Here we are, the conclusion of my Drummer’s I Love blog series! I would like to reiterate that these twelve drummers were not my only influences; they are just a few drummers that I have come by in more recent years that have had a major impact on my personal playing and musical goals. This being said, the final drummer I will be covering is the pinnacle of speed and endurance. I have already covered a few drummers (such as Dan Presland) that are insanely well-practiced in the stamina department, but not many drummers match up to this one in regards to both speed and stamina. This drummer is none other than…

Kevin Paradis – Drummer of Benighted, Independent

Any time I see this man play, I realize how much harder I need to work.  There are many death metal drummers that settle around the 240bpm mark as a comfort zone (which is very impressive, don’t get me wrong), but Kevin decided to push as far as he could go and continues to do so. There is a very, very small handful of drummers that can play 280bpm double bass with single strokes like Kevin does, and he even does it without the use of swivel technique. To be able to achieve something like this is just a testament to how hard he has worked to get where he has gotten; if almost no one else is able to do it, he clearly cares about his craft and goals. In the video I am about to show, Kevin demonstrates himself playing 280bpm double bass using socks, crocs, Yoda slippers, heels pump, Dr Martens, and Santiags; all solely to show that the real driver for speed is technique and practice:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=52fOqX0QOOA

Foot technique aside, let’s talk about Kevin’s amazing hand technique. His right hand is mostly well-trained in your average techniques (German, French) and can execute over 300bpm with ease; a speed most people dream of playing. Not only can he play at this speed for a decent amount of time, but he can also do it with great power and accuracy behind his strokes and maintain effective mobility around the kit. The most interesting part of his technique is the push-pull (or more accurately open-close) technique that he uses in his left hand. This calls back to last week’s blog post on Jojo Mayer, one of the pioneers of this technique, but Kevin took the most advanced version of this technique and began to actually apply it in his songs. Kevin developed this technique to allow his left hand to continuously play 16^th notes on the snare during 300+bpm blasts for extended periods of time and conserve as much energy as possible. Getting this technique down at such a high speed is one thing, but playing it on the 16^th off-beat (to create 32^nd notes for traditional blasts) takes far more practice. To demonstrate, here is a video of Kevin taking an already 280bpm Benighted song and speeding it up to 310bpm whilst also adding traditional blasts throughout the whole song just to make it harder. This is “Necrobreed” by Benighted:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q8o9kNDoiBc

One very interesting aspect of Kevin’s drumming is that his roots fall into fusion, jazz, rock, and heavy metal. A lot of metal drummers start off as metal drummers, but Kevin did not; this provides for some very unique ideas that you do not often see. His influence from fusion and jazz show in his playing as he incorporates ideas from those genres into his fast metal tracks that he has been a part of. This has made him an extremely effective technical death metal drummer (along with someone like Sebastian Lanser who I covered in an earlier blog post). I am always a big fan of drummers who take things to the next level and include different elements of their repertoire into everything they do. It creates a unique and signature sound that shows what the drummer has to offer that other people cannot, and also innovates new music that will not sound like everything else that already exists. For example, let’s take a look a song he was hired to record for a band called Irkalla. This song features a lot of very unorthodox and quick fills smashed in between some 300bpm hand and foot work. I would argue that his past influences are mostly evident in the fills; many ghost notes with great use of syncopation. Here is the video of him tracking it with drums only:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TAKqd4Y5vCM

In summation, Kevin is the pinnacle of where hours of practice and hard work and get you. As someone who has been working on their speed and endurance over the past year, I have been very intrigued and inspired by drummers like Kevin to work even harder to achieve my goals without causing damage to my body in the process (a path that I was originally on track to do). This being said, we are at the end of my Drummers I Love blog series! I hope you all enjoyed getting some insight on my influences and the path I am aiming to take as I train to bring my own style to the table alongside these amazing drummers. I would like to remind you all that if you have any questions for me, you can reach me on my socials or my e-mail. To conclude, here is a rather crazy solo by Kevin called “Soothed”. Thank you all for reading, stay safe, and have a wonderful day!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-rrDAv2GpXA

This week’s drummer is one whose work I have admittedly not heard a lot of, but has had a great impact on me nonetheless. He is the modern day spearhead in drumming innovation and has inspired many newer drummers with his cutting-edge techniques and ideas. He is the kind of musician anyone of any instrument and genre should look up to in regards to persistence and the general strive to be greater. This man is no other than…

