Polish death metal band Decapitated is celebrating its 20th anniversary as a band this year. It is a career that has been filled with major triumphs and devastating tragedies.

Formed in 1996 by 15-year-old guitarist WacÅ‚aw “Vogg” KieÅ‚tyka and his 12-year-old brother Witold “Vitek” KieÅ‚tyka, the band would sign their first record deal before the members were out of their teens. Over the course of their first four albums, Decapitated established themselves as one of the preeminent technical death metal bands in the world.

Sadly, tragedy stuck the band while touring Eastern Europe in 2007 when their tour van collided with a logging truck. Vitek was killed at the age of 23, while singer Adrian “Covan” Kowanek was left in a coma. He has not fully recovered from his injuries to this day.

After a period of hiatus, Vogg would resurrect Decapitated in 2009 and has since produced two more brilliant albums, Carnival Is Forever and Blood Mantra.

In a harrowing turn of events, while on tour near New Orleans in 2014, the band was involved in another serious van accident. Two members were briefly hospitalized, but they were lucky this time and walked away with no major injuries.

Today’s Massive Metal Monday track comes from Blood Mantra and is entitled “Veins.” Check it out and if you like what you’re hearing, delve deeper into Decapitated’s back catalog… it’s definitely worth your time.

This edition of Massive Metal Monday is dedicated to the memory of Witold “Vitek” KieÅ‚tyka with best wishes to Adrian “Covan” Kowanek.

When I was growing up in rural Indiana in the early ’80s, there was very limited access to heavy music. These were the days before MTV blew up with the whole hair metal, Headbangers Ball phenomenon. But on Sunday nights, there was a two-hour radio show that came from WOXY, just across the state line in Oxford, Ohio (home of Miami University of Ohio). It was called Massive Metal for the Masses, and I would wait all week for it to air. It was through this show that I was introduced to bands like Venom, Bathory, WASP, Michael Schenker Group, Slayer, and countless others. This Monday weekly column is my tip of the hat to that show. I call it Massive Metal Monday. Every week, I pay tribute to defining moments by the artists that laid the groundwork for heavy metal to become the worldwide cultural bond for all of us metal heads.