Death Angel guitarist Ted Aguilar's latest installment of his ongoing Alive & Streaming YouTube series features a guest appearance by drummer / bandmate Will Carroll, who recounted his battle with COVID-19 last year. 

Carroll: "It honestly seems like it happened 20 years ago. It seems like a lifetime ago for some reason. I can't quite put my finger on why that is. I don't think about it too much anymore. Sometimes when I do, it freaks me out and I kind of scare myself, so I'm just trying to learn from the whole thing and take something positive out of it and just keep myself alive (laughs)."

Carroll was infected with the COVID-19 virus on the band's last European tour with Exodus and Testament at the beginning of 2020, guested on Rock Talks back in February and discussed his recovery. He also talked about the band's Grammy nomination in 2020 for Best Metal Performance.

With regards to COVID-19, Carroll's condition worsened upon returning home from the tour. He was admitted to a clinic in San Francisco with severe breathing difficulties and had to be put into a medically induced coma and on a ventilator. He was in critical condition and not expected to survive.

Talking about life after beating the virus, Carroll says "Oddly enough, I'm playing drums better than I ever have in my life right now. It's really strange. Maybe because I'm not drinking as much as I used to; I'm just not partying. I'm taking care of myself a lot more nowadays, so that probably plays a big part in it. And I'm taking drumming a lot more seriously, because after I got out of the hospital, I couldn't walk. I had to learn how to walk again. That was the most scariest aspect of this whole thing, was not being able to walk. And I was just really concerned that I wouldn't be able to drum, especially that I wouldn't be able to do double bass again. I had a therapist come over for a few weeks, and I just did my exercises and stair stepping and stuff like that, and I was able to walk within a week afer being in the hospital. They thought it was gonna take maybe a month, but I was pretty determined, and I worked hard at it. I didn't waste any time in that aspect."

"I don't take my health for granted. I don't take my drumming for granted either now. I'm practicing more and I just have more speed and I'm just playing with more determination and more focus. Just being healthier and playing drums more efficiently is what I'm all about right now."