Metalhead Suffering From Severe Tinnitus And Hyperacusis Commits Suicide
Sad news in the Belgian newspapers today. Dietrich Hectors, a 29-year old Belgian metalhead (and a doctor of engineering) killed himself last Friday because he was suffering from a severe form of tinnitus and hyperacusis. Tinnitus is an incurable condition, where the ear is permanently damaged, resulting in an over-sensitivity to certain frequency ranges of sound. Despite taking some sort of medication, in the end, every single sound hurted his ears, especially his own voice. "This disease controls my life: every word hurts."
His ears got damaged permanently after a Sepultura concert in 1996. From then on, he used ear plugs for almost every loud activity. After a rehearsel with his metal band - where he forgot his plugs because he was in a hurry - his condition got worse. Eventually, Dietrich Hectors was forced to quit the band in 2003. He also gave up most of his social life - avoiding pubs etc. - locking himself up in total loneliness and silence. After visiting a small, local music festival in 2006, he took off his ear plugs, just when people started firing fireworks right next to him. When he got his plugs back in, already a few explosions had passed. The next few days, his ears started hurting like never before.
In his goodbye letter, Hectors wrote: "For the first time in my life, the ringing noise in my ears is totally unbearable. It goes beyond anything. Despite the heavier medication, EVERYTHING is hurting my ears, especially my own voice. I can no longer communicate - just when I really needed to talk with the people around me the most. A hundred times, I tried to fight back, kept myself in silence, involved in antisocial behaviour - waiting for some sort of improvement. But there is a line somewhere. That line is reached. Please respect my choice, my life has become a living hell."
He also added he now regrets his switch in musical preferences from hard-rock to heavy metal...
Dutch-speaking people can read the whole letter at this location.
May you rest in Peace and Silence, Dietrich.
His ears got damaged permanently after a Sepultura concert in 1996. From then on, he used ear plugs for almost every loud activity. After a rehearsel with his metal band - where he forgot his plugs because he was in a hurry - his condition got worse. Eventually, Dietrich Hectors was forced to quit the band in 2003. He also gave up most of his social life - avoiding pubs etc. - locking himself up in total loneliness and silence. After visiting a small, local music festival in 2006, he took off his ear plugs, just when people started firing fireworks right next to him. When he got his plugs back in, already a few explosions had passed. The next few days, his ears started hurting like never before.
In his goodbye letter, Hectors wrote: "For the first time in my life, the ringing noise in my ears is totally unbearable. It goes beyond anything. Despite the heavier medication, EVERYTHING is hurting my ears, especially my own voice. I can no longer communicate - just when I really needed to talk with the people around me the most. A hundred times, I tried to fight back, kept myself in silence, involved in antisocial behaviour - waiting for some sort of improvement. But there is a line somewhere. That line is reached. Please respect my choice, my life has become a living hell."
He also added he now regrets his switch in musical preferences from hard-rock to heavy metal...
Dutch-speaking people can read the whole letter at this location.
May you rest in Peace and Silence, Dietrich.
| gva.be |
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| BloodTears ANA-thema Elite Posts: 11835  |
Written by Marcel Hubregtse on 22.07.2009 at 18:24 Do you advice earplugs even for gigs like Anathema and Porcupine Tree? I mean, there's not as much loudness in those shows or so I thought when I went to their shows before.
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| Marcel Hubregtse Grumpy Old Fuck Elite Posts: 40071  |
Written by BloodTears on 23.07.2009 at 00:10 I advice earplugs for all sorts of shows. I knwo Anathema and Porcupine Tree don't come across as loud due to the nature of their music. But it's not the music that determined ear damage, it is the vsheer volume of it all. Eeven Anathema and Porcupine Tree play lie with a volume of over 80 dBs.
---- Member of the true crusade against European Flower Metal Yesterday is dead and gone, tomorrow is out of sight Dawn Crosby (r.i.p.) 05.04.1963 - 15.12.1996 
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| Smurfophagist Posts: 1069  |
There was also a guy who was a metalhead and he played in a thrash metal band. he had a pacemaker, and pacemakers are also sensitive to certain frequencies, so he had multiple heart attacks.
---- Having a signature is an absolute must.
