Walter Ryan - Drums

Walter "Monsta" Ryan was born on May 10 in Troy, New York. His year of birth has not been publicly documented.

Ryan moved around frequently while growing up and eventually relocated to California, where he became heavily involved in the punk, hardcore and metal underground. Over a career spanning more than four decades, Ryan has performed with an unusually large number of bands, moving between the California and New York scenes and establishing himself as an experienced touring drummer.

Early Career

Ryan's musical career stretches back to the 1980s, when he became involved with a succession of underground punk and metal bands.

His early projects included Intox, Burnt Offering and Chronic Plague. He played with Chronic Plague around 1985–1986 before joining crossover/thrash metal band Paranoia during the second half of the 1980s.

By 1990, Ryan was playing with the Bay Area metal band Decayed, continuing to establish himself within the California underground scene.

Possessed

In 1991, Ryan joined a reactivated incarnation of influential Bay Area death metal band Possessed.

The lineup was led by founding member Jeff Becerra and also included guitarist Mark Strausburg and bassist Bob Yost.

Ryan remained with Possessed until approximately 1993 and participated in the band's early-1990s demo recordings.

Although this incarnation did not produce a full-length studio album, Ryan's involvement with Possessed became one of the most prominent early chapters of his career.

Machine Head

In 1995, Machine Head were touring extensively in support of their debut album, Burn My Eyes.

During the touring cycle, drummer Chris Kontos became unavailable for the band's upcoming overseas commitments. Machine Head therefore recruited Ryan as a temporary touring drummer.

Ryan joined Robb Flynn, Logan Mader and Adam Duce for shows during the summer of 1995 and performed with Machine Head during their European festival run.

Among the band's most prominent appearances during this period was the festival at Donington Park in England on August 26, 1995, where Machine Head appeared alongside Metallica, Slayer, Skid Row, White Zombie, Therapy?, Slash's Snakepit and Corrosion of Conformity.

Ryan's position was always a temporary touring role. He never became a permanent member of Machine Head and did not appear on any of the band's studio recordings.

Following the European dates, Machine Head continued using temporary drummers, including Will Carroll, while searching for a permanent replacement for Kontos. Former Sacred Reich drummer Dave McClain eventually joined the band in December 1995.

Despite his short tenure, Ryan helped Machine Head continue touring during an important transitional period in the band's early history.

Powerhouse and the Hardcore Scene

Following his brief involvement with Machine Head, Ryan continued moving between the metal and hardcore scenes.

He became involved with Oakland hardcore band Powerhouse, playing drums with the group from approximately 1998 to 2001. Ryan would eventually return to Powerhouse many years later.

He also performed with a number of East Coast hardcore acts during his career, including Madball, Murderer's Row, Subzero, Lordz of Brooklyn and Harley's War.

Merauder

Ryan joined New York hardcore/metal band Merauder in 2008.

He remained with the group into 2009 and was involved during the period surrounding the band's fourth studio album, God Is I.

His time with Merauder further strengthened his connection to the New York hardcore scene while he continued working with musicians and bands on both coasts.

D.R.I.

Ryan later became involved with crossover thrash pioneers D.R.I.

He initially filled in for drummer Rob Rampy in 2011 when Rampy was forced to take time away from the band. Ryan subsequently returned to D.R.I. and performed extensively with the group during the second half of the 2010s.

His involvement with D.R.I. was a natural fit for a musician whose career had long crossed the boundaries between hardcore punk and thrash metal.

Attitude Adjustment

In 2013, Ryan joined Bay Area crossover veterans Attitude Adjustment, replacing original Machine Head drummer Chris Kontos.

Ryan remained with the group until approximately 2015 and performed drums on the band's Terrorize EP, released in 2016.

The position provided another connection between Ryan's career and Machine Head history, with both Ryan and Kontos having occupied the drum position in the two bands at different times.

M.O.D.

Ryan continued his long association with crossover thrash when he joined M.O.D. in 2021.

He played drums with the band during 2021 and 2022, adding another influential crossover act to an already extensive résumé.

Later Career

Ryan has remained extremely active in the hardcore and metal underground.

Among his later projects are Powerhouse, The Uncalled 4 and Angry Corpses. He has also continued performing with established hardcore acts and by 2025 was touring with New York hardcore veterans Murphy's Law.

Ryan himself has described a career that has repeatedly taken him between California and New York, moving in and out of different bands rather than remaining exclusively committed to a single project.

Current Career

More than four decades after beginning his musical career, Walter "Monsta" Ryan remains an active drummer.

His extensive résumé includes bands from several generations of American underground music, ranging from Possessed and Machine Head to Madball, Merauder, Attitude Adjustment, D.R.I. and M.O.D.

His time with Machine Head represented only a brief chapter in that career. Nevertheless, by stepping in as a touring drummer during the summer of 1995, Ryan helped the band maintain its European touring commitments during the successful Burn My Eyes era.