view of everyone at the show.