Jason Richardson, the total shredder formerly of All Shall Perish, Born Of Osiris, and Chelsea Grin, is releasing his solo album, I, on July 29th. He has premiered the official video for "Fragments”, which features Lukas Magyar of Veil Of Maya, Mark Holcomb of Periphery, and Luke Holland of The Word Alive. Watch the clip below:

Richardson's new album has earned praise from one of the most respected guitarists in rock music — Dream Theater's John Petrucci, who said, "Ridiculous guitar playing, insane drumming and great production! Really heavy, inventive, and unique! LOVE this album!!!"

The fever has spread among fans, as well. When Richardson released the video for "Omni”, it generated over 130,000 plays in one day.

Finland’s Steve'N'Seagulls will release their sophomore studio album on September 9th via Spinefarm Records. A single for the track “Aces High” will precede the album in July. A message from the band follows:

“TIMBER!! Our second studio album, Brothers In Farms, is coming out in September! Are you ready? Are we ready? We had an amazing recording session produced and recorded by Janne Haavisto and Jyri Riikonen at the E-Studio, Pitäjänmäki (FI).

“We took thirteen painstakingly selected classics and even one original on the album. One of the most ravishing songs, where banjo meets balalaika, the first single that will be released in July is… “Aces High”.

Check out the video below and stay tuned for updates.

Depressive black metal merchants, Ghost Bath, have released a video for “Happyhouse”, a track from their new album, Moonlover. Originally only available in Europe, Moonlover is now available digitally worldwide with an exclusive bonus track. A physical release was issued in North America on both CD and vinyl formats on June 10th. The album was produced by Josh Schroeder and Nameless and mixed by Josh Schroeder.

Moonlover tracklisting:

“The Sleeping Fields”
“Golden Number”
“Happyhouse”
“Beneath The Shade Tree”
“The Silver Flower Pt. 1”
“The Silver Flower Pt. 2”
“Death And The Maiden”

Bonus Track:
“Ascension”

“Happyhouse” video:

“Ascension” visualizer:

“Golden Number” video:

Ghost Bath will embark on their first ever North American tour in support of Moonlover this July.

"We look forward to performing for everyone," comments the band. "This will be our first time taking Ghost Bath to a live setting and we hope to see you there."

Tour dates with Underling and He Whose Ox Is Gored include:

July
11 - Vancouver, BC  - Astoria
12 - Seattle, WA - Crocodile
13 - Portland, OR - Lola's At Crystal Ballroom
14 - San Francisco, CA - Bottom of The Hill
15 - Los Angeles, CA - Complex
16 - Las Vegas, NV - Divebar
17 - Mesa, AZ - Nile Theater (scaled)
19 - Colorado Springs, CO - Black Sheep
20 - Kansas City, MO - Riot Room
21 - Oklahoma City, OK - 89th Street
22 - Austin, TX - Dirty Dog

Ghost Bath will also headline the Shadow Woods Metal Fest in White Hall, MD on September 15th.

The official music video for "Calling You Home", a new song from British heavy metal vocalist Blaze Bayley (IRON MAIDEN, WOLFSBANE), can be seen below. The track is taken from Blaze's eighth solo album, "Infinite Entanglement", which was released on March 1.

In an interview with Jimmy Kay and Alan Dixon from Canada's The Metal Voice, Blaze stated about his new album: "I had this idea to write my own book. I had a story that… kind of coming from the character from 'Tenth Dimension' [Blaze's 2002 album] that I really wanted to do. And we started work on it, and we had too many songs for one album. And I thought, you know what? When I did 'Tenth Dimension', I had to keep that down to a certain amount of time because I was working with a record company; I had deadlines to meet. I thought this time… I think this is a really big story. And so, I started thinking about it like 'Dune' and 'The Lord Of The Rings' and something like that. I thought if I was gonna do exactly what I wanted to do, then I would do it in three albums. Well, I am my record company, so I can do what I want to do. So I'm doing it in three albums. And this is my first studio album — full metal studio album — for four years, and it's part one of a trilogy. And the story is told across the three albums. And so far, it's turned out really, really well. And the first few people now have got their pre-orders delivered, and they're really enjoying it. The feedback I've had is great."