Jojo Mayer – Drummer for Nerve, Independent

What I wouldn’t do to be able to pick this man’s brain for hours on end. He is responsible for developing several techniques that many drummers across the world use today, and continues to innovate new percussive tools that allow him to closely emulate desired sounds. To begin, let’s start with some of the technique he has brought to light that take advantage of physics to play much faster material with greater ease. Mayer is a pioneer of what is commonly referred to as the “push-pull” technique. To put it simply, this allows the drummer to get two hits out of one full motion; a strike with the wrist pushing downward, and a strike with the fingers with a pull upward. This sort of motion is commonly used in double strokes, but Mayer was one of the first to show how it could be used in a steady motion at a fast and consistent speed. I would like to point out that he did not necessarily invent it, but he did popularize and establish it. Here is a video demonstrating this technique:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X8Zfdank3rI

Although this may look easy, it takes a lot of practice. I have been working towards getting the handle of this technique myself for energy-conservation purposes during fast songs, and it has been quite the hurdle. Over the past few years, it has slowly become a goal of mine to master as many techniques and rudiments as I can so I can learn to apply them in parts that I track. I am a firm believer that technique is extremely important as a drummer; there are several drummers out there with insane speed, but also muscle their way through each song they play. As one gets older, muscles and joints cannot handle such strain as they once could, so it is important to develop good technique to allow yourself to conserve energy and your body overtime. Along with push-pull, here’s another technique that Mayer as popularized; the foot Moeller:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lKkx5ZWwn-c

This technique does require specific pedal settings (low tension and a large beater angle) to work, but it is extremely effective for single pedal users or even in instances where a double pedal cannot be used (such as a closed hi-hat pattern). Again, just like with the push-pull technique, the multiple strikes Mayer is able to pull off here happens in one single motion. This sort of technique is very useful in gospel drumming, allowing the drummer to execute fast bass drum work whilst still incorporating the hi-hat pedal for flashy fill ideas. This is not a technique that I use myself (as I have been more intrigued with learning proper ankle motion relying on beater bounce and pedal tension), but it is obviously very worth knowing for many scenarios. Now, let’s take a look at a form of equipment Mayer has invented: the Hoop Crasher:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pD3xeZ_RveQ

Jojo Mayer is typically a drum’n’bass musician, so he has taken time over the years to develop some technology to help him emulate new and innovative sounds. This Hoop Crasher is one result of this. His goal was to “augment the snare drum sound with metallic devices,” so he worked with Sabian to make it happen. Essentially, he can still play the snare drum normally, but when he chooses he can incorporate the sound of this to add an almost tambourine-like effect. I have also seen him make a similar cymbal to emulate the sound of someone clapping, and it certainly sounded convincing.

Overall, Jojo Mayer deserves a lot of credit for his contribution to the world of drumming. His popularization of many techniques and pieces of equipment have changed the game and inspired many newer drummers to expand on the innovative trends he has started. All of this aside, he is absolutely a top-tier world class drummer that every musician should be aware of. Many of his ideas with Nerve show that a drummer can definitely add a very unique element to electronic music, despite the growing belief that drummers are less necessary in today’s musical climate. To conclude, here is an absolutely unreal drum solo from Jojo Mayer. Thank you for reading!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N9ELhusIn7g

Hello everyone, and welcome to entry number 10 in my Drummers I Love series! This week’s drummer brings me right back to my roots as a musician. I grew up listening to his band’s music well before I even became acquainted with any instruments. Their songs were the first I had tried to learn on my own once I learned a few drumming fundamentals from playing Rock Band. I owe all of my earliest style choices and beat influences to this band and drummer. He is no other than…

Jose Pasillas – Drummer for Incubus

Although my music taste has gotten significantly more progressive over time, I do find myself coming back to Incubus and grunge-era bands that I grew up on quite frequently. I also give Incubus the credit for starting me on the progressive rock and metal trend, as much of their music sits on a fine line between alternative and progressive rock. Between Mike Einziger’s expert choice of odd chords on guitar, Brandon Boyd’s nearly flawless and smooth vocal delivery, (formerly) Dirk Lance’s funky bass riffs, and the inclusion of DJ Kilmore’s sound effects, Incubus were truly ahead of their time upon their debut with funk-metal EP Enjoy Incubus and full album Fungus Amongus in 1995. With each of these band members bringing their own unique style into the incredible musical project that is Incubus, it is important to make note of Jose’s style and why it is paramount to their sound.

