Wow, I can't believe I haven't posted in this thread yet... God, I haven't been here for
AGES!
Well, I love the drums. For whatever reason, I feel more passionately for drumming than I do other instruments these days, and lately the quality of drumming will be one of the first things about a band/song/album I notice. HOWEVER, I do not claim to be an expert, or know everything about drums, so the following drummer are just people I happen to be fond of personally, so don't flame me if they don't pwn as hard as whatever drummers you can think of that I never heard of before.
Mike Portnoy - Now, a lot of people don't like Dream Theater here, and that's fair enough, I can see why it wouldn't appeal. I myself am rather partial to some DT, and I find that I enjoy the vast majority of Portnoy's drum patterns/fills immensely. I think he's creative, and (mostly) very appropriate in his drumming. He's precise, reliable, sufficiently technical, and still listenable. He gets a thumbs up from me, no mater what anybody else says
Martin Lopez - Obviously, being an Opeth fan, it's likely that I'll mention our dearly departed Lopez (gutted about that, btw). I've been taking the time over the last few days to really listen to what the guy does, and I still dig all of it just as muchn as I ever did. Flashes of absolute genius, but NEVER a show off, Martin has a real knack for finding a drum pattern that's totally appropriate for a song, and yet highly original/distinctive (at least within the context of progressive death metal). I can't wait to hear his new project, and it saddens me that I'll never see him live...
Nick Barker - Seems largely unpopular around here (and in general), but I can't really understand why. The fact that he made the last two Demon Burger albums less miserable should be commendation enough! I think he's only improved over the years, and combines blistering speed with some great, innovative cymbal work and fantastic fills. Did a great, classy job on Old Man's Child's 'In Defiance...' album, however questionnable parts of the record itself may be. Totally and utterly wasted on that 'Dust' project I last heard him on...
Gene Hoglan - Speed, man. SPEED! I think Gene is a VERY limited drummer. I think that speed drumming is what he's built for, and unlike a drummer like Lopez, he isn't really a whole lotta use when you wanna take the tempo down. His cymbal work isn't as creative as some others, and his patterns aren't that inventive, BUT the man has speed DOWN! Some of the work on 'Alien' is totally awe-inspiring. His weight alone should render that kind of thing impossible. I just marvel at the guy, his speed astounds me.
Max Roach - Haven't had the chance to check out many jazz drummers yet, but my dad latched on to the fact that I was big into drums, and dug out a vinyl of 'Drums Unlimited', and what can I say... it totally blew my mind.
David Gray - Yes, the guy has faults. I know he can't sustain a blast beat as well as, say, Mike Smith, but his overall style is FAR more creative. Interesting fills, and some MAD fast blasts (even if he does hit the snare like a girl), he has a really good overall package, which is why I think he merits a place here.
I've probably forgotten some really awesome people that I like a LOT, but those are the ones that spring to mind at this late hour. I thought about mentioning Hellhammer, but then didn't, because much as I like and admire him, he doesn't have the technicality of Lopez or Portnoy, and can't match the speed of Hoglan or Barker... he knows what's appropriate, but he's not particularly creative. Good drummer, but not one of the best.
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