Drummers: How fast can a metal drummer reasonably be expected to play?

[Chainsaw Calligraphy]

I'm throwing together some tracks at the moment for a band that my friend wants to kick off. The plan is to write some tracks then audition some drummers for the band. The issue I'm having is trying to write playable drum parts for a drummer I haven't met yet. A lot of the stuff is pushing 200 BPM and still doing sustained double kick runs in 16th notes. There are also some pretty intense bursts of 32nd notes at 120 BPM which are likely to cause some problems. So, to anyone who plays drums or has worked with a lot of drummers; what are the upper tempo limits that most decent drummers can reach?

 

[Morgan C]

I think a decent metal drummer should be able to sustain 200bpm. A really good one will get to like 220bpm. Anything past that and you're looking at some insanely skilled guys.

 

[colonel_claypoo]

I agrre with morgan C. everybody who claims he can play 240+ perfectly is probably lying 90% of the time because of his own ignorance.

 

[Line666]

Same for guitarists really - 200-210 is a decent musician, 220-230 comfortable is someone who is usually really well practiced, 240+ is god mode.

 

[006]

Lyle Cooper can play 220bpm with no problem. I have recorded him many times doing stuff usually around 220, he can do 230-240 as well, but we are talking about a professional drummer and he's basically a machine. Around 240 and beyond is just ridiculous anyway.

 

[Chainsaw Calligraphy]

Thanks guys, that's good to know. Most of the stuff is between 170-210 so it should be fine.

 

[abigor731]

for blasts, most people start omitting notes on the snare after 220 or something, if you're really good at it more, but theres really a lot of drummers who just don't realize it and think they can play 250
its also largely depends of the length of the blast parts of course

for sustained 16th note kicks, if you are concerned about getting a good acoustic tone, you can usually forget anything past 200 or so, even for that you'd have to be really good at it, but if you trigger anyway, most good metal drummers can do 200 i think

but i guess it also depends which genre we're talking, the speeds common in death metal are higher than the others

i know a few drummers who started using the double stroke technique recently, after john longstreth from origin sort of pioneered it, and it allows them to reach insane speeds (250+), but you have to trigger, and fiddle with the settings a lot,
i also get the impression that even triggered its not as consistent as the conventional technique, even longstreth himself had some mistriggers when i saw him last time
but these kind of drummers that do this are pretty much only guys with a death metal background

 

[Lon]

The best drummer I know happens to be my own brother and he can play up to 270 BPM with 16th not only on the kicks. He's well know here in Quebec (the whole province), especially by the other professional drummers. I say if a drummer can't play up to 200 he's a dick.

does he happen to be alex grind? MVP should be around that region

 

[crillemannen]

Well i'd say that if a drummer can play 16th notes at 200bpm hard, even and tight he is an exception. People tend to excess their capability to play fast. Its a big difference to "kind of" keep up with the tempo then really feel the beats and play tight.