Blaze also spoke in more detail about the story that is covered on the trilogy. He said: "It's about a man who does not know if he is human. It's his personal journey, and he is on a mission to discover one of the new Kepler planets. You know, Kepler discovered all these new planets. It's set a hundred years in the future, and he's on a spaceship and it's how he deals with the fact that he will be one of the first people ever to live for a thousand years because of advances in technology, and how he deals with that. And the question is: is he human or not? And that's it in a nutshell. And the story expands from there. And we discover a lot of different things — first, his emotions and how he feels, but also why he's there and how he is reacting to the circumstances. And everything is not what it seems. He's been chosen for the mission, and we find out why. And that's part of the overall story. So it's a kind of mystery horror, in a way, set in space, and this is part one of it. So I'm hoping that you'll like the rest as well."

According to Blaze, he intentionally made "Infinite Entanglement" so that fans of his music can listen to the album and enjoy it without having to be familiar with the entire story. He said: "That is how I started with the whole idea. I had to do something that I would enjoy. So I really wanted to do something more in the 'War Of The Worlds' style and in the 'Operation: Mindcrime'. I wanted it so, as a listener, you can enjoy each song without knowing the story. But if you want to look at the sleeve notes, if you want to get deeper in it, then you'll see the connections. You don't have to listen to all the songs to know the connections. And the order of the songs isn't in a way that you have to play it from start to finish either. And you won't really know where all of the songs fit until that third album comes out and it explains to you the whole story and all of the details."

Asked if he already has a timetable in mind for the release of the second and third albums in the trilogy, Blaze said: "We have half of album two, we have half of the songs ready for that, and we have some of the music and one of the songs for album three. So we kind of have the ending and a bit of the middle. So, as we're going along on tour, and I'm writing the rest of the story, then we'll come up with the rest of the songs."

He continued: "What I've enjoyed with this one is having the liberation of not having to connect everything to reality or directly to me, to be able to use somebody else's emotions and somebody else's thoughts, and have more than one set of eyes to look at the world through. That's been really liberating, and I've enjoyed it very much."

The 53-year-old Bayley, who was born in Birmingham, was the original frontman in WOLFSBANE, but left in 1994 to join MAIDEN, with whom he recorded two studio albums — 1995's "The X Factor" 1998's and "Virtual XI" — before Bruce Dickinson returned to the group.

Bayley released a career-spanning double-disc collection, "Soundtracks Of My Life", on October 31, 2013.

"Here Come The Infidels", the new album from STUCK MOJO, can be streamed in its entirety using the SoundCloud widget below. Due on June 24, the CD was once again produced by Andy Sneap, who has previously worked with MEGADETH, EXODUS, TESTAMENT, KILLSWITCH ENGAGE and ACCEPT, among others.

In addition to STUCK MOJO guitarist and main songwriter Rich Ward and longtime drummer Frank Fontsere, "Here Come The Infidels" features STUCK MOJO's latest additions, vocalist Robby J and bassist Len Sonnier.

Speaking about why a planned reunion of STUCK MOJO's classic lineup — featuring vocalist Bonz and bassist Corey Lowery — fell apart less than a year after playing a well-received show in the band's hometown of Atlanta, Georgia, Ward said: "The goal was to do a reunion record. And after doing three reunion shows, we just realized it wasn't gonna work — for the same reasons it didn't work the first time. But we'd already started the process into making this new album. And I knew that I wanted to work with Andy, because the best records in my career were done partnering with Andy. And Andy is not a producer in the sense that he sits in the back of the room with a cigar and says, 'Do that again.' So Andy then takes up part of that responsibility of being another member of the band to bounce ideas off of, help me creatively."

