Favorite drummers!

[NAD]

AKA which people could beat the tar out of you and you'd be respecting their display of rhythmic talent.

Tim "Herb" Alexander (Primus, Laundry, A Perfect Circle, Attention Deficit, etc.)
Blinding technical ability, incredible feel, truly distinct style (listen to his use of double bass especially), yet can still lay in the pocket just right. Saw him do a drum solo a few years ago and for a few minutes forgot who or what I was.

Danny Carey (Pygmy Love Circus, Green Jellö, Tool)
Superb feel, excellent chops. Has yet to hit a wrong note, fill, rhythm, whatever. My mind gets thoroughly lost in a lot of his work, it rocks.

Pete "Commando" Sandoval (Morbid Angel)
Fucker just plain smokes.

Ken Owen (Carcass)
I think this dude is seriously underappreciated. Always did great stop/start rhythms, absolutely pummeling double bass that was never abused, and was just incredibly solid. Watching him on that shittily recorded Carcass DVD is a real treat.

Raymond Herrera (Fear Factory, Asesino, Brujeria)
Can get annoying sometimes, but his playing is just plain intense. Yeah the dude from Meshuggah can play more intricate kick drum patterns, but I like Raymond a lot better because... well I don't know why, I just do!

Dave Lombardo (Slayer, Fantomas, Grip Inc.)
His name is Dave Lombardo. 'Nuff said.

Pat Mastelotto (King Crimson)
After seeing him live a few years ago, my ex-girlfriend said "he IS the drums." It was the smartest thing she ever said. The dude plays intricate rhythms with multiple instruments with more ease than me making eggs and toast in the morning.

Stewart Copeland (The Police, Oysterhead, etc.)
The older I get the more I realize what a pioneer for odd percussion this dude was and is.

Jamie Muir (King Crimson)
The dude played a bowl of peanut shells for one my favorite Crimso songs, Easy Money. And it pulls the whole thing together. Wow.

Bonzo (Led Zeppelin)
POCKET BABY, POCKET!!!

 

[neal]

Brann Dailor (Mastodon, Today is the Day, more)
this dude is just fucking amazing. he's constantly doing fills, yet also constantly keeping a groove. he just makes your jaw drop. mastodon rules so hard and a lot of it is due to him.

Van Williams (Nevermore)
sooooo groovy. he does all sorts of fills and cymbal crashes an shit, but the beat never wavers and it just really makes his drumming flow. him and jeff loomis are such a great pair, they totally compliment each other's style.

Nick Barker (everything ever that Hellhamer wasnt in)
i just really dig his style. he adds embelishments to everything he plays, you never really hear a simple beat from him. even if its some slow beat he's still doing little bassdrum tripplets an shit like that. and i love his fills, and his blasts are quite awesome. yeh i know, "triggers blah blah blah bitch whine piss moan" whatever i dont care.

 

[Tide In Mind Out]

-sir proscriptor(absu, melechesh)
-van williams(nevermore)
-eric carr (kiss) RIP
-jon longstreth(origin, skinless)
-igor cavalera(sepultura)

hmm...i go sleep

 

[Ayeka]

Cozy Powell
Clive Burr
Dave Lombardo
Bill Ward
Les Binks (though there's only a little one can comment on)
Ginger Baker

Maybe I like some other guys, but I forgot who they were

 

[Henrik Main]

Derek Roddy (Hate Eternal, Nile, Malevolent Creation)

Tim Yeung (Decrepit Birth, Hate Eternal, Aurora Borealis

Trym Torson (Emperor, Zyklon, Enslaved

Hellhammer (Mayhem, Arcturus, Winds, Troll, etc)

Frost (1349, Satyricon)

I also agree that Nick Barker's way of playing the drums is pretty cool.

 

[lizard]

Clive Burr

as a Burr I have to second this one, completely not taking into account skill level

 

[MajestikMøøse]

aside from those mentioned:

Negru (Negurã Bunget) - The drumming on N Crugu Bradului convinced me that he knows how to play the drums very well, and with style.

 

[Dev]

Brann Dailor (saw Mastodon last night)
Tomas Corn (Lykathea Aflame)
Nokturnal Mortum's
Danny Carrey
Negru
Hellhammer
Torquemada (Obtained Enslavement)

 

[lizard]

there are quite a few great drummers and boatloads of mediocre or bad ones, but there is one who stood head and shoulders above all others as an ENTERTAINER, and he is

the motherfucking end all and be all, RIP.