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| Galar Wicked Mung Posts: 598  |
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| Ellrohir Heaven Knight Posts: 8662  |
Sorry for hearing that and pity for him, but still i think i dont give up metal to save my ears "when there is still time"
---- My rest seems now calm and deep Finally I got my dead man sleep 
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| Jeff Freaky Admin Elite Posts: 7078  |
Of FUCKING COURSE!!! This is not the nature of the music which will "protect" or "destroy" your ears damn, this is the "machines"! Marcel is right use earplugs god damn! Just do it if you just pretend to love music really. I bought professional earplugs yesterday for 140? (196$). You know what? I can go to all the concerts that I want without any problems now and I will listen to the music with good sound! And I'm happy of it! If you think that it's expensive, yes it is! But what's the price of cigarettes, booze or video games (that's just examples of course)? Think about it  And basic plastic earplugs cost 1? probably less btw. That's what I used untill now and even if it's not perfect it's usually better than nothing. Use earplugs!!! PS: and about the guy, if his conclusion was that it came from Metal? sorry for him. No comment needed. REPS: no I'm not your dad and Marcel is not your mum but we won't kill ourselves because our ears hurt! 
---- Come with us to Hellfest 2011!
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| LeChron James Helvetesfossen Posts: 3561  |
FUCKING heavy. thats something out of a psychiatry textbook. like tardive dyskinesia or something. rest in peace and silence man, see ya on the otherside.
---- Kick Ass, Die Young Less is More Stay Pure Stay Poor Music was my life, music brought me to life and music is how I will be remembered long after I leave this life. When I die there will be a final waltz in my head that only I can hear.
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| Biedrik Posts: 143 |
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| Symmachus Posts: 2002 |
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| tea[m]ster Au Pays Natal Contributor Posts: 5245  |
Wow...justed showed my 14 year old daughter this story. We went to her first concert last fall = Opeth. We didn't wear any earplugs....needless to say I am gonna do some research on this subject
---- rekt
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| Doc G. Full Grown Hoser Staff Posts: 9718  |
Written by Warman on 22.07.2009 at 23:14 Yeah, same here...a story like this scares me though. It may sound weird, but I don't blame him for his suicide, I don't think I'd be able to live with that kind of pain every day.
---- "I got a lot of really good ideas, problem is, most of them suck." - George Carlin
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| Zuzuz0r Posts: 507  |
You can learn a lot from this, I haven't attended so many shows yet, but I think that I'll take better care in following gigs, people should take better care at gigs, I've seen people faint at gigs or getting hurt badly.
---- If this grand panorama before me is what you call God Then God is not dead.
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| kkktookmybaby Posts: 132  |
Written by tea[m]ster on 23.07.2009 at 03:48 yeah, good idea, im 14 too so if your daughter, like if... nevermind  lol no im kidding but this may have been just because of his ears. some people have more sensitive ears than others. just my opinion
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| Daggon Underpaid M.D. Posts: 1689  |
Shit, that sucks, I think I'll be using earplugs from now on, I prefer that to stop listening to my music.
---- "Les vers savent qu'ils n'ont pas d'ailes, c'est pour cela qu'ils se cachent sous terre"
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| Rozz Posts: 195  |
Yeah i watch out for this condition i know of people who had it also and did the same thing , when ever i get rining in my ears i get scared the fuck out off
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| Elio Red Nightmare Posts: 4920  |
Written by Doc G. on 23.07.2009 at 06:27 Totally agree, sometimes suicide has some "valid reasons" behind it.
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| Valentin B Iconoclast Posts: 10084  |
Written by Irritable Ted on 22.07.2009 at 20:49 well one guy said something to me like "ah so you don't wanna hear anything at all now?" but jokingly, and i know if i hadn't worn earplugs my ears would have been thrashed like at the Priest gig last summer(i had ringing in my ears for 2 days after the show). i went to the Manowar gig with my basic foam earplugs and it was awesome, the volume was so comfortable i felt like i was watching a concert in front of my computer. there were times i couldn't even hear the guitar(but that also has something to do with Manowar's extremely bass-heavy sound, seeing as when HolyHell played i heard pretty much everything fine), those babies are EXCELLENT and really cheap(a pack of 4 cost me the equivalent of about 1.8 euros from my local Carrefour store).
