Steve Wacholz (born November 5, 1962) is an American heavy metal drummer. He is best known as the drummer of

Savatage Savatage () was an American heavy metal band founded by brothers Jon and Criss Oliva in 1979 in Tarpon Springs, Florida. The band was first called Avatar, but, shortly before the release of their debut album ''Sirens'' (1983), they changed thei ...

from 1977, 1979–1994. His hard-hitting playing style earned him the nickname "Doctor Hardware Killdrums" (simply "Doc") by his bandmates, as he was known for using a large three kick drumset and extra large 3S drumsticks.

Biography

Wacholz was born in White Plains, New York Steve "Doc" Wacholz met

Criss Oliva Christopher Michael Oliva (April 3, 1963 – October 17, 1993) was an American musician who was the lead guitarist and co-founder of the heavy metal band Savatage. During his lifetime, he released seven studio albums and one EP with the band. ...

when he was 14 years old in Tampa Bay Florida. In 1979, Steve Wacholz joined the Oliva brothers band Avatar and jammed in a shack behind the Oliva home that was dubbed "The Pit" by the band. Wacholz originally had tried out to be part of Criss' older brother

Jon Oliva John Nicholas "Jon" Oliva (born July 22, 1959) is an American singer and musician. He is best known as the co-founder, keyboardist and lead vocalist of the heavy metal band Savatage, which he co-founded with his younger brother Criss Oliva. Sinc ...

's band, Alien, but when the first Savatage line-up was taking shape in 1977, Jon, who was originally on drum duties, was relieved of them by Wacholz. They also gave Steve a nickname that would follow him throughout his career: "Doctor Hardware Killdrums", often shortened to just "Doc" or "Doc Killdrums", which referred to Steve's hard playing style.

Leaving Savatage

In 1993 Wacholz played on the ''

Edge of Thorns ''Edge of Thorns'' is the seventh album by American heavy metal band Savatage, released on April 6, 1993 on Atlantic Records. This is the last Savatage album to feature guitarist Criss Oliva, who died six months after its release, and their firs ...

'' album, but could not join the tour because of personal reasons. Following the Edge of Thorns Tour, while away in 1993, his bandmate Criss Oliva was driving with his wife, Dawn, on their way to the Fourth Annual Livestock Festival held in

Zephyrhills, Florida Zephyrhills is a city in Pasco County, Florida, United States. The population was counted at 17,194 in the 2020 census. It is a suburb of the Tampa Bay Metropolitan Statistical Area. Zephyrhills is also known as the headquarters of the Zephyrhill ...

. An oncoming car operated by a drunk driver crossed the median and struck Oliva's 1982 Mazda RX-7 head-on, killing him instantly. After this, Wacholz decided not to return to Savatage citing Oliva's death as his reason to retire from the band. "My choice NOT to be in SAVATAGE today has something to do with his passing...it will never be the same... it can never be the same...but his music lives on thru his brother & Chris Caffery who has the essence of Criss in him. YES I believe that. I realize God took him out but please, God, bless those guys...And may God bless Criss, friend, musician and probably one of the nicest guys you would ever want to have memories about! And I have those and I am thankful!"

Later career

In 1999, Steve was credited as a drummer for Crimson Glory's Astronomica but did not play on the album.Currently, Wacholz is a member of the band Reverence which also includes ex

Tokyo Blade Tokyo Blade are an English heavy metal band, active since 1982. Tokyo Blade is one of the many acts considered part of the new wave of British heavy metal (NWOBHM) movement, which lasted from the late 1970s to the early 1980s. Tokyo Blade hav ...

guitarist Bryan Holland. He owns Cherokee Guns, a gun store in Murphy, North Carolina.

Music videos

Throughout the late 80s to the early 90s Steve "Doc" Wacholz appeared in all the Savatage Music videos from 87–91 in addition...Steve has carried on with Michigan-based metal band Reverence.

Hall of the Mountain King (1987)

* "Hall of the Mountain King" * "24 Hours Ago"

Gutter Ballet (1989)

* "Gutter Ballet" * "When the Crowds are Gone"

Streets: A Rock Opera (1991)

* "Jesus Saves"

Edge of Thorns (1993)

* "Edge of Thorns"

Reverence - When Darkness Calls (2012)

* "Too Late" * "Bleed For Me" * "After The Leaves Have Fallen"

Reverence - Gods of war (2015)

* "Gods Of War" * "Until My Dying Breath" * "Race To Obscene"

Steve "Doc" Wacholz three Bass Drum Kit

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wacholz, Steve Doc 1962 births Living people American heavy metal drummers 20th-century American drummers American male drummers 20th-century American male musicians