Trouble

Inspired by Black Sabbath, Judas Priest, and other icons of British heavy metal, Trouble helped pioneer the doom metal genre throughout the 1980s and beyond. Formed in 1979 in Aurora, Illinois, the group originally featured frontman Eric Wagner, guitarists Bruce Franklin and Rick Wartell, drummer Jeff Olson, and bassist Ian Brown. Together, the musicians played shows throughout the American Midwest during the early-'80s and released a debut album, Psalm 9, in 1984. The Skull followed in 1985. Despite an ongoing series of lineup changes, Trouble remained at the forefront of the doom metal scene for years, releasing Run to the Light in 1987 and the self-titled Trouble in 1990. Trouble was released by Rick Rubin's Def American Records, as was 1992's psychedelic Manic Frustration. Following the release of 1995's Plastic Green Head, the band took a lengthy break from the recording studio. During that time, Eric Wagner continued making psychedelic music as frontman of the short-lived Lid, while Bruce Franklin and Jeff Olson maintained their working relationship in a new band, Supershine. Trouble then reunited for 2007's Simple Mind Condition, which marked the band's final album to feature both Wagner and Olson. Warrior Soul's Kory Clarke replaced Wagner in 2008, with Mark Lira replacing Olson one year later. Trouble's lineup continued to shift throughout the 2010s, with 2013's The Distortion Field featuring Bruce Franklin, Rick Wartell, and a new roster of additional musicians. Years later, the band's original frontman, Eric Wagner, passed away in Las Vegas, NV, on August 22, 2021, losing a battle with Covid-19 at 62 years old.