Previously unreleased drum-cam footage of late Megadeth drummer Nick Menza playing along to his own, stripped-down version of the band's classic song "Reckoning Day" can be seen below.
In the opening clip "Menza says: Most of my parts on the albums were mistakes that they kept and I had to learn them, which is kind of fucked up! But you're only as good, as you are on your worst night"
The HD video was filmed in March 2014 at Uberbeatz Studios in Seattle, Washington and is believed to be some of the final studio drum recordings of Menza before he passed away more than two years later.
The footage was supposed to be used for the late drummer's first-ever instructional DVD, Intense Mega Drumming, that was to feature 10 re-recorded classic Megadeth drum tracks with tons of tips and tricks from Menza's arsenal to help teach anybody out there become a better player. The DVD, which was produced and directed by Kari Pearson and Menza's manager, Robert Bolger, has since been shelved.
The unreleased video footage from the session will be a featured highlight in the upcoming official Nick Menza documentary film This Was My Life - The Story of Nick Menza. The film is being produced/directed and edited by Holly Mollohan from Screaming Butterfly Entertainment.
David Ellefson has signed on as a co-producer of the film, and also will provide narration to guide the viewer through the exploration of Nick's life.
This Was My Life will be the first-ever film to memorialize Menza's legacy and celebrate his life exactly how it was. It is described in a press release as "an unflinching exploration into the life of one of the most successful thrash-metal drummers of all time, authorized by the Menza family. From his childhood all the way through to the end of his life Including a true blow-by-blow account of the repeated failed attempts of the classic Rust In Peace lineup."
This Was My Life will feature rare and never-before-seen photos and video footage from Nick's archived VHS tape collection, personally filmed by Menza himself from 1988 through 1991. Included will be exclusive content showcasing Nick working at the studio, personal home movies, casual time and party time with his fellow band members, as well as other well-known artists of the era that Nick toured with.
The cover photo for the film was shot by Los Angeles music photographer Alex Solca and designed by Brazilian artwork designer Alcides Burn of Burn Artworks.
Late in the evening on May 21, 2016, Nick collapsed after suffering a heart attack during a concert with Chris Poland and Robertino "Pag" Pagliari in their band OHM: at The Baked Potato in Studio City, California and was pronounced dead upon arrival at the hospital. The Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner-Coroner said Menza died of hypertensive and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease.