Containing eleven tracks of unmistakeable Ward riffing, "Here Come The Infidels" is available for pre-order through Pledge Music.

Said Ward: "Robby J is a fucking ninja, the total package vocalist/frontman. Mark my words, this guy is going to set a new standard for what a band with a rapper looks like."

Hailing from the Texas-Louisiana border, Len is a veteran bass player, best known for his time spent as the touring bassist in KING'S X frontman Doug Pinnick's POUNDHOUND project.

Professionally filmed video footage of OBITUARY's entire June 18 performance at the Graspop Metal Meeting in Dessel, Belgum can be seen below.

The band's setlist was as follows:

01. Redneck Stomp02. Centuries Of Lies03. Visions In My Head04. Intoxicated05. Bloodsoaked06. Dying07. Find The Arise08. 'Til Death09. Don't Care10. Chopped In Half11. Turned Inside Out

OBITUARY will return to Europe as part of the colossal "Battle Of The Bays" European tour in October / November 2016 alongside San Francisco Bay Area thrash metal veterans EXODUS. Support will come from influential groove crossover metallers PRONG and Australian wrecking machine KING PARROT.

OBITUARY's ninth studio album, "Inked In Blood", sold around 5,200 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 75 on The Billboard 200 chart.

The band's first full-length CD in over five years, "Inked In Blood" was recorded by OBITUARY in April 2014 at the group's own RedNeck Studio in Gibsonton, Florida.

Speaking to Full Metal Jackie, OBITUARY drummer Donald Tardy stated about "Inked In Blood": "We don't try to reinvent the wheel; we never would do that. We know that OBITUARY stands for something solid and that mid-tempo, groovy feel that OBITUARY has. So we didn't wanna step too far out of it, we really wanted to stay true to our roots. But, of course, I personally think the band, individually, gets better with every year that goes by, every album that we record, everyone seems to get… We find our knack that much more. And that goes to say with this album. This album just seems so much more just catchy and just easy to listen to, and that simple, groovy metal that we're known for. We really found ourselves with this album."

Donald also spoke about OBITUARY's current lineup, which includes Kenny Andrews (guitar) and Terry Butler (bass): "With Terry and Ken on board, it's a refreshing idea of band members coming in with a positive attitude and professionalism. And they brought to the studio their ideas and their ears. And when me and Trevor [Peres, guitar] were done writing a song, they would listen with us and they would give us [suggestions, like], 'Maybe you should add something here,' or, more importantly, to let us know, 'Maybe this song doesn't even need to be as long as it is.' So it was good to have input from Ken and Terry. And Ken's solo style is a beautiful blend of a little bit of Allen West meets a little James Murphy. And I think that was missing from OBITUARY for these last few years and Ken really brought that back to the table. And I believe that's what fans want and they're really gonna see the difference with Ken's solo style, that it's back to the roots with us. And it's a good feeling."

OBITUARY is: John Tardy - Vocals Trevor Peres - Guitar Donald Tardy - Drums Terry Butler - Bass Kenny Andrews - Guitar

Fan-filmed video footage of THIN LIZZY's June 18 performance at the Monsters Of Rock festival in Bietigheim-Bissingen, Germany can be seen below.

Playing bass for THIN LIZZY at all shows in 2016 and early 2017 is AEROSMITH's Tom Hamilton. Tom joins THIN LIZZY guitarists Scott Gorham and Damon Johnson, together with lead vocalist Ricky Warwick and keyboard player Darren Wharton.

Said Hamilton: "I'm really psyched to be playing these shows with THIN LIZZY during my downtime with AEROSMITH this summer. [It is] great to rock out to their classic songs onstage."

