Martin Lopez

[baarg]

I have a tremendous amount of respect for him, both as a drummer and as a person. While I am not a drummer myself and I don't know what it takes to be one, I do know what I like, and his style definitely appeals to me. I don't really know and don't really care how he might "measure up" to others, although to my ear I think he's very good.

I agree for the same reasons. Sometimes, not "being a drummer" or whatever, doesn't mean you can't feel someone is good, great or bad... I know that Lopez is fantastic and particullarly his work in D1 and D2 are both fabulous. I'm not saying his the best, I can't say that and nobody can, but I know the beats suit the songs and they DO complement Opeth's sound....and he's just getting better, He's letting his latinamerican heritage influence his playing and I love that.

 

[baarg]

he stands out on some tracks. its probably hard for him to standout when opeth is a guitar based band.

I agree!

He stands out when he has to, I woulnd't like a super drum show in every fucking song in Opeth cos that's NOT what Opeth is.

 

[mot-]

I guess some of you still have to learn...

speed does not equal quality

To the Danny Carey stuff.. I knew that you would say that right when i read you name, how boring. Yeah, Carey is good at what he's doing, but comparing him with Lopez is like comparing classical literature to a science fiction book.

 

[Demoke]

I strongly agree with the last two posts. You said what I wanted to voice: opeth don't need 745764 times per second (counting hands, left and right, and feet, right and left, headbanging and making some theatre, too). I, not being a drummer, appreciate how López has already changed his style to fit it more to the Opeth music.

 

[junior_t_bob]

Danny Carrey is in a sense boring to listen to. Tool is one of my favorite bands, and his style is perfect for what they do, but I still would rather listen to Lopez. Who knows how much talent he actually has because from the way it looks on the DVD, he has no problem whatsoever playing their songs, makes it look easy.

 

[Don Corleone]

danny carey is in no way boring to listen to...he has, like, his own riffs dammit. especially on lateralus, he fucking blew me away.

but still, i say lopez has a very characterisic, nice way of playing...it's evident on songs like wreath, closure and bleak. excellent drummer.

 

[shadedlife]

Martin Lopez is a good drummer, and a really cool guy. I was standing around with him after his set on the D2 show in toronto. He's a great fit with Opeth - they're all good solid musicians, creating nice solid music.

 

[koolboee cdmo87]

I don't care what anybody else says, I still think he's amazing. Some of his earlier stuff with Opeth may have been sort of simple, but he took a step-up for the heavy stuff with Deliverance, and created his own style altogether with Damnation. He plays a lot of cool "ornamented grooves" with the cymbals, and the snare rolls and whatnot... to me, that's his new trademark sound.
I also have respect for him as a person... a really cool guy, just like the rest of Opeth.

 

[dorian gray]

uhhhm....ive said this before and i think i need to say it here: this is totally subjective. you simply cannot say one drummer is better than another UNLESS you specify specific categories. such as "beats per second" or maybe "limb independence" so at least youd have some numbers to compare. yet, who cares about that shit? i doubt lopez and carey are constantly calling each other and saying, "hey, i hit 6000 beats in one second today; try and beat that!"
music is totally arbitrary. i love listening to lopez but carey bores the shit out of me. does that mean carey sucks? no. i means that i have different experiences and influences that have lead me to like lopez more than carey. it has nothing to do with either one of them.
i think the thing that is important (for people like us) is the artist's sense of integrity. its the reason we hate britney spears, linkin park, and enrique iglesias. these people dont give a shit about art, theyll play death metal if it made them money (although they couldnt handle it technically). its the reason we love lopez and carey because they will gladly play quarter notes in 4/4 time if the song calls for it and if its what the band wants to do. i admire that.

 

[ViCyniC]

its the reason we love lopez and carey because they will gladly play quarter notes in 4/4 time if the song calls for it and if its what the band wants to do. i admire that.

It would take a bit of persuasion for Carey to stick with 4/4 for an entire song.

 

[Mayberry's Finest]

Eh as drummers go I really dig Lopez. I'm no drummer but I do have my opinion on what is and isn't tasteful. I can recall an older thread on 'Lopez vs. Portnoy' and while Portnoy has technical prowess that is most likely beyond Lopez I still prefer Martin because in the studio and live he plays with the right combination of flare and moderation. I think he overplayed on this bootleg version of TBYF that I have but when I've seen Lopez live he's been stellar. I can't say the same for guys like Portnoy or Pert. Portnoy irritates me a lot because of his overplaying. I consider Pert far more tasteful than Pornoy but he too has done his fair share of 'stunt drumming'. As far as drummers go I'm fond of:

Eric Johnson's Drummers (Brannen Temple, Bill Maddox, and Tommy Taylor)
Tony Williams
Dennis Chambers
Virgil Dolnati
Hellhammer
Nick Menza
Anders Jivarp
Greg Bissonette
Akira Jinbo
Sean Kinney

Actually, it's pointless for me to make a list but I guess if you take a look at it you'll notice that some of these guys are extremely proficeint in terms of technicality while others just seem to know how to play some interesting fills and groove basically. I think adding technical inserts into the music will either make or break a drummer depending upon the context of the music as a whole. It's nice to hear dynamics and use of the forgotten art of 'silence' every once in awhile.

 

[T-Rat]

lopez is one of the main reasons i love opeth so much and i think that his arrival is discernable when you listen to pre/post lopez albums... he seems to my ears a much "better" drummer.
that said, i would love to hear more improv from all the band members... i like that very much and would love to hear more... having never seen/heard opeth live (boohoo) excpet for the dvd i wonder how much they do solo/improv???

 

[[KOTNO]Narrot]

martin is not the fastest ever. he's not the most technical drummer around either. but he is really songorientated and still creates drums that are interesting to listen to. that's perfect for opeth.

 

[etotheipiequalsminus1]

Actually Lopez is pretty fast, listen to the start of April Ethereal. OFC he's no sandavaal but...

 

[Dobbit]

Dudes, Oprah would OWN all of those drummers you just named, including Lopez.

 

[unknown]

marco minneman, i think thats how you spell his last name, he's a german drummer, i saw a drum clinic he did last november, he was insane, not only fast as fuck, but extremely technical, he was doing something like 7/8 with his right hand, 13/16 with his left hand, and 5/4 with his feet, all at once, he is a drum god.

I believe you're talking about Mark Hinneman...the guy is freaking amazing...simply one of the best drummers I've ever seen...I watched one of his instructional videos and was floored. His stick control and technique is unmatched.

 

[neuralfraud]

Lopez is a good drummer indeed. But his ass-kickery factor is about a 4 out of 10. Now, on the other hand, Pete Sandoval has an ass-kickery factor of.. well, it is simply immerasurable. Listen to some morbid angel some time and you'll hear what I mean. Especially their latest cd Heretic. When he gets behind a drum set, all other drummers cower in fear. his playing would reduce a hardened gangster/mob boss to a wimpering simp.


..ofcourse, i am just a guitarist and have to go by what I hear when I listen to my music.

 

[dorian gray]

i thought frober played bass? when did this drum business start?

 

[a7r0phy]

Lopez is one of my favorite drummers, alongside Flo Mournier of Cryptopsy, Tim Alexander of Primus (and others like Horgh, Trym, and Hellhammer). i just like his style. he knows what needs to go where, and puts it there tastefully. that's pretty damn good in my book.