Drums are a core instrument in metal music. By
default the drummers in this field are forced to have a great amount of
creativity and technical ability. I want to share with you what I consider to
be the best drummers in the metal scene. They are musicians that take skills to
a higher level and they continue to amaze me in every listen.
The features that I consider to form a great
drummer are polyrhythmic drumming, variation, creativity and technical
difficulty in the performance. As it is logical, most of the drummers in the
list are from the technical/progressive metal scene. A peculiar aspect is that Canada
seems to produce an important number of hyperkinetic drummers (three of the
listed musicians are Canadians: Flo Mounier, Yanic Bercier and Jim Austin). In
fact, Canadians like their metal music complex, technical and fast (look the
list of great bands from Canada: Kataklysm, Cryptopsy, Into Eternity, Quo
Vadis, Martyr, Neuraxis, Annihilator, Dark Forest...just to name a few).
To fully appreciate what human being is capable
of behind a drum kit, you'll have to invest quite some time listening to the
playlist. I know most persons won't do so, but for the metalheads in the
community it will be an entertaining exercise. Focus on the drums while
listening to the songs; you will surely be amazed...
My top ten metal
drummers
1. Flo
Mounier
Bands: Cryptopsy, Necrosis, Black Cloud
Facts: Definitely the most impressive drummer in
metal, his technical ability and outstanding rhythmic variation are beyond
normal standards.
Song: "Crown of Horns" by
Cryptopsy
2. Brann Dailor
Bands: Mastodon,
Today Is The Day, Lethargy
Song: "Workhorse" by Mastodon
3. Asgeir Mickelson
Bands: Spiral Architect, Borknagar, Ihsahn, Lunaris, Scariot, Thornbound, Vintersorg
Facts: One of the more hardworking drummers in the
metal scene, he works as session drummer for many different bands.
Song: "Spinning" by Spiral Architect
4. David Haley
Bands: Psycroptic,
Ruins, The Amenta, Nervecell, Disseminate, Aborted, Blood Duster
Song: "Minions: The Fallen" by Psycroptic
5. Yanic Bercier
Bands: Quo
Vadis, Empyreal Dominion, Violence Unleashed
Facts: Double bass obsessed drummer
Song: "In Contempt" by Quo Vadis
6. Gene Hoglan
Bands: Death, Dark Angel, Strapping Young Lad, Tenet, The Almighty Punchdrunk,
Testament, Devin Townsend, Old Man's Child, Phantasm, Wargod, Daemon, Just
Cause, Naphobia, Meldrum, Unearth, Dethklok
Facts: He played the drums in the two amazing
Death´s albums "Symbolic" and "Individual Thought Patters". Nicknamed "The
Atomic Clock" because of his precision while playing.
Song: "Crystal
Mountain" by Death
First one from Left to Right
7. Jim Austin
Bands: Into Eternity, Sympathy
Song: "Splintered Visions" by Into Eternity
8. Reno Hilligsø Killerich
Bands: Panzerchrist, Evil Morgan, Kobeast, 12Gauge,
Chthonic, Dimmu Borgir, Hate Eternal, Old
Man's Child
Facts: He holds the world record for the fastest
double bass playing
Song: "The Lean Black Cruisers" by Panzerchrist
9. Jan Axel Blomberg (Hellhammer)
Bands: Arcturus, Antestor, Carnivora, Jørn, Dimmu Borgir,
Mezzerschmitt, Mortem, Shining , The Kovenant, Thorns, Troll, Vidsyn, Winds, Tritonus,
Age of Silence, Umoral, Gorgoroth,
Den Saakaldte, Mayhem
Song: "White Noise Monster" by Arcturus
10. Steve Flynn
Bands: Atheist,
Gnostic
Song: "Mother Man" by Atheist