In addition to Tom's appointment on bass, MOTÖRHEAD drummer Mikkey Dee has been replaced in THIN LIZZY's touring lineup by JUDAS PRIEST drummer Scott Travis on all shows except August 6 in Sweden, where EUROPE drummer Ian Haugland will be on the drum stool.

On his appointment, Travis said: "First of all, let me offer a sincere thank you to Brian Downey and THIN LIZZY for allowing me to sit in with the band! THIN LIZZY are undisputed legends and to be a small part of their lineage is a humble honor for me. I hope to do the position good. It's gonna' be a blast!"

DEATH ANGEL's Rob Cavestany joined THE BUTLERS on stage this past Friday night (June 17) at the Uptown nightclub in Oakland, California to perform three songs: "The Green Manalishi (With The Two Pronged Crown)" (originally recorded by FLEETWOOD MAC and later covered by JUDAS PRIEST), "Cold Gin" (KISS) and "Bad Reputation" (THIN LIZZY). Rob's appearance marked the first time he shared the stage with THE BUTLERS drummer Andy Galeon since Andy left DEATH ANGEL in 2009.

In addition to Galeon, THE BUTLERS feature current and former members of JETBOY, RUFFIANS and EXODUS. They play shows throughout California performing a slew of classic rock covers. Members of MACHINE HEAD, TESLA, TESTAMENT, FUEL, EXODUS and FANG have all sat in with the band.

In a September 2009 interview with Metal Rules! Radio, Andy Galeon stated about his departure from DEATH ANGEL, "We had a tour booked, and basically, I had personal things I had to deal with — I had a newborn baby — and I just was like, 'Well, I've gotta do stuff at home.' We [the members of DEATH ANGEL] weren't communicating well or nothing. I wasn't about to ask them to not go [on the road], so I just said, 'I'll just leave then.' I even pointed out a few [other drummers] from the [San Francisco] Bay Area that could be a fill-in or a replacement, whatever you wanna call it. I mentioned Chris Kontos [MACHINE HEAD, TESTAMENT], I mentioned Will Carroll [OLD GRANDAD, SCARECROW, VICIOUS RUMORS, MACHINE HEAD], and I think there was another guy... I knew they were gonna go with Will, because Ted [Aguilar], the rhythm guitar player [for DEATH ANGEL], has played with him in a bunch of bands — he even plays with him in SCARECROW, so I knew it would be easier."

Galeon added that the fact that he and some of the guys in DEATH ANGEL are family has not made it easier for them to be in a band together. "Sometimes being family, it makes it harder, for some reason. I don't know why, but it's just that way sometimes. Imagine being in a band with your brother for over 20 years, jamming with the same guy. You know every little quirk, you know every little thing that pisses him off, and you press those buttons when you have to, and he presses your buttons when he has to... I don't know what it is, man. You'd think we'd communicate more, but at times it's not that way. Musically, we always communicate pretty well; I mean, everything goes smoothly, [and] we push each other musically."

DEATH ANGEL's eighth album, "The Evil Divide", recently entered The Billboard 200 chart at position No. 98 with first-week sales of just over 6,000 units — nearly all from pure album sales. The set followed the No. 72-peaking "The Dream Calls For Blood", which opened with around 5,400 copies back in 2013.

STEEL PANTHER singer Michael Starr joined former SKID ROW frontman Sebastian Bach on stage on May 29 at the Rocklahoma festival in Pryor, Oklahoma to perform the SKID ROW classic "Youth Gone Wild". Video footage of his appearance can be seen below (courtesy of Decibel Geek TV).

During a recent interview with Loudwire, Bach was once again asked if he would be open to a reunion of SKID ROW's classic lineup. He said: "I don't have any reason why not to do that… I have no animosity towards anybody in SKID ROW, and the fact that we're all, five of us, still alive in this world is a pretty amazing feat. So I would someday definitely like to hear the five guys who made those records play live together again. Yes, I would. 'Cause I'm a fan too."