In short, Jose is a groove master. He is definitely capable of playing technical parts, but he seemingly prefers to keep true to the music and play whatever fits best and will be the most memorable. Although my personal style has changed and I am more intrigued by the idea of complex parts that work properly in a song, I have to look back at Jose’s drumming to remind myself how important groove is. As I matured as a drummer, learning his parts was such a blast. Compared to some of my current tastes, I use drummers like Jose to remind myself that sometimes less is more. It is not always crucial to play complex patterns; simply fitting the music can be far more effective. For example, let’s take a look at “Privilege” off the album Make Yourself:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IOarft2T-l4

For the most part, Jose keeps it simple and to the song. The chorus has me headbanging, and the verses have me grooving. The hi-hat keeps the beat, the bass drum picks up the minor shots, the snare stays on 3, and the fills are kept short and sweet whilst leading up to a major shot. This may all seem very textbook, but it takes proper feel to understand how to deliver something like this effectively without making it boring. Groove is not a simple concept by any means. The audience can only properly feel the groove in the beat if the musician themself feels it too. Call me crazy, but I can simply feel how much fun Jose was having while recording this and many other Incubus songs. To contrast this slightly, let’s take a look at a more complicated song by Incubus; here is “Pendulous Threads” off the album Light Grenades:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BU4cVftcMWg

This song starts out with a very odd guitar line with many effects added to it; pretty characteristic of Einziger’s genius on guitar. However, Jose takes a different approach than most songs and chooses to do a drum solo that slowly builds up beginning with just a snare, eventually incorporating the bass drum and ride into the mix, and finally ending with lots of crash cymbal. This drum solo is quite reminiscent of a beat you might hear in a drum and bass song, but played on actual drums and used in the context of a build-up; a brilliant idea by Jose. A large majority of the rest of the song goes back to Jose’s general ideas of creating a groove to fit the song, but he does add small embellishments in the form of hi-hat bursts, ghost notes on the snare, and small breaks to further accent the major shots. The bridge/guitar solo brings back a groove very similar to what Jose does in the intro, although slightly more structured by adding consistent ghosts notes and a ride hit on each beat. This allows him to not clash with Einziger’s guitar work, but maintain the same intensity that existed in the intro during yet another build-up. This is a great demonstration on how expansion of a simple idea can lead to numerous effective results. I would also like to add that this song ends the same way it starts, although with a fade out on the groove rather than a build up.

Jose’s versatility, concept of groove, and devotion to the music at hand is what has kept him as such a relevant drummer for me over the years. Although there may be slight bias in Incubus as a source of nostalgia for me, their music contains many infectious elements that help it stand the test of time for me. There are so many hidden elements and layers to their songs that demonstrate their attention to detail and accentuate their prowess as phenomenal musicians. Sometimes while writing a part for a song, I think back to Incubus and Jose’s work to remind myself that groove is almost always more important than technicality. Thank you for your amazing work Incubus, and I cannot wait to hear what new music you all still have in store for us after 25 hard-working years. If you made it this far, thank you for reading and have a wonderful day! I will conclude this post with one of my favourite Incubus songs: here is “Sick Sad Little World” off the album A Crow Left of the Murder:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LZaogUD-g_4

This week’s featured drummer is a new-age drummer that any aspiring musician in general should take notes from. He is the greatest example of what a musician should aim to accomplish in order to achieve proper success regarding the social media trends of today. Consistent activity is more crucial than anything when it comes to marketing yourself, and no one I know is better at it than this drummer. He is also absolutely unreal in regards to technical skill, demonstrating flawless control and blazing-fast chops. This drummer is no other than…

El Estepario Siberiano – Drummer for Saratoga, Independent (content creator)

As stated above, anyone that is trying to increase their brand awareness and grow on social media need to take notes from Estepario. This man posts at least two covers a week on YouTube, and nearly daily on Instagram. None of this content is rushed or low-effort either; everything he does has fun editing to make the experience more enjoyable for the viewer. On top of this, it is obvious that he spends many hours a day practicing to hone his already proficient skills even further. For the speed that he plays at, he is definitely one of the most relaxed drummers I have come across. For demonstration, let’s take a look at one of his many covers. Here is “Toxicity” by System of a Down:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8KG7uso1JH8

