Valient Himself of Valient Thorr Donates a Kidney, Becomes Best Metal Dude Ever

Wow. I like Valient Thorr's music anyway, but this now makes the band's front man a fantastic human being. From a press release I just received:

Valient Himself announced today that Valient Thorr will be postponing all activities April 15th through June 10th to allow him to donate a kidney to his ailing father. Valient's decision to take public what is a private family event stems from the National Kidney Foundation's outreach. As Valient Thorr is on a single-minded mission to spread their message of redemption wrapped in rock n' roll, this is another chance to illuminate a critically important issue that people don't think about unless they are personally touched.

Says Valient, "If I can go from a hospital bed to playing in front of a crowd of 75,000 at the UK's Download Festival in just eight weeks, people out there might consider becoming organ donors as well. If they have family members who need a kidney, it's definitely something to think about; and if not, they can still learn about designating themselves as organ donors on their driver's license."

Valient Thorr, 2006 Warped Tour, St. Louis

-- Annie Zaleski