Back in January, Bach revealed how a reunion with SKID ROW could materialize. He wrote on his Twitter account: "Only way a SKID ROW reunion could happen is if we somehow tried [to] bury a 20-year hatchet between us. Would love the chance to do so #SitDown" He added in another tweet: "To be honest, I have said some super shitty things [to] them [and] about them. I would like to apologize for shooting my mouth off."

Last year, SKID ROW guitarist Dave "Snake" Sabo seemed to shut the door on a possibility of working with Bach again. He told The Aquarian Weekly: "Happiness, to me, is my spirit and my soul is more important to me than having dollars in my wallet. People may [not] believe that and that's okay. Anybody who knows me knows that to be true. I don't think you can place a price on happiness. We've been hit repeatedly over the years with, 'Why don't you do a reunion tour?' And you know what? I understand the question and I get it. I really do, and if I were on the outside, I'd be asking the same question, but no one feels comfortable with that idea."

Singer Tony Harnell announced his departure from SKID ROW last December, eight months after he joined the band as the replacement for Johnny Solinger, who was the group's frontman for fifteen years.

SKID ROW has played several shows in recent months with the South African-born, British-based singer ZP Theart (DRAGONFORCE, TANK, I AM I), but he has not been officially named as the permanent replacement for Harnell.

"Crucifixion", a song from GIRAFFE TONGUE ORCHESTRA, the new band featuring ALICE IN CHAINS singer William DuVall alongside members of MASTODON and THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN, was premiered earlier today on BBC Radio 1's "Rock Show With Daniel P. Carter". You can now listen to the track using the widget below (beginning arounf the 4:42 mark).

"Crucifixion" is taken from GIRAFFE TONGUE ORCHESTRA's debut album, "Broken Lines", which will be released on September 23 via Party Smasher Inc./ Cooking Vinyl.

While the lineup of GIRAFFE TONGUE ORCHESTRA has changed since the project was launched in 2012 — with actress and singer Juliette Lewis allegedly fronting it at one point — DuVall has apparently settled into the lead vocalist position.

GIRAFFE TONGUE ORCHESTRA founder Ben Weinman (also of THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN) said that Juliette Lewis was never the singer but had contributed some material, adding: "She did some cool vocals on some of the GTO stuff. Actually, William from ALICE IN CHAINS is who has been singing with us."

Weinman noted that most of the music for GIRAFFE TONGUE ORCHESTRA's ten-song debut album had been written before DuVall joined the band. "But everybody is definitely in this band," he said. "It's a real democracy."

He added: "It's a little different for me. It's been great. Because DILLINGER has obviously been my baby since the beginning. You know while everyone contributes, it has always been my vision and baby. So, with GTO, it's really a combination of all the elements, all the pieces. So it's really interesting. It's been great for me to collaborate like that. And I think when you hear it, it really does sound like all of us in one band somehow."

GIRAFFE TONGUE ORCHESTRA — whose lineup also includes Brent Hinds of MASTODON — will make its live debut at this year's Reading (August 27) and Leeds (August 28) festivals in the United Kingdom.

From adventurous progressive-metal epics like "Crucifixion", "Broken Lines" and "Fragments & Ashes" to pounding rock anthems like "Adapt Or Die" and "Back To The Light" (featuring a vocal cameo from Lewis), to future crossover classics like the gorgeous power ballad "All We Have Is Now" and the electrifying made-for-radio dance-rock of "Everyone Gets Everything They Really Want", and the equally propulsive "Blood Moon", GIRAFFE TONGUE ORCHESTRA's debut album promises to be one of the most exciting releases of 2016.

"Chasing The Priest", the new lyric video from San Francisco Bay Area metallers VICIOUS RUMORS, can be seen below. The song is taken from the band's twelfth studio album, "Concussion Protocol", which will be released on August 26 via SPV/Steamhammer. It will be made available as a digipak version (including a poster), on 2LP gatefold red vinyl and as a digital download. The CD features eleven brand new songs and tells a chilling story of an armageddon by a global killer asteroid and how humanity unravels in the wake of the news. It's the first concept album for the band.

