In a recent interview with Highway 81 Revisited, DEICIDE drummer Steve Asheim, a veteran of the Florida death metal scene, was asked how he maintains his endurance while consistently playing at such high speeds during tours.
“I used to work out with weights a lot. I don’t really do that anymore,” he said. “[I’m] getting a bit old for that. Playing the way I do has given me tendinosis. Like if someone was working a jackhammer for 20 years, it has an effect on your tendons. I tore my bicep, I blew my calf out, and it’s always on the left side for some reason. Just recently even, I stopped drumming because it was affecting my pulmonary and cardio health. At practice, once we get going, I feel like I’m about to have a f**king heart attack. [Laughs] Also my asthma was getting worse.
“I started drumming about January 1 this year [after a break] and noticed all of that stuff was kind of getting a little better. My heart felt a little stronger. I haven’t needed my inhaler for a few months. In that sense, I need to maintain a certain lifestyle without literally having a f**king heart attack during a gig, because people have done that. Nick Menza [late MEGADETH drummer] playing in a hot club stroked out. That’s not happening to me [laughs], I’m tellin’ ya. At least I don’t want it to happen. I like my weed, and booze was my thing. Now not so much the booze, at least for now. As long as I have to play at this level worldwide, I can’t do that crazy s**t.”
DEICIDE‘s latest album, Banished By Sin, was released in April through Reigning Phoenix Music.
Reeder, the visionary behind Metal Addicts, has transformed his lifelong passion for metal into a thriving online community for metal aficionados. As a fervent devotee of black metal, Reeder is captivated by its dark, atmospheric, and often unorthodox soundscapes.