Martin Kearns (7 March 1977 – 14 September 2015) was an English

drummer A drummer is a percussionist who creates music using drums. Most contemporary western music ensemble, bands that play Rock music, rock, Pop music, pop, jazz, or Contemporary R&B, R&B music include a drummer for purposes including timekeepi ...

, specializing in

death metal Death metal is an extreme metal, extreme subgenre of heavy metal music. It typically employs heavily distorted and low-tuned guitars, played with techniques such as palm muting and tremolo picking; deep death growl, growling vocals; aggressive ...

, known for his association with

Bolt Thrower Bolt Thrower were a British death metal band from Coventry. They formed in 1986 and released their first album with Vinyl Solution in 1988. The band then shifted to a new record label, Earache Records, soon becoming one of the best selling ba ...

since 1994. He joined the band at age 17 after playing in several local bands in

Coventry Coventry ( or rarely ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands county, in England, on the River Sherbourne. Coventry had been a large settlement for centurie ...

, playing anything from

metal A metal () is a material that, when polished or fractured, shows a lustrous appearance, and conducts electrical resistivity and conductivity, electricity and thermal conductivity, heat relatively well. These properties are all associated wit ...

reggae Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica during the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its Jamaican diaspora, diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, "Do the Reggay", was the first ...

, having been playing pub gigs since the age of 14.

Bolt Thrower

Kearns subsequently left for personal reasons in 1998, he returned to Bolt Thrower in 2000. Martin was the longest standing drummer for Bolt Thrower. He recorded drums on both the '' Honour-Valour-Pride'' album, and on ''

Those Once Loyal ''Those Once Loyal'' is the eighth and final studio album by British death metal band Bolt Thrower, released on 11 November 2005 by Metal Blade Records. Recorded with producer Andy Faulkner at Sable Rose Studios in Coventry, England, it was ...

'', the latter of which has been met with widespread critical acclaim from magazines such as ''

Rock Sound ''Rock Sound'' is a British magazine that covers rock music. The magazine aims at being more " underground" and less commercial, while also giving coverage to better-known acts. It generally focuses on pop punk, post-hardcore, metalcore, punk, ...

'', ''

Rock Hard Rock Hard may refer to: * "Rock Hard" (song), a 1984 song by the Beastie Boys * ''Rock Hard'', a 1980 album by Suzi Quatro * ''Rock Hard'' (magazine), a German music magazine ** Rock Hard Festival, a heavy metal festival sponsored by the above maga ...

'' and ''

Metal Hammer ''Metal Hammer'' is a heavy metal music magazine and website founded in 1983, published in the United Kingdom by Future, with other language editions published by different companies available in numerous other countries. ''Metal Hammer'' featu ...

''.

Death

Kearns died unexpectedly at the age of 38, on 14 September 2015. The band posted on Sputnikmusic that Kearns reported breathing troubles and lightheadedness during a practice session, and, after trying to relax with a shower and nap, was found to have died peacefully in his sleep. The following year, the remaining members of Bolt Thrower eventually decided to dissolve the band rather than replace Kearns, with frontman

Karl Willetts Karl Willetts (born 21 September 1966) is an English death metal vocalist, best known as the lead singer of Bolt Thrower and Memoriam. Biography Willetts joined the British death metal band Bolt Thrower in 1988. Before that, he drove the b ...

stating, "I can confirm that Bolt Thrower are definitely over for good. There will be no reunion tours etc... no compromise."

Discography

Studio albums: *''

Honour – Valour – Pride ''Honour – Valour – Pride'' is the seventh album by the British death metal band Bolt Thrower. It was released in Europe on 19 November 2001, and in the United States on 15 January 2002. It was recorded and mixed at Sable Rose Studios in Co ...

'' (Metal Blade Records, 2001) *''

'' (Metal Blade Records, 2005)

References

External links

Bolt Thrower page @ Metal Blade

Official Bolt Thrower website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kearns, Martin 1977 births 2015 deaths English heavy metal drummers Bolt Thrower members