This is a decent example of one of his “overplayed showmanship” covers. Do not take that out of context, however; I only have positive connotations behind that statement. He still stays absolutely true to the beats of the song, but basically doubles the speed of the fills with insanely clean and controlled rudimental chops. He also does his classic linear pattern between floor tom and bass drum around the 2:41 mark to emulate double bass, as he typically prefers not to use one. He also keeps his setup quite minimal with only two toms and (in this particular cover) just four overhead cymbals and a hi-hat. A simple set-up is a double-edged sword; where it lacks multiple sounds, it does allow the player to think more creatively about how they can manipulate what is in front of them. As seen in this cover, Estepario’s chops are more than enough to make do with this setup. For some perspective, the majority of this song is 120~bpm; therefore, Estepario is effortless and accurately playing rudimentary chop fills around 240bpm, a speed that a number of death metal drummers do not even do for blasts. Moving on, let’s amp things up a bit; here is a video of Estepario playing “GAIA” by Chris Coleman, a song that he considers to be the hardest he has ever played:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=12wir9U722s

First of all, I would like to point out that his setup is very similar to the Toxicity cover; however he has replaced the rack tom with a cowbell. Many drummers abuse the use of toms to create fills, but Estepario gets creative with his chops and rudiments whilst incorporating any cymbals that he can to keep things interesting. After watching this video back numerous times, I am still learning many different things from his playing that have benefitted me. The whole section beginning around the 3:15 is basically a massive chops fill at blinding speed that lasts until the 3:49 mark. That is essentially a 34 second fill at a very high speed; this is only achievable with the kind of relaxed technique that Estepario has developed from hours of practice. Despite how far he decides to take this song, he seemingly never misses a beat whilst adding so much to it. It is videos like this that land a musician promotional jobs to create a living out of their craft.

In summation, El Estapario Siberiano embodies the kind of hard-working mentality that anyone in a creative industry should strive to achieve and maintain. It is crucial in this day and age to keep an active persona online that displays your abilities and outgoing personality to potential employers and sponsorships that may be enticed by it. Along with staying very active on socials, he has started a Patreon-based Drum Academy to pass his knowledge onto those who want to learn as well as fitness tips and personal training. He also does several promotional gigs for companies that hire him behind the scenes, and has recently taken over as the drummer for Spanish power metal band Saratoga. Alongside all of this, he keeps up with regular practice routines to continue to improve his craft. He is a very busy and hard-working man that all of us can learn from. To conclude, here is a video he has made discussing how much he makes off social medias, and what he does to maintain a living as a musician. It is a very eye-opening video that reiterates the points I just stated above, but in his own humble and honest manner. Thank you for reading, and enjoy!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mhvdS5iKBWE

This week’s featured drummer has definitely made quite the name for himself over the last few years. As far as metal drumming goes, he really is the full package; speed, precision, power, and intricacy. I put him right up with Travis Orbin with regards to these proficiencies, as the two actually have a very similar playing style. Every time he uploads a new video on YouTube, I know I am in for a treat. This drummer is none other than…

Alex Rudinger – Current drummer for Whitechapel, Independent

Taken from https://www.metalsucks.net/2015/07/06/alex-rudinger-will-fill-in-on-drums-for-obscura-on-summer-slaughter-tour/

Rudinger is only about to turn 30 years old and has already had quite the career in the metal scene, playing with the likes of Good Tiger, The Faceless, Whitechapel, Revocation, Monuments, and many more. He has built up quite the catalog with many other amazing musicians, each featuring his own distinctive style of playing. I personally place him at the front of the “modern” metal drummer movement entailing precise and powerful playing with some very difficult linear fill ideas. I would also like to add that he has a history of playing with ambidexterity to the same degree as Travis Orbin; these two are certainly at the forefront of that (with the exception of the open-handed metal drumming pioneer Gene Hoglan). He does not really play with the setup as much anymore, but here is an example of it; this is “Repress” by Ordinance:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=50bBWy4YwBk

First of all, I would like to add that this video is from over 10 years ago; Rudinger was only 20 years old. At this time, he played with a perfectly symmetrical kit; the amount of toms and cymbals and the types of each are nearly mirrored from left to right. As with Orbin’s drumming, this allows Rudinger to apply some natural panning effects to the music and also look damn cool whilst doing so. The ability to play freely leading with either hand or foot opens up a realm of possibilities that would otherwise be hard to achieve with traditional playing. I can certainly say that both Rudinger and Orbin have greatly inspired me to practice this skill myself, and I would like to think that it is coming along nicely. My next personal step is to acquire a setup like this one, however.

