Metal Musician Among 4 Killed by Alleged Drunk Driver: Joshua ‘Nassaru’ Ward Was 37

Joshua “Nassaru” Ward, a vocalist and drummer for the metal band Voraath, was among four people killed in a drunk driving accident in South Carolina on New Year’s Eve. The tragedy occurred just after 9 p.m. on Dec. 31 as Ward, his girlfriend, and two others were pulling out of a driveway in Greenville, South Carolina when their Subaru SUV was struck by a drunk driver, the South Carolina Highway Patrol said, per CNBC-affiliate WYFF4 News.

The 2017 Subaru SUV was reportedly backing out of a private drive onto Cooley Bridge Road when the accident occurred. Nicholas Shane Meeks, identified as the driver of the second vehicle involved in the crash, was traveling south when he struck the vehicle, forcing the BMW off the road, where it then struck a tree. Neighbors reported seeing a “massive explosion” at around 9:14 p.m., and police responded to calls of a two-vehicle crash at around 9:22 p.m. local time, the Greenville County Coroner’s Office said, according to WHNS.

All four of the occupants in the Subaru were killed in the crash. Shelton England with the Greenville County Coroner’s Office identified the first of the victims on Wednesday, Jan. 1 as Audrey Maris Ross, 29, and Amanda Lynn Leroux, also known as Zelena Ophelia Moon, 30. It was determined that Ross died of blunt force trauma to the chest while Leroux died of multiple blunt force injuries. The remaining two victims – Jade Evelyn Bruton, 27, and Joshua Allen Ward, 37 – were identified Friday. The coroner said Burton died of multiple blunt force injuries and Ward died of smoke inhalation and thermal burns.

Troopers determined that speed and alcohol were factors in the crash, and Meeks was arrested and booked into Greenville County Detention Center on four counts of felony DUI involving death. He is being held without bond.

According to Greenville News, “Meeks had been driving with a suspended license, as he had previously been on booked on DUI charges for a separate incident in March 2024. Prior to that, in 2023, he was charged with driving a vehicle at greater speed than is reasonable under conditions.

Ward, who earlier that day had posted a photo of himself and his son Kai on Facebook, was well-known in South Carolina’s heavy metal scene. He was a drummer and vocalist for the band Voraath, and had also played with Xael and Olkoth. Following his passing, Jason Fisher of Exitus Stratagem Records, released a statement.

“It is with a heavy heart that the ExSR family reports that we have lost one of our own. Joshua Ward, the drummer and creative genius behind the band, Voraath passed away in an automobile accident on December 31st. This news comes as a harsh blow to everyone who knew him professionally and personally,” Fisher said, per BraveWords. “Besides his stellar work with Voraath, he had also been spending time with us, putting in extra work at the label. We will miss Joshua for many reasons, from his inexhaustible imagination and passion for Voraath and its universe to his kindness and his infectious laugh.”

Fisher said “Voraath was in the process of recording new music and was about to unleash an entirely new webpage of lore for their universe” at the time of Ward’s passing. He added that “we will work with the band as they decide their next steps.”

In the wake of Ward’s passing, a GoFundMe page was created to help cover funeral costs and support his young son. The page, which has raised more than $24,000, said Ward “dedicated his life to the music he created, the martial arts he practiced and instilled into everyone who had the privilege of training with him, and last but not least his son, Kai.”

Voraath has not addressed Ward’s passing at this time.