 

[Crimson Velvet]

I'm so completely clueless when it comes to drumming. I only that Lars Ulrich is mediocre and Hellhammer is fast, as is Abbath on "Battles in the North".

 

[lizard]

On Moon's drum style, John Entwistle stated, "[Moon] didn't play from left to right or right to left, he'd play forward. When you see him playing mad breaks, he's not going around the kit, his arms are moving forward from the snare to the toms. I've never seen anyone play like that before or since."

On advice Moon would give to people taking up the drums, Keith is attributed with saying, "Learn guitar." If one listens to Moon's playing (or sees video of The Who live), Keith is playing off of Who guitarist Pete Townshend more than Moon is keeping time by playing off of Who bassist John Entwistle.

Moon's greatness behind the drumkit is often overshadowed by his public image as "Moon the Loon." Keith Moon is known more for dressing up like Adolf Hitler (in places such as Steve McQueen's Malibu house), striping naked in airports and on television shows, destroying hotel rooms, swinging from chandeliers, throwing televisions out of hotel windows, putting cherry bombs in toilets, leaving a hovercraft on train tracks disrupting train schedules, being quick with word play, puns and the funny joke, passing out at concerts and consuming super human amounts of alcohol and pharmaceuticals. This public image of Keith Moon was so pronounced that the Muppet character, Animal, whose credo is "Drums. Women. Food." was inspired by Moon.

 

[J.]

Yeah, I'm with Crimson Velvet. I'm not too observant when it comes to drummers. If there's something unique, I can usually pick up on it, but I'm not gonna determine whether or not an album sucks or is grand based on the drummer.

People love to complain about Capricornus on early Graveland records, yet the dude sounds fine to me. And those are some classic black metal albums.

Trym always impressed me by just how fast he can double bass.

I never understood why people worship Danny Carey. Just sounds like an every day drummer. Big whoop.

I see why people praise Brann Dailor, but that type of drumming does nothing for me. I'm not into the technical weird shit.

Raymond Herrera, now there's a dude that can make or break an album. Holy crap, he's amazing.

And I know I fellate the album daily, but the drummer in Arcane Sun impresses me. Maybe it's because he's one of the few drummers I've actually listened to with attentive ears.

 

[Henrik Main]

I forgot the almighty Flo Mounier of Cryptopsy fame.

 

[lurch70]

Dave Lombardo (Capitan) ... I bow to him at Slayer shows .. the guy just grooves and has a sound like no other. My fave, no doubt.

Pete Sandoval ... last MA show i went to I had the honor to watch him warm up before the show and I had to fucking pick my jaw off the floor. He has to be seen to be believed. He is an old fart in the Death Metal world, but just amazing. Just listen to Stricken Arise from Heretic for proof.

Neil Peart ... what can I say ... he makes simple songs sound out of this world. Saw him at Madison Square Garden doing a drum solo for like 10 minutes and the whole Garden was like ...


Tom Hunting (Exodus) ... one of the most overlooked and underrated drummers in Metal. Check out Another Lesson in Violence (Exo Live CD) for some amazing headcrushing drumming.


Negru ... I did not like his style before N'crugu at all, but his unorthodox approach is something different.

 

[Demonspell]

I am stunned that no one has mentioned has Bill Bruford yet. Or Tomas Haake. And now for some more obscure drummers who tickle my fancy: Martin Lopez (say what you will about Opeth, he fucking crushes live), Mark Zonder, Jim Austin (ex-Into Eternity), Gavin Harrison (Porcupine Tree), Sean Reinert, Johan Langell (Pain Of Salvation, capable of some insane signatures), John Macaluso (Ark), etc.

I also have to give an honorable mention to just about everyone who's held down the kit for Zappa.

 

[lurch70]

This is always a fun listen ... check it out
http://s28.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=2TCA02OA01R4M1QH8R9TCKJJON


Oh yeah ... Richard Christy (Death, Iced Earth) and Gene Hoglan too

 

[J.]

ya, good call on Gene Hoglan. I'm not too familiar with his work in Death or whatever, but his performances on Devin Townsend's work is very good.

 

[lurch70]

check him out in Dark Angel for sheer intensity !!!

 

[speed]

Gene Hoglan for my money is the best metal drummer. I really dig Sean Reinert also.

 

[lurch70]

i don't know how his weight is nowadays, but about 12-14 years ago when I saw him last live playing with Death ... he dwarfed his drumkit. Looked like he was playing toy drums and those things were literally ready to fall apart when he was bashing on them. Pure fucking power that guy.