Photo: Capitol Records / Public domain (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
Gar Samuelson holds a special place for me as one of those musicians whose brief tenure outweighs his short career. Drumming on Megadeth's first two records, he brought a loose, jazz-inflected swing to thrash metal that gave those early albums their wild, almost reckless energy. That fusion of precision and chaos is harder to pull off than it sounds, and few drummers since have replicated it. Losing him at 41 in 1999 was a genuine loss to the genre. I find myself returning to those records and hearing a player who was clearly ahead of where thrash thought it needed to go.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Gar Samuelson
- Name (Japanese)
- ガル・サミュエルソン
- Reading
- がる・さみゅえるそん
- Born
- February 18, 1958 – July 14, 1999
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Aquarius / Dog
- Origin
- Chautauqua County, New York, United States
- Blood type
- Private
- Height
- Private
- Agency
- Private
- Occupation
- drummer
2. Background
- Elementary school
- Private
- Junior high
- Private
- High school
- Private
- University
- Private
3. Relationships
- Spouse
- Private
- Children
- Private
- Parents
- Private
- Siblings
- Private
4. Personality
Motto
Private
6. Links
- Official sitehttp://www.planetdeland.com/fatalopera.htm
- Wikipedia (Japanese)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gar%20Samuelson
Frequently asked questions
When was Gar Samuelson born?
February 18, 1958 – July 14, 1999.
Where is Gar Samuelson from?
Gar Samuelson is from Chautauqua County, New York, United States.
What does Gar Samuelson do?
Gar Samuelson works as drummer.
Drummer — see all → · More people from United States →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-21
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public items are marked "Private / Unknown". English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.