VICIOUS RUMORS guitarist Geoff Thorpe states about the song and the video: "In our dark tale of the earth's final days, man turns his back on religious concepts!

"The song 'Chasing the Priest' was written by myself along with Nick, Tilen and Larry in a house we rented last summer next to and old church in the Netherlands. The band was in the beginning of the songwriting process for the album 'Concussion Protocol'.

"We hope you enjoy our dark tale in metal madness as much as we enjoyed making it for you!!

"This video was produced by Jimmie Evans lll at Electric Punishment studios in Santa Rosa, California. Turn it up and see you on tour!! Metal on!"

"Concussion Protocol" was produced by VICIOUS RUMORS guitarist Geoff Thorpe and longtime co-producer and engineer Juan Urteaga at Trident studios (MACHINE HEAD, TESTAMENT, HEATHEN, EXODUS, DRAGONLORD) in Pacheco, California. A video for the first single "Take It Or Leave It" was filmed a couple of months ago and will make its online debut soon. Guest solos by VICIOUS RUMORS brothers from the band's rich history, Brad Gillis (NIGHT RANGER, OZZY OSBOURNE) and Steve Smyth (NEVERMORE, TESTAMENT, FORBIDDEN) only add to the madness.

Thorpe states: "The album is relentless and crushing in true, classic VICIOUS RUMORS style but with many twists and turns. Believe me, you're in for a treat, VRazors!!! If you've ever been a fan of VICIOUS RUMORS, SABBATH, PRIEST or MAIDEN and a little Bay Area-style thrash thrown in for good measure, then this album is definitely for you!!! Everything you love about VICIOUS RUMORS is present throughout the whole album!!"

"Concussion Protocol" track listing: 01. Concussion Protocol (4:56)02. Chemical Slaves (5:50)03. Victims Of A Digital World (4:13)04. Chasing The Priest (4:13)05. Last Of Our Kind (3:56)06. 1000 Years (3:39)07. Circle Of Secrets (5:04)08. Take It Or Leave It (3:23)09. Bastards (4:40)10. Every Blessing Is A Curse (4:14)11. Life For A Life (6:11)

VICIOUS RUMORS 2016 lineup (from left to right in photo):

Larry Howe - DrumsThaen Rasmussen - GuitarNick Holleman - VocalsGeoff Thorpe - GuitarTilen Hudrap - Bass

Venice, California crossover thrash/hardcore punk legends SUICIDAL TENDENCIES have set a September 30 release date for their as-yet-untitled new album. The follow-up to 2013's "13" disc will be the band's first to feature former SLAYER drummer Dave Lombardo and guitarist Jeff Pogan, who replaced Nico Santora last month.

Lombardo recently told Metal Wani about ST's forthcoming CD: "I think it's very typical and very traditional SUICIDAL TENDENCIES. It's that style. It's [SUICIDAL TENDENCIES frontman] Mike Muir and he was a very special style in which he writes his music and his lyrics and his structures. And I love it; I love it. It takes me back to how it all started, which was that punk attitude. I'm very happy to be a part of his organization. I feel very welcomed. I feel very much appreciated, and there's a lot of respect amongst the musicians, and camaraderie. We have a really good time together. We hang out as a band, which is important; I feel it's very important."

