Watch: Drummer Who Lost Arm in Horrific Accident Nails Slayer’s ‘Raining Blood’

Jonas Rogowski, CC BY-SA 3.0 , via Wikimedia Commons
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Drummer Jack Thomas is one truly impressive dude. Despite losing his arm at 17 in a horrific workplace accident, Jack’s overcome incredible odds to become a revered multi-instrumentalist, producer/engineer, and motivational speaker.

While it’s easy to let tragedy crush your spirit and damper motivation, Jack refused to let his circumstances get the best of him. Instead, he’s used it as motivational fuel. Here’s his harrowing story and personal journey in his own words:

“I was working on a conveyer belt, and I tripped out. And before I even had a chance to fight for myself, my arm was severed. I had to go inside to get some help, and that’s where I was told, ‘Sorry, buddy, your arm is gone.’

Hearing those words as a human being is not something you know how to react to…now, being a drummer, that’s kind of career-ending. You need all the limbs you have to play the instrument that you play.

At that point, I realized, I can let this overcome meor I can do whatever I can to overcome it, and come out of it as successful as I possibly can.

So right there right then, I was patting on my chest, trying to figure out the songs that were playing in my head, and I knew that I could do this.

I recovered and have been working on becoming a great drummer again. I’ve performed in numerous bands, produced albums for other local bands as well as my own, and have been a session musician for countless music recording projects. I am currently an active member of the local music scene.”

Right on, dude. As proof of Jack’s ability to still kick ass on the drums, here’s him recently ripping the intro to Slayer’s iconic (and impossibly hard to play), ‘Raining Blood’ below.

Before that, though, we highly recommend you get a sense of his full impressive range by checking out his full, pro-shot cover of Slipknot’s ‘Duality’:

 

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