History & Biography Menza is the post-Megadeth band of drummer Nick Menza, which issued a disc independently. The album was promoted by VQPR. Menza was hired by Megadeth in 1989 and lasted therein for ten years before being fired when recuperating from a surgery to remove a tumour. He had worked as the roadie for Megadeth drummer Chuck Behler. Menza subsequently related that Megadeth leader David Mustaine fired him via a terse telephone call at the hospital two days after the surgery and the only band-mate to even visit him while hospitalized was guitarist Marty Friedman. Menza initiated a lawsuit, which was not pursued due to lack of funds. Menza also asserted that he was able to return to the drums a week after the surgery and his firing was shocking.
The solo project was initially called Alive After Deth as an obvious reference to Menza’s former association with Megadeth. The album met with poor advance reviews and was quickly withdrawn. For 2002 shows, Menza recruited former Suicidal Tendencies guitarist Anthony Gallo, Great White and Samantha 7 guitarist Ty Longley and bassist Jason Levin. Longley died the year after in a nightclub fire involving Great White.
Menza was invited to join Megadeth again in 2004; however, the association did not last with Mustaine asserting that Menza was not fit to drum.
Nick Menza died of a heart attack while on stage with Chris Poland’s OHM at The Baked Potato in Studio City, California on Saturday May 21st 2016. He was 51 years old. OHM’s previous drummer had also died of a heart attack. David Ellefson and his Ellefson Films were working on a documentary called This Was My Life: The Story Of Nick Menza, which was scheduled for 2023.
Reviews MENZA - LIFE AFTER DETH - MENZANATION
There were several sordid rumours following the forced departure of drummer Nick Menza from Megadeth. The worst was the report of his backhanded ejection from 'deth and next to no care or concern from his former band-mates regarding the state of his leg tumor. A couple of years have flown by and Menza is back with a solo album called Life After Deth which incidentally is close to the project's initial name - Alive After Deth. Not shying away from his Megadeth past, Menza has adorned his new life with font, symbols, logos and a moniker reminiscent of his Davey days and come at us with an album featuring 13 tracks where he takes on singing, guitarring, drumming and almost everything else - wit a little help from Max Norman. Worked on over the past 10 or so years, the tunes are a mixture of heavy metal, rock and AOR with much and surprise influence derived from Megadeth. Above all a drummer's album (despite the use of drum machines), Life After Deth is really a snap shot of the thought process of Nick Menza over the last decade and one for the fans. But if there is to be a second effort, Menza must get a band together before recording again. - Ali "The Metallian"
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