Nick Menza Passes Away

[BringThePain834]

The former drummer with the US thrash metal band Megadeth, Nick Menza, has died after collapsing on stage at a gig in California.

Menza, who was 51, is said to have suffered a heart attack during one of his regular sessions with his band OHM at a small Los Angeles jazz club, the Baked Potato.

Menza’s management issued a statement confirming the news. “Nick collapsed during the third song into a set with his band OHM. Earliest reports indicate he suffered a massive heart attack and was pronounced dead upon arrival at hospital.”

I'm shocked.

He was one of the finest metal drummers of all time. He had a distinctive groove behind his thunderous beats, something which very few drummers have and ever will have, which made him an absolute legend. As a young teenager when I was just getting into hard rock and metal, I thought that the drumming on Rust in Peace was pure excitement and a revelation. His kit was iconic with the striking yellow/black 'radioactive' bass drum heads and all the hanging cymbals.

His playing was always precise, thunderous, and high energy.

RIP

 

[Bagpipes]

Rust in Peace is obviously he classic album that Menza, and Megadeth, will always be known for, but Cryptic Writings, Menza's last with the band, has always been my favorite.

Listen to the drums on the song "She-Wolf" to get an idea of Menza's frenetic, galloping pace that became one of Megadeth's signature sounds amongst the Big 4 of thrash.

Sad as it may be, I take solace in the fact that he died doing what he loved. RIP