Opeth / Gene Hoglan SOTU 05
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Blind Guardian
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beast from the east
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Blackened Rainbow
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Lothlorien
Towards the Great Sky
- Jan 28, 2006
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Shemsu'Hor
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The Seeker
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Cool vid! Gene is the friggin' man (and a half!) He's not only one of the most awesome metal drummers alive today, but he's also a really great person. The only complaint I heard about his drumming with Opeth is that the triggered kicks sounded a bit too abrasive during the clean sections, but that's not really his fault... That report came from SOTU in Seattle.
I'm looking forward to hearing what Axe has to offer, but man, Gene Hoglan would bring some seriously awesome groove and creativity to the table.
I'm looking forward to hearing what Axe has to offer, but man, Gene Hoglan would bring some seriously awesome groove and creativity to the table.
Sorry for my ignorance, but why is Gene not staying in the band full time? Who is he playing for now?
The Seeker
Member
Gene's known for being a fill in "hired gun" anytime a band suddenly loses a drummer... This has a lot to due with his awesome memory and skill level. Often times he's given extremely short notice to learn an entire set of music he's never heard, and is able to get the band back-up and running again in no time.
He's got various projects going on right now... You can check out his website or MySpace for more info:
http://www.hoglanindustries.com/
http://www.myspace.com/genehoglan
Gene had been solely dedicated to Strapping Young Lad (hence why he aided Opeth, as both bands were on SOTU together), but since Devin placed the band on an indefinite hiatus, Gene's been playing the field again. His instructional drum DVD is coming... soon.
Blind Guardian
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one thing i get a little confused about concerning gene is the question of him being left or right-handed.his drumset is set up as a righty-set but he plays the snare with his right hand
The Seeker
Member
That technique is called "open" as opposed to crossarm. The drummer ends up leading with their non-dominant hand (for hi-hat and ride cymbal work) but their drumset is actually setup per their dominant hand (right, in Hoglan's case). The drummer also leads with their dominant side on the kick as well (again, right in Hoglan's case)
The advantage this technique has is that the drummer's arms aren't tied up in being crossed over (between hi-hat and snare), and it actually lends itself to greater ambidexterity. I believe Gene mentioned he started playing this way because of the position that his stereo was in while air drumming.
Sean Reinert (ex Death, Cynic) also plays with the open technique.
Blind Guardian
Member
ok.i would never be able to play like that because i have used the crossarm technique since i began drumming 6 years ago
Dude's not even trying... I love how Lars looks beat to shit after he finishes a fast song and this guy weighs about 3 times as much as the little Dane but he looks like his heart rate is about 60 bpm.
BTW, not trying to open the Lars bashing window here as I am a huge fan of Metallica - well, 80's Met anyway. I can't bring myself to hate a band that can put out songs like Orion, MOP, TLITD, Blackened etc, etc. - but I digress...
BTW, not trying to open the Lars bashing window here as I am a huge fan of Metallica - well, 80's Met anyway. I can't bring myself to hate a band that can put out songs like Orion, MOP, TLITD, Blackened etc, etc. - but I digress...
I started playing in 1983, and played crossarm for twenty two years until I picked up the teaching DVD by BOBBY JARZOMBEK, "Performance and Technique". This song is called "Peppered Cancer", and is a great display of open hand technique. I find myself after practicing the technique, that it is a much more open way to play, and it gives a much "freer" feel to the drums. Check it out!
AWESOME DRUM VIDEO!
Gene is the biggest metal drumming legend besides Dave Lombardo.
His technique is completely unorthodox but he just naturally owns the drum kit.
Look at the looseness in his wrists, it is really amazing, totally smooth and relaxed yet controlled.
The groove he does with his ride is cool as hell.
The only metal drummer who can touch his cymbals like jazz drummers, very softly.
And don't get me started on his foot technique, it's even moore badass.
I wonder if Mikael tried to have Gene as the New Opeth drummer or at least thought about it and dismissed it because of distance.
It's with musicians like Gene that you learn.
Saw Strapping Young Lad last year and Hoglan owned the gig without even trying playing complex and/or fast double bass patterns like he was doing the AC DC catalogue.
Opeth with Hoglan would have been greater than the Led Zep reunion with Bohnam !!!
His technique is completely unorthodox but he just naturally owns the drum kit.
Look at the looseness in his wrists, it is really amazing, totally smooth and relaxed yet controlled.
The groove he does with his ride is cool as hell.
The only metal drummer who can touch his cymbals like jazz drummers, very softly.
And don't get me started on his foot technique, it's even moore badass.
I wonder if Mikael tried to have Gene as the New Opeth drummer or at least thought about it and dismissed it because of distance.
It's with musicians like Gene that you learn.
Saw Strapping Young Lad last year and Hoglan owned the gig without even trying playing complex and/or fast double bass patterns like he was doing the AC DC catalogue.
Opeth with Hoglan would have been greater than the Led Zep reunion with Bohnam !!!
Blind Guardian
Member
ok cool!
I guess the downside of that technique is that you dont get as much power in your hits as otherwise.But yeah,i guess that style is to prefer for the jazzier drummers,i´m a big fan of nicke andersson-style drumming, but guys like hoglan,jarzombek and reinert are pretty cool too
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