If you’re a fan of extreme metal and extreme metal album art, you probably know Justin Bartlett‘s work. His illustrations for such bands as Trap Them, Dragged Into Sunlight, Detritivore, and Hooded Menace have become the stuff of metal legend, due in no small part to how deeply disturbing they are. Now, Justin has been delivered some bad news, and he’s asking the metal community for their help.
According to Decibel, Justin has been diagnosed with stage 4 colorectal cancer. With this comes the considerable medical expenses of dealing with such an illness, and so his sister, herself a cancer survivor, has launched a GoFundMe to help him pay for it.
“As I dropped him off at his Oncology appointment, I looked at my brother and I said, ‘Justin, this sucks so much,'” wrote Justin’s sister in his GoFundMe campaign page. “With pain and exhaustion in his eyes, he replied, ‘And… this is just the beginning.’ Shortly after that conversation, it was confirmed that my brother, Justin Bartlett, has Stage 4 Colorectal Cancer. We had our suspicions based on his symptoms, and the cryptic scan results that had been sent home with him from his latest Emergency Room stay. Since then he’s already had three surgeries, and is due to start chemotherapy soon.
“Justin is one of my best friends. He’s funny, intelligent, generous, and extremely talented. He has his own business working as a graphic designer & gallery artist — most famously in the heavy metal music genre. If you’re a metal fan, you’ve seen some of his album cover work and merchandise designs. He’s got a LONG road ahead of him, and needs help with medical and living expenses because he’s too exhausted and in pain to work.”
While we know times are tough during COVID, The Pit urges you to give what you can to help Justin pay for his expenses. All donations can be sent via his GoFundMe page.
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Words by Chris Krovatin
