Original BIOHAZARD Drummer ANTHONY MEO Dies After Battle With Cancer
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BIOHAZARD's founding drummer Anthony Meo has died after a battle with cancer.
Meo was BIOHAZARD's drummer in 1987 and 1988 and played on the band's first demo before being replaced by Danny Schuler.
Anthony's death was confirmed by BIOHAZARD guitarist/vocalist Billy Graziadei, who shared an early BIOHAZARD promotional video earlier today (Friday, July 14) and included the following message: "RIP Anthony Meo. You brought us all together, you will live on forever through what we created together! #biohazard #og #drummer #fuckcancer #pickitupmeo".
Schuler also mourned Meo's passing, writing on his Instagram: "Anthony Meo was the original drummer of @biohazarddfl and a founding member of the band. He was also a friend I've known since I was 5 years old. I grew up looking up to him as a drummer, and I went to school with his sister, Nicole. Meo lived 2 blocks from me in Canarsie, and he used to come play drums with me at my house. He was a few years older than me, but we were friends. I remember seeing him with BIOHAZARD in the early days. And when he left the band and I joined, he gave me his blessing. In later years, he would come to the shows and sit in on the drums and remind everybody how important he was to BIOHAZARD. Without Meo, there is no BIOHAZARD.
"We lost a brother today, and a true old school Brooklyn original. He was truly one of a kind, living life on his terms. And a great drummer.
"Rest in peace my brother, and thank you for showing me the way.#themeo #pickitupmeo #themost #theleast".
A few days before Meo's death, Billy shared a picture of Anthony and he wrote: "This is Anthony Meo. With out him, there would be no BIOHAZARD. He was our first drummer and brought us all together. Our lives would had probably continued on the same destructive path or who knows had Meo not introduced Bobby and Evan, (who I already knew from someone else). We had some crazy times together! Thank you Meo! Keep him in your prayers!"
BIOHAZARD's 1988 demo — featuring the songs "Master Race" and "America" — caused a stir with journalists who felt that some of the band's lyrics displayed fascist and white supremacist views, perhaps overlooking the fact that both Schuler and frontman Evan Seinfeld were themselves Jewish.
In a 2003 interview with FoundryMusic.com, Seinfeld defended the lyrics in BIOHAZARD's early songs, saying: "The songs on the first demo were meant to shock, be vague, and get your attention. We never were racist, but it was a great attention-getter to use metaphoric lyrics."
As previously reported, the reunited classic lineup of BIOHAZARD — Graziadei, guitarist Bobby Hambel, Schuler and bassist/vocalist Seinfeld — will support MEGADETH on five shows in the U.S. and Canada in September.
BIOHAZARD played its first New York City concert in more than 12 years on June 16 at the Irving Plaza.
The first reunion gig from Gradziadei, Hambel, Schuler and Seinfeld took place on May 26 at the Milwaukee Metal Fest at The Rave/Eagles Ballroom in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
BIOHAZARD will make a number of other appearances throughout 2023, including at multiple international festivals in the summer, and will play select gigs in America.
Seinfeld made his last recorded appearance with BIOHAZARD on 2012's "Reborn In Defiance" album, which marked the first LP featuring the band's original lineup in 18 years.
(Source: www.blabbermouth.net)
