LAZARUS A.D. DRUMMER RYAN SHUTLER PASSES AWAY

Was extremely saddened to read that Ryan Shutler of the band Lazarus A.D. passed away on Sunday, May 17th. I met Ryan four years ago when Lazarus A.D. was doing a tour of Europe with Bonded By Blood.

Ryan was very upbeat and very easygoing when I spoke to him, being a drummer myself we talked a bit about how he learned to play, and who his influences were. One of the first things I noticed about his playing was how he played the ride cymbal with his left hand, something that the majority of players do not do.

However, Gene Hoglan does play the ride in this fashion, and Ryan mentioned how Hoglan’s playing with the band Death influenced him. He also mentioned how his father was initially taught by his father to play 70s classic rock and then evolved from there into the fearsome metal drummer that he became.

To me the band’s last studio album Black River Flows is one of the best metal albums to come out this decade, and possibly this century. When Machine Head’s Unto The Locust came out, I immediately said how I thought the Lazarus A.D. album influenced them, and made them change direction a bit to maybe accommodate younger ears.

Many people have scoffed at me stating how they were probably influenced by some of the same bands, and it just so happened that both albums coincidentally sound somewhat similar. Could be, just odd that they would pursue something similar to Black River Flows shortly after its release.

Condolences go out to Ryan’s family, his bandmates, and fans that have no doubt been affected by his passing.

Here is a video I shot of the band some four years ago.

RIP.