Ben Kaiser spent his twenties absorbing hits on the offensive line for the NC State Wolfpack and then fronting a groove metal band loud enough to shake a club's walls. That same tolerance for pain, he now says, may have delayed him from recognizing just how sick he was. By December 2025, his quality of life had deteriorated so rapidly that he finally went to the emergency room on Christmas Day, where a CT scan revealed stage 4 cancer.
Kaiser attributed his ability to endure pain to his football career, his rigorous training lifestyle, and his demanding music schedule, according to MassLive. He has said his sports background taught him to suppress pain, and he ignored symptoms for years before his condition worsened, per the same outlet. It was not his first fight with the disease — Kaiser previously beat testicular cancer in July 2013, a cancer type that accounts for roughly 95% of testicular malignancies and is the most common solid tumor diagnosed in young American men between 20 and 44, according to a study published in Translational Andrology and Urology.
A Late Relapse Forces a Surgical Pivot
Kaiser publicly announced his stage 4 diagnosis in January, and the months that followed brought intense chemotherapy. On September 8, he underwent a 14-hour abdominal surgery, a procedure MassLive reports followed that chemo regimen rather than replacing it.
The surgery itself wasn't the original plan. Doctors chose the abdominal operation instead of previously scheduled stem cell transplants after Kaiser's April scans showed significant progress, per MassLive's reporting. In a late September video update, Kaiser explained that the positive spring scans let him avoid five additional rounds of chemotherapy and three stem cell transplants altogether, according to Wide Open Country.
Medical literature helps explain why the operation ran so long. Johns Hopkins Medicine notes that post-chemotherapy retroperitoneal lymph node dissection, the kind of surgery used to remove residual abdominal tumors after chemo, often requires complex 12-to-14-hour open operations because treatment causes tumor masses to fuse tightly to major blood vessels like the aorta and vena cava, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine. Research indexed by the National Institutes of Health on PubMed also shows that late relapses of testicular cancer occurring years after remission are often resistant to chemotherapy alone, making surgical resection the necessary path to a cure.
From NC State's Offensive Line to Raleigh's Metal Scene
Kaiser was born in Boston and grew up in Switzerland and the Los Angeles area before moving to North Carolina in 2016, per MassLive. He played Division I football at NC State as an offensive guard wearing No. 79, standing 6-foot-3, according to NC State University Athletics, which also notes he transferred to the program from Pasadena City College in California. MassLive reports Kaiser now weighs 273 pounds, down from a playing weight the university listed at up to 292 pounds, and that he completed his college athletic career in 2018.
It was during his senior year of college football, in 2018, that Kaiser helped found WoR, the Raleigh-based groove metal band that would become his full-time pursuit. The group released its debut full-length album, Prisoners, in August 2020 via Bungalo Records and Universal, according to Asher Media Relations. WoR's five-member lineup includes lead vocalist Bobby DeMoss, guitarists Kaiser and David Nisoff, bassist Phillip Funderburk, and drummer Hunter Crews, with a signature sound built on heavy rhythm riffs and no clean guitar tracks on the debut record. Guitar maker Solar Guitars signed Kaiser as an endorsed artist in March 2020, marking his transition from Division I offensive line to fronting an emerging groove metal act.
A Scene Rallies Around One of Its Own
The financial toll of his illness hit fast. Following his January diagnosis, Kaiser revealed that the physical and financial strain forced him to start selling off his music gear to cover medical expenses, according to Lambgoat, which was among the first music outlets to report his illness.
That hardship mobilized North Carolina's heavy music community. In May, regional bands organized Carolina Headbangers Presents: Benefit for Ben at The Rooster venue in Gastonia, featuring six local acts raising money directly for Kaiser's cancer treatment and medical bills, per event details listed by Go Gaston NC. Kaiser has said he received an outpouring of support and that he could not do it without the people behind him, per MassLive.
Healing Nicely, With a Long Road Still Ahead
Three weeks removed from surgery, Kaiser reported he was healing pretty nicely, though he expects three more weeks of resting, possibly five, before he is fully recovered. MassLive reports he expects his full surgical recovery to take about two months in total. He posted a photo of his large abdominal scar, calling it the most metal scar he could imagine.
Kaiser plans to return to the stage once he regains his health, and WoR has already completed a new record it intends to tour behind, according to MassLive. He says he plans to see his supporters again soon.