As can be seen in that first video, Rudinger was playing very fast and intricate pieces even at the age of 20. For those not familiar with his work, one can only imagine what he is capable of now. His playing has only gotten more precise and refined over time as well as his ability to write parts. It is obvious that he has never really relented in his practices, which is definitely a quality to be admired and learned from. Drummers like Rudinger are a reminder to never give up if you truly want to make music work as a career. Anyways, back to the drumming itself; let’s take a look at another more recent playthrough from Rudinger. Here is “STORM” by Kaz Rodriguez:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-J6Qdxlfyps

Of the 3000+ custom charts that have been made by fans for Rock Band and Clone Hero, this is one of the few that I enjoy playing almost every session that I hop on. This song has everything under the sun: technical rudiments, open-hand playing, lots of groove, a wide range of dynamics, and a massive linear drum fill that is absolutely mental to try to attempt – although Rudinger makes it seem like a walk in the park. This one song alone is a good depiction of how Rudinger really is the full package; I also personally believe this to be one of his most technical pieces in general, although that is a hard debate considering the wide range of work he has done. Asides from recording his own drum parts, Rudinger also uploads covers every now and then. Here’s a recent one from just a few months ago of one of my favourite bands; this is “Nil by Mouth” by Haken.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KzSpN-mxiwg

Knowing this song well enough, I can say that this cover is extremely spot on and close to the original with little deviation. Sometimes Rudinger aims to keep the song as close to the original recording as he can, and that is totally fine; I just consider this his way of paying homage to Hearne’s phenomenal drum writing. That being said, this song is no easy feat to play and Rudinger does not miss a note anywhere, showing how well-practiced he is and how important perfection is to him. Both of the sections at 1:47 and 3:11 require a lot of focus, memorization, and understanding of timing to execute effectively. Of course, Rudinger is fully capable.

Overall, I cannot help but feel inspired by watching videos of someone like Rudinger. He is a constant reminder to all musicians out there to work hard if you want to achieve greatness. The only real limit to your abilities are the ones you set yourselves. Without the drive to get better, you will simply get drowned out behind others that are able to hold onto the drive like Rudinger. This being said, I think I am going to go an practice now. To conclude, here is Rudinger’s most recent video from April 2^nd, 2021, featuring his drum rendition of a show theme mash-up of his favourite shows. Enjoy!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3y40zUs475Q

This week’s featured drummer is a man to be widely considered one of the best metalcore drummers of today, yet seemingly still far more underrated than he should be. I truly have not seen any other drummers execute the kind of fast and polished ideas that this man does. He is admittedly a more recent discovery of mine, but sometimes it does not take long for someone’s work to have an impact on you. This drummer is none other than…

Chris Turner – Drummer for Oceans Ate Alaska and I Am Abomination

Taken from https://sabian.com/artist/chris-turner/

Watching this man play is both a treat and a conundrum. He is a very stiff drummer; this goes against everything I have ever been taught. However, my own philosophy of “whatever works best for you” is what I have chosen to stick to. It is obvious that what Chris does works for him, so I see no reason to change that. In fact, it gives him his own unique style that no one else carries or abides to. What really matters is proper delivery and execution. An interesting fact is that he does not use any triggers or quantizing; all of his playing is raw and mostly unedited. Before I go any further, let’s take a look at one of his many playthroughs on YouTube. This is “Escapist” by Oceans Ate Alaska:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qujpwf9-ODg

It is important to note that where there are some blasts and gravity blasts in this song, that is not necessarily typical of Chris Turner’s style. All of this was executed with great precision, but what I really want to make note of is his choice of fills. I think he is one of the best drummers in the world at both writing and playing very fast fills that actually fit within the style of the song. They properly embellish the music by filling in space and also complement the guitar patterns and melodies nicely. His stiff and focused style allows him to play these quick bursts exactly on grid consistently, and it is why I have read that many producers love to work with him since he makes their job easier.

