First thing’s first: while he’s currently on the mend, Slayer guitarist Jeff Hanneman’s health was, and may continue to be, in serious danger. Grantland wishes him a speedy and complete recovery, and hopes to see him back on stage with Slayer as soon as possible. With that said — let’s just take a minute to appreciate that the manner in which Slayer guitarist Jeff Hanneman was injured is appropriate to his/the band’s/the genre’s overall badass status.

And that manner is (as Rolling Stone reports): necrotizing fasciitis, a flesh-eating disease, delivered to Hanneman via a spider bite more than a year ago. Did you even know flesh-eating diseases were real? Apparently they are real. And they attack metal guitarists. Other incidents come to mind that could be more apt: a stage pyro malfunction, a la James Hetfield back in the early nineties, perhaps, or a laceration while trimming the sleeves off your black t-shirt? But “flesh-eating disease” is most definitely in the top five. May you fully defeat this beast, Jeff Hanneman, and may your proud legacy be burnished because of your triumph.

Here’s the full statement from the band.