Josua Madsen, the former drummer of Danish heavy metal mainstays Artillery, passed away on March 10th when he was tragically struck by a bus. He was 45 years old.
Madsen, who had recently left Artillery after a decade with the band, rehearsed with his new project on the evening of March 8th and was walking from Høje Taastrup Station to Vridsløsemagle, where he lived with his family. He was hit by a moving bus at roughly 9:47 p.m.
Reportedly there were no street lights and no sidewalk on the country road between Copenhagen and Roskilde where the incident occurred, forcing pedestrians to walk in an adjacent ditch. The speed limit is 80 kilometers per hour.
Artillery spoke about the tragedy via the band’s social media:
“Dear friends, fans, and family. Today we awoke to the tragic news of the passing of our dear friend and bandmate Josua.
“Dear Josua, for the last 10 years, you have been a part of our extended family. We have played, fought, laughed, and cried together and looked to the future alongside appreciating our now. You had a kind spirit and a big heart.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with your son and family. We wish you peace and joy on your journey. Take care friend, and rock on, wherever you are.”
From its 1982 formation in the Copenhagen suburbs until the present, Artillery has remained a pivotal fixture of European heavy metal. Although remaining largely dormant from 1991 until 2007, Artillery has reemerged in recent years as a consistent and formidable active band. They released five albums during Mansen’s tenure via Metal Blade Records, Legions (2013), Penalty by Perception (2016), The Face of Fear (2018), The Last Journey (2020), and X (2021). A prolific force as always, a new Artillery album is scheduled for release later in 2023.