In a brutally honest and sobering new interview, legendary extreme metal drummer Nick Barker has opened up about his battle with full renal failure, a condition that has “consumed my life” with dialysis three times a week. The former Dimmu Borgir and Cradle of Filth drummer revealed that while he has been approved for a life-saving kidney transplant, he is now in a grim waiting game, bluntly stating, “To not sound so crass, I’ve just gotta wait for somebody to die.”
Speaking on the “Pod Scum” podcast, the acclaimed drummer gave a candid update on his health crisis, which began in early 2023.
“Well, at this point in my career, as you probably know, I’m experiencing renal failure right now. So I’m on dialysis three times a week for four hours at a time. And that’s pretty much consumed my life,” he said. “I’ve gone from one extreme to the other, whereas before the renal failure, I was [on tour] in a different place every week… Because of what I’m going through personally, it’s made me appreciate it more now it’s gone. Now I don’t have it, I really do appreciate it. And I realize how much I took it for granted.”
Barker confirmed that he is suffering from “stage five chronic kidney failure” and has been on hemodialysis since January 2023. There is a path forward, however, as he has been approved to be on the waiting list for a kidney transplant. But there is one final hurdle he must clear.
“I’ve been approved by the transplant list here in Vancouver. I did all the pre-assessments, passed all the assessment tests,” he explained. “They said, ‘Yep, you’re totally fine. You’ve just gotta drop some of those lbs.’ So I’ve got about 20, 30 pounds to lose before they can operate on me.”
Once he loses the weight, the waiting game begins in earnest.
“I’m on a waiting list. I could get a phone call after I speak to you, or it could be next year. It’s really just a waiting game,” he said, before adding the stark reality of his situation: “To not sound so crass, I’ve just gotta wait for somebody to die.”