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| Thryce Retired Staff Elite Posts: 4346  |
Written by Uirapuru on 22.07.2009 at 17:26 Apparently, even if you'd become deaf, you still be aware of the ringing noise.
---- Your favorite band sucks.
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| Powerslavex Alexskywalker Posts: 777  |
That is a really sad story, i cant understand this disease even if he takes his ear drums out he will still hear that ringing noise, well im never going to listen to Sepultura again!
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| MissRagnarok Posts: 63  |
I hope this will FINALLY make people in the music industry and especially those organizing gigs and festivals know that it's really not that necessary to put all your amps on 11!!!! for fuck's sake, it's made me furious since forever, and this is just another reason to hate this whole mentality that everything has to be LOUD. it's nothing to do with metal as such, cause it's the same way in basically all genres these days. I feel so sorry for this guy and I hope that they'll might actually learn from this..
---- For I am so omniscient that if there were to be two omnisciences's; I would be both! - Ziltoid
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| WarriorOfMetal Posts: 873  |
It's worth mentioning that low frequencies can do just as much (if not more) damage to your hearing as the highs...I say possibly more, because people don't think of them being as damaging. Cheap foam earplugs don't block low frequencies very well...but they drastically reduce highs and lead to horribly muffled sound with lots of low frequencies that can still do some damage. You should look for earplugs that have a flatter frequency response...things will sound better overall, and you still get protection. If you're serious about music and can afford it, custom earplugs are the way to go (I've been wanting some for a while, I just haven't been able to afford it)...but the next best thing would be something like the Etymotic Research ER-20 or Hearos Hi-Fi (they're the same thing, just re-labeled). I've been using those for a few years, and they're significantly better than foam plugs, and not very expensive...about $10-15 at Guitar Center in the US...not sure about other places.
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| kkktookmybaby Posts: 132 |
Right after i read this i turned down the volume on itunes because i got scared
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| insanity.peppers Posts: 193  |
Poor guy. There's no denying it, metal is a figgen loud genre. I agree tho with whoever said it, that he should feel more regret over how little he took care of his own health than the change from Hard-Rock to metal. I'm pretty sure all the biggest hard rockers have fucked up lots of fans' ears over the years.
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| Opethian Posts: 1729  |
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| Lord_Regnier Posts: 1469  |
One more reason why I never go to gigs. The sound sucks and is way too loud. So ridiculously loud it's physically dangerous. As if risking to be wounded when you're pushed by people wasn't already enough... I don't understand why people pay to attend gigs, therefore taking part into this insanity.
---- "Why would we fear death, when life is so much more frightening?"
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| Marcel Hubregtse Grumpy Old Fuck Elite Posts: 40071 |
Written by Lord_Regnier on 25.07.2009 at 14:11 And that's why I wear custom made earplugs 
---- Member of the true crusade against European Flower Metal Yesterday is dead and gone, tomorrow is out of sight Dawn Crosby (r.i.p.) 05.04.1963 - 15.12.1996
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| Lord_Regnier Posts: 1469 |
Written by Marcel Hubregtse on 25.07.2009 at 15:52 Of course, it's a very good idea. However, I hate crowds so much I prefer to avoid gigs completely. There's not many things in life I hate as much as being in the middle of an ocean of people. Especially if they're drunk or drugged (or both combined).
---- "Why would we fear death, when life is so much more frightening?"
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| Marcel Hubregtse Grumpy Old Fuck Elite Posts: 40071 |
Written by Lord_Regnier on 25.07.2009 at 20:21 I only go to a big concert once a year (namely Hellfest) precisely due to the reasons you stated. All the preconceptions the general have about metalheads come true there (obnoxious, druk, drugged etc i.e. generally being braindead morons) Biggest gigs I go to are where a max of 1000 can attend (accept for Roadburn which has a max of 2000 but spread over three halls, and of those 2000 500 are band members and crew) Most gigs I attend are 500 max gigs and loads of time only around 200 show up. Last week friday I went to a 120 max gig where only 40 were present)
---- Member of the true crusade against European Flower Metal Yesterday is dead and gone, tomorrow is out of sight Dawn Crosby (r.i.p.) 05.04.1963 - 15.12.1996
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