The first minute or so of Escapist is quite mental from a technical standpoint, but it can be seen at 0:54 and onward that Chris will also write and play grooves. There are many drummers out there able to play very technical stuff, but I am more intrigued by people like Chris that can incorporate it only when it is necessary and leave breathing room throughout more relaxed parts of a song. As I have stated before, it is more important to write with the music rather than for it. Moving on, I would like to bring some attention to Chris’ current solo project. Here is “40 Roll” by Chris Turner.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IDfMYT6mKhQ

Musically, this is still within the same realm of music as both Oceans Ate Alaska and I Am Abomination. However, it’s important to remember that Chris wrote this music himself, with a bit of added composition from the guitarist James Kennedy. I believe this has led him to another level of rhythmic complexity, as he was able to write the music based around what ideas he might have on drums. This being said, I have a hard time understanding how Chris is able to play some parts of this song. The fast bass bursts are around 280bpm, and Chris’ high seat height and stiff style have him playing with full leg motion. I cannot say I have seen any other drummer playing this fast with full leg motion, but Chris has obviously proved this possible. In my experience, the forward lean that he does can help give some proper leverage and balance for full-leg single strokes, and is not necessarily a bad practice so long as your posture is kept as straight as Chris’.

Another very cool part of this song I want to bring attention to is the breakdown at 2:33. Chris follows the breakdown rhythm with his kicks, but also fills the gaps between with some small fills on the snare, toms, and cymbals. He also notably plays a kick flam amongst these, which is a very interesting idea that I have only seen from a small handful of other drummers. My favourite part of this breakdown is the modulation at 2:52. It’s a simple modulation, but extremely effective and groovy. To add to this masterful songwriting and playing, here is a collaboration Chris has done with none other than Thomas Lang, called “Triggered”:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zrcFQKyBkFI

I really do not know where to begin with this. Thomas Lang is a world-class drummer that can really play any style at an extremely high level with such nice ease and precision, and does a fantastic job staying within Chris’ realm of ideas for this track. It is quite funny watching the styles of these two amazing musicians together in one video between Lang’s fluidity and Chris’ stiffness and precision, but the execution is equal and perfect. Their trading ideas throughout the song between one keeping the beat and the other doing a fill or simply just trading the main beat (as seen at the 2:00 mark) is just spectacular. It is very easy to “step on each other” while doing this, but the expert composition of this song kept each of them at a nice and balanced level.

If you enjoyed either of these solo songs, please visit Chris Turner’s website and support his work any way you can. He is still a small musician and is more than deserving of any help he can get to keep his project and music going. The man has worked very hard to get where he has from a musical standpoint and is still working just as hard to make it work as a profession. Even if you cannot help him monetarily, I urge you all to share his work where you can. Thank you for reading, and have a wonderful day!

Hello everyone, and welcome to entry number six in my “Drummers I Love” series! This week, I will be talking about the drummer I believe to be the most mechanical I have ever seen. I will admit that I am not yet totally familiar with all of his work, but that is definitely not necessary to see exactly how well-practiced and talented this man is. When it comes to technical precision in both song writing and tracking, he is mostly unparalleled in the business. This drummer is none other than…

Travis Orbin – Drummer for Darkest Hour, Independent

To begin, let’s take a look at Orbin’s regular kit layout:

I really enjoy how unorthodox this is, but there is a reason for it. It may not be totally represented in the cymbal placement, but Orbin is a completely ambidextrous drummer. I am not sure if he is naturally ambidextrous or if this is a very trained talent that he has, but he has total and likely nearly equal command over both sides of his body. This being said, he keeps his setup fairly symmetrical and uses his ambidexterity to provide natural panning to the music and also conserve energy. As you can see in that picture above, Orbin does not use any rack toms; instead, most of his fills are linear ideas between the low-end sound of his floor toms along with his kick and snare combined with embellishments from the various cymbals he is using at the time. With the rise of prog and metal bands such as Periphery (Orbin was actually their drummer before Matt Halpern) that accent the use of cymbals, it does make sense to emphasize the use of lower-end toms and adhere to today’s trends in metal. To sum all of this up, let’s take a quick look at one of his many YouTube videos. Here’s “Wizardry Mind” by Cartoon Theory:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MooaHSPBwD0

