Former Overkill + Anvil Guitarist Sebastian Marino Dies at 57

Sebastian Marino, former guitarist for both Overkill and Anvil in the ’90s, has died at the age of 57. Marino reportedly passed away early on January 1 after being rushed to the hospital while he was working a New Year’s Eve job setting up sound equipment for an event in Florida, according to multiple reports.

Anvil singer-guitarist Steve “Lips” Kudlow confirmed the news, posting on Twitter January 1, “Condolences to my friend Sebastian Marino’s family and friends. Seby was a dear friend and I will miss him profoundly!! Worth the Weight was an extremely special Anvil album and it will keep Seby alive through our history forever! RIP SEBASTIAN MARINO.”

Overkill also commented on Marino’s death on January 2, writing on Twitter, “It’s with heavy hearts that we mourn the passing of our good friend & great musician, Sebastian Marino. Seb was an asset in the studio as well as on the stage for the 3 releases he did with us. The music world has lost one of the good ones.”

As Kudlow referenced in his statement, Marino appeared on the Canadian metal act’s 1991 album Worth the Weight and remained with Anvil from 1989 through 1995. Marino then joined East Coast thrashers Overkill in ’95 and stayed with them through 1999, contributing to three albums: 1996’s The Killing Kind, 1997’s From the Underground and Below (1997) and 1999’s Necroshine.

In the years since, Marino went on to own and operate his own A/V company Audio Images and also was part of the touring crew for the bands Yes and Asia according to former colleague and friend Bruce Pilato who posted about the news on Facebook. “He was like a best friend to any working musician or road tech’s who interacted with him. He always treated them fairly and often working for less than he should have just so the music could survive,” said Pilato.

RIP.