Corrosion of Conformity

Alleged Concert Killer Tells Police He 'May Have' Stabbed 'Somebody'

27 Jun 2005 09:21:00 EDT

Accused stabber said he 'blacked out' during attack at Corrosion of Conformity show.
By Chris Harris

Michael John Pyne in custody
Photo: Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office

The man allegedly responsible for a deadly nightclub stabbing spree which left one dead and three others seriously injured turned himself over to authorities in Tampa, Florida, on Saturday; the attack took place Thursday night, during a Corrosion of Conformity concert at the city's Masquerade club.

According to the Tampa Tribune, Michael John Pyne, a 39-year-old man from Pinellas Park, Florida, is being held without bail, charged with first-degree murder, attempted murder, aggravated battery and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. Pyne has a lengthy criminal record that includes convictions on weapons and narcotics charges, as well as battery on a law-enforcement officer, the Tribune reports.

Detectives from the Tampa Police Department managed to track Pyne down with relative ease, as the accused murderer was apparently handing out business cards prior to the stabbing incident; Pyne is a tattoo artist at Rat-a-Tac-Tat Tattooing in nearby Dunedin, Florida. According to the paper, police contacted Pyne, and asked him to come in for questioning.

"I don't know if I stabbed somebody or not," Pyne allegedly told detectives during interrogation, the Tribune reports. "But I may have."

According to police, Pyne's girlfriend got into a fight with another woman during the concert, in the club's crowded mosh pit (see "Four Fans Stabbed, One Fatally, At Corrosion Of Conformity Show"). When a bartender tried to separate the women, police claim Pyne stepped in and started stabbing concertgoers. Before fleeing the venue, Pyne allegedly stabbed four people.

One of the victims, Thomas Laskas, was pronounced dead early Friday morning (June 24) at Tampa General Hospital; police said he was stabbed in the chest and upper body repeatedly, and died from those fatal wounds.

Three other concertgoers suffered injuries — one of them, Laskas' wife Wendy, who was upgraded from critical to fair condition on Saturday at Tampa General, where doctors have been treating her for stab wounds to the chest and abdomen. The two other victims, both males, were treated for stab wounds and sent home.

On Saturday, Pyne admitted that he was at the nightclub the night of the attack, and was carrying a pocketknife, according to the Tribune.

"He said all he remembers is his girlfriend got into a fight," police spokesperson Joe Durkin told the paper. "He remembers pulling her away, but he blacked out after that and said he doesn't remember what happened after that."

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Corrosion of Conformity

Four Fans Stabbed, One Fatally, At Corrosion Of Conformity Show

24 Jun 2005 09:00:00 EDT

Mosh-pit altercation in Florida club quickly escalates into violence.
By Chris Harris

Corrosion of Conformity (file)
Photo: Danny Clinch

Four Corrosion of Conformity fans were stabbed Thursday night in a mosh-pit altercation that quickly escalated into deadly violence during the band's set at Tampa, Florida's Masquerade club.

According to a Tampa police spokesperson, one of the victims was pronounced dead early Friday morning (June 24) at Tampa General Hospital; police have yet to notify the man's family of his death. Police said he was stabbed in the chest and upper body repeatedly, and died from those fatal wounds.

Three other concertgoers suffered injuries — one of them, a female in her early 20s, was rushed to Tampa General, where she remains in critical condition, having suffered stab wounds to the chest and abdomen. The two other victims, both males, were also treated for stab wounds. One of them remains in hospital care and has been listed in stable condition. The other was treated at the scene and sent home.

According to police, witnesses say that at about 11:30 p.m. Thursday night, a squabble between two female fans in the crowded mosh pit quickly absorbed several of those in attendance, and intensified at a rapid pace.

Witnesses told police they noticed a man slowly backing away from the fray, and that he was soaked in blood. The man was identified by witnesses as the deceased. The suspect — described as a white male in his late 20s to early 30s, wearing a white tank top and sporting a shaved head and reddish-brown goatee and moustache — was then seen stabbing three others. When some in the crowd attempted to intervene, police said the assailant antagonistically waved a large knife in front of them.

The suspect managed to flee from the venue before police arrived at the scene.

Homicide detectives with the Tampa Police Department are asking witnesses and other individuals with any information about the incident to come forward.

Corrosion of Conformity, one of the first bands to meld punk and metal elements together, have posted a statement about the stabbings on their Web site: "We are stunned [and] deeply saddened by the brutal stabbings of three people at the Tampa show. We don't have much information at this time. Unofficially, we have heard that one victim didn't make it. In twenty-plus years of gigging, we've never seen anything like this. It's sad that people can't come together for a good time, listening to music, without something tragic happening. We feel for the families of those attacked and wish success to Tampa law enforcement in their quest to solve this pointless crime."

The North Carolina-based band released its eighth album, In the Arms of God, in April.

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Corrosion of Conformity

Corrosion Of Conformity Go It Alone

28 Jul 1997 04:00:00 EDT

July 28 [16:00 EDT] -- Fresh from their opening stint with Metallica, Corrosion of Conformity launched its own U.S. tour this weekend.

The band (who have built a solid following with bruising offerings like "Animosity," "Deliverance," and "Wiseblood") hit the road Friday night in Albany, New York, and will roll across the country until the end of August.

If you want to catch up with C.O.C., and openers Machine Head, here's where Columbia Records says you should look: