In a new interview with Earth House, legendary extreme metal drummer Nick Barker (LOCK UP, BRUJERIA, DIMMU BORGIR, CRADLE OF FILTH) opened up about some of his recent health challenges, including being hospitalized several times during 2022 and eventually being diagnosed with kidney failure. He said:  ”I went from traveling the world every month to being stuck at home. And it took about six months to come to terms of it ’cause I felt like I was in prison.

“We picked up (touring) after COVID, and then I started to get sick,” the 51-year-old British-born musician continued. “I ended up in hospital on a U.S. tour. 10 days in ICU in North Carolina. Yeah, it was pretty bad. The bill came to 98 grand. Well, I didn’t pay. They’ve got a thing now in the States where if you’re a non-citizen and you’ve got no insurance, you pay a waiver fee and you fill out the form, a waiver, and they just treat you. But they did show me, ‘This is how much your treatment costs.'”

Barker went on to say that he really misses “not being able to travel or tour. When it’s been pretty much what you do your entire adult life and then all of a sudden, it just stops suddenly, it’s a bit of a headfuck,” he explained.

Reflecting on another health scare that happened while he was on tour, Nick said: “We were on a heavy metal cruise from Florida to Nassau, Bahamas. And during the gig I had a panic attack. And the paramedics were there. I was, like, ‘I need oxygen. I can’t breathe.’ They were, like, ‘A thousand dollars.’ And they were literally standing over me, watching me (gasping for breath).”

Asked if he ended up paying, Nick said: “No, I didn’t. I said, ‘Fuck you.’ I kicked the emergency doors open and did a Titanic special. (Laughs)”