THE Bryant Bezenti INTERVIEW

The Rei-Gurren and Sacred Blood drummer lost his vision, but he never lost sight of what mattered most: making music.

Most people notice the X’s first.

Painted across a pair of black sleep shades, they’re impossible to miss when Bryant Bezenti takes the stage. Under the lights, the look has become instantly recognizable. To fans, it’s part of the performance. To Bryant, it started as something much simpler.

Necessity.

Before becoming one of the most recognizable drummers in Native heavy music, Bryant was already building a reputation behind the kit. He played with Cardage, spent time performing with Signal 99, and was deeply involved in the local metal scene. Then life changed.

Bryant was born with retinitis pigmentosa, a hereditary eye condition that runs through his family. Unlike many relatives who experienced the disease later in life, Bryant’s vision deteriorated rapidly in his thirties until he could no longer work or drive.

For a while, everything stopped.

Like many musicians facing a major setback, he found himself wondering what came next. Music seemed farther away than ever.

But after spending time in blind rehabilitation training in Alamogordo, New Mexico, Bryant began rebuilding his confidence one step at a time. The training taught him how to navigate daily life, trust his instincts, and adapt to a world he could no longer see.

Then an opportunity appeared.

Members of Rei-Gurren were looking for a drummer.

Bryant sent over old performance videos from his earlier years behind the kit. There was one detail he made sure not to hide.

He was blind.

Most people would have considered that the end of the conversation.

Instead, he loaded up his drum set and headed to rehearsal.

The band gave him three songs to learn. Bryant listened, memorized the arrangements, and showed up ready to play. Despite not touching a drum set for more than six years, everything came back almost immediately.

The muscle memory was still there.

The instincts were still there.

The drummer was still there.

That first rehearsal became the beginning of a new chapter.

Today, Bryant’s playing can be heard in Rei-Gurren and Sacred Blood, two bands that allow him to pull from the heavier influences that shaped him as a musician. While Rei-Gurren leans into punk energy, Bryant’s heart has always belonged to metal.

Slayer.

Pantera.

Sepultura.

Anthrax.

The aggressive drumming style that comes through in his playing is rooted in those records. Double-kick patterns, faster tempos, and heavier grooves all find their way into his approach behind the kit.

He’s never been interested in simply keeping time.

He wants to add weight.

He wants to add impact.

He wants the drums to push the music forward.

That same creative mindset led to the development of his now-famous stage look.

The sleep shades he wears weren’t originally designed for performances. They were training shades used during blind rehabilitation. Bryant began experimenting with them, cutting them apart, reshaping them, adding taped X’s across the eyes, and eventually turning them into a permanent part of his stage persona.

What started as a practical solution became something much bigger.

The shades gave him an identity.

A silhouette.

A visual signature.

In a music scene where many bands struggle to stand out, Bryant created something audiences immediately remember.

More importantly, it feels authentic.

The X’s aren’t a gimmick.

They’re part of his story.

Offstage, Bryant has expanded his role beyond drumming. He’s become increasingly involved in booking shows and helping local bands find opportunities to perform. The same determination that helped him return to music now fuels his efforts to keep the scene moving forward.

For Bryant, it’s never been about sympathy.

It’s never been about limitations.

It’s about adaptation.

It’s about finding another way forward when the original path disappears.

And it’s about proving that passion can survive just about anything.

When the lights go down and the first song begins, nobody in the crowd is thinking about eye conditions or obstacles.

They’re watching a drummer do what he loves.

And that’s exactly how Bryant Bezenti wants it.