Drummer Nick Menza passed away on May 21st.
Rust in Peace (1990) was, in my opinion, Nick Menza's finest hour with thrash band Megadeth. That album stands among the best metal albums of all time, showcasing the supreme talents of a quartet of individuals who were highly creative and gave it everything they had to produce energizing music for the world to enjoy for generations to come.
Nick Menza played drums for Megadeth for most of the 90's. His style could be described as athletic. Powerful, driving, relentless, heavy. I missed seeing Menza play live, but judging from albums and concert videos I've watched, I'd say the man was a machine... no, more than a machine. A cyborg? His pummeling musical presence in studio and onstage definitely laid a rock solid foundation for the band's blistering and frenetic guitars and vocals.
Menza drove the time-keeping engine on three subsequent Megadeth albums, all considered among the band's best efforts (maybe not so much with Cryptic Writings). He moved on from the band to work on other projects, some of which were interrupted by medical issues (including a near miss... almost losing an arm to a power saw).
Nick, the son of jazz musician Don Menza, became involved in that same genre in recent years. In fact, it was during a gig on Saturday that he collapsed. Way to go... right to the end.
Rest in peace, Nick.
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