In an interview with John The Ninja, Muir spoke about how SUICIDAL TENDENCIES fans have reacted to Lombardo's addition to the band's touring lineup. He said: "Well, I think there's two parts. One, there's obviously… there's a name, so people were excited. Initially, obviously, people said, 'Oh, wow! Actually, I can see that.' The other is when you actually see it and you hear it. And there's a lot of times when people quote-unquote get together and it's for fun and they don't take it serious. The thing about Dave is he's very serious. It's not for me to quote him, but he loves the band. So he goes, 'I love the music,' and you see that when he's playing. I can't fake what I do; he can't fake what he does. He's up there and just doing his thing. And it sounds so good, and it's so fun. I mean, that's one of the things with this tour [the recently completed North American run with MEGADETH]; it's just refreshing that it's, like, 'Bam!' We just do it. And every night, there's the people that obviously are anticipating it; there's the people that are excited about it; the people that are, like, 'Okay. I'm gonna check it out.' And still to this day, some people don't know. Even yesterday, I went out in the crowd afterwards, and someone was, like, 'Man, your drummer is amazing!' And I said, 'Yeah. Dave Lombardo.' 'Yeah, I know Dave Lombardo. That was Dave Lombardo?' I mean, it was a big place and they are in the very back and you can't really see it."

He continued: "It's been great. It works. He's a great person. So it's just been a lot of fun. And it definitely does add an intensity. I mean, going years back, I've always known, obviously, SLAYER and Dave, and I've always kind of said, 'Wow! If we had someone like Dave playing [with us].' You know, you do those little things sometimes in your head. And now we actually do."

MEGADETH mainman Dave Mustaine has revealed that a previously mooted Nick Menza tribute concert featuring past and present members of MEGADETH is now unlikely to happen.

Less than 24 hours after the former MEGADETH drummer died on May 21, Mustaine said that he had already started talks to perform a benefit concert that would hopefully include as many ex-members of MEGADETH as they can get. But that plan now appears to have come to a halt, as Mustaine told EonMusic on Monday (June 13) at the Metal Hammer Golden Gods in London, England. He said: "There's some stuff going on right now where [Nick's] family is doing a GoFundMe page, and I'm not involved in that. If they need our help, they know where we're at. We love them and want the best for them, so we'll find out."

He continued: "For now, I think that if anybody wants to get involved with [supporting] Nick [by donating money], the GoFundMe page [is the best place to do so]. I would rather that if anybody's going to support what we're going to do, our involvement is to help Nick's legacy for his children. He's got artwork, he's got a lot of music that he's written outside of MEGADETH, and if people really love Nick and they really want to support him, look at his artwork, focus on the music that he did, MEGADETH or otherwise."

Mustaine also said that he "had no idea how much [he] loved" Nick until he broke down following the dedication of a song to his former bandmate at the Rock 'N Derby festival on May 22. Dave said: "Yeah, [my emotional reaction] came out of nowhere. I didn't know what it was, because it was very [well known] how much Nick did not like me, in the things that he was saying [in the press]. And I was not going to retaliate because I loved him, and I think that was evident when we dedicated the song to him. I couldn't finish it, and I usually don't let things stop me from doing by job, but I was overwhelmed with emotion. We've lost a lot of very valuable members of the metal community this year and last year."

Mustaine went on to talk about Menza's talents as a musician, explaining that he was unaware of how revered Nick was until after his passing. Dave told EonMusic: "The contribution [Nick] made to metal music, you can't really quantify it, because MEGADETH influenced so many different players in so many different genres. I know only of the guitar players that have been influenced, but the drummers that have been influenced by Nick, until his passing, I had no idea."

He added: "You know, I've always loved [Nick's] playing and thought he was great, so he's terribly, terribly missed. And, like I said, I had no idea how much I really loved him until I couldn't finish the song."

Nick collapsed after suffering a heart attack after the third song of OHM:'s set on May 21 at The Baked Potato in Studio City, California and was pronounced dead upon arrival at hospital. He was 51 years old.

The Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner-Coroner said Menza died of natural causes. The cause of Menza's death was listed as hypertensive and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease.

Menza had reportedly dabbled with drugs in the earlier part of his career but had been completely sober for eight years.

Menza joined MEGADETH for the 1989 recording "Rust In Peace" and for the next nine years became associated with the band's "classic" and most profitable era.