As I stated, most of what I have already described can be summed up simply (full pun intended) in just the first 20 seconds of this video. The song starts with a drum solo that is seemingly all over the place, but after watching a few more minutes you will just realize that this is how Orbin does things. Above all of this though, I would like to point out that Orbin is seemingly reading sheet music the entire time whilst recording this track. This is not the most common practice nowadays, especially at this high of a level with so much to focus on within one’s own playing. Regardless, Orbin demonstrates yet another ability that he has clearly worked very hard to perfect. In fact, let’s go down a checklist of things I have mentioned so far; mechanical precision, complete ambidexterity, symmetrical setup that conforms to modern metal, and ability to actively read very complicated sheet music… what else can I add to this? Of course, there’s more. Let’s take a look at Orbin’s playthrough/interpretation of “Dr. Jekyll” by Miles Davis. That’s right. Jazz.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F0fAhiR9XAw

Now I know people are going to comment on how mechanical he remained for a jazz playthrough; this is just Orbin’s style. Jazz is traditionally a very loose, free, and uncomposed genre, all of which is out of Orbin’s typical playing field; despite this, he makes it work. There are some things to point out though; even though this is at 95% speed of the original song, Orbin is playing 300+bpm bebop jazz with Vic Firth SRH2 Ralph Hardimon “Hammer” Corpsmaster Signature sticks (which are heavy marching snare sticks) and mostly uses a lot of wrist motion. From a comfort and efficiency perspective, this is absolutely absurd. To make this style work for him, he actually switches to his left hand on a left-side ride at the 3:50 mark to allow his right hand to rest a bit. Of course, the average drummer would never open-hand swing at a tempo like this with their weak hand, but Orbin doesn’t have a weak hand. Watching this video, all I can see is absolute dedication to one’s craft. No matter the genre, style, or speed, Orbin will make it work in whatever way he can. This is exactly why he has been hired for hundreds of recording sessions, as can be seen on his website.

In summation, Orbin is the pinnacle of how far practice can get someone. I know of other ambidextrous and mechanical drummers, but Orbin takes it to a whole different ball park in consistency. Drummers and musicians like him inspire me to work even harder and reach new levels. He is also a reminder of how important it is to continue to be the best you can be in your craft as far as the arts are concerned; without that persistence, success will be harder to achieve. Thank you for gracing us all with your amazing efforts Orbin, and I anxiously await the projects and work you have in store for us. To finish, here’s one of Orbin’s most insane playthroughs I have seen. Thank you for reading, and here is “Eigenvalue” by Pete Peterson:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G0f2TP-Lugk

Alright, it’s time for me to talk about the drummer of the band that changed everything for me musically. I will elaborate on the band itself in my upcoming podcast that will discuss my musical journey, so this post will be dedicated to the drummer alone. This drummer has had the largest influence on me overall as a musician, and as a result much of my ideas are continuously inspired by him. He is none other than…

Ray Hearne – Drummer for Haken

Again, I will elaborate on Haken as a band in that aforementioned podcast. What I will say now is that they are the sole reason I have been hooked on Progressive Rock and Metal ever since I first heard their work in high school. This mostly began with their early material from the albums Aquarius and Visions. Compared to their recent work, Ray’s drumming is not overly complex in these albums, but what I find more intriguing is how well his ideas fit with the music. As a side note, I find this is where I am musically in my early writing stages; I feel my parts fit the song musically, but I would like to find a way to add complexity that blends perfectly with the song. This being said, I can always look back on Ray’s journey to extrapolate how to do this effectively. To begin, let’s look at an example from Aquarius, their first album. I will refrain from choosing the long epic Celestial Elixir as there is too much to talk about in a single post, so I will settle with “Drowning in the Flood”:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ai2U8Jv_Peg

For the most part, the drums during the main verses are reminiscent of your average metalcore track; nothing too crazy with the bass drum mostly mimicking the rhythm of the guitar. There is nothing wrong with this whatsoever, as it fits the music perfectly and creates an infectious beat. I must say though, Ray’s experience over the years really shows in his newest material compared to this, as it is nowhere near as simplistic. There is actually a hint of this coming out around the 1:27 mark with an interesting beat between the ride and hi-hat. This style of intricacy becomes much more common and prominent in their later work. For an example, let’s take a look at a track off Haken’s third album The Mountain titled “Pareidolia”:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-AbGjGpJPO0

This song is quite long, so I will highlight certain parts of it. The first time I heard the section at 3:43, I was absolutely blown away by the rhythm, melody, and use of instruments. I also really enjoy Ray’s choices here; first mimicking the single note shots using cymbals with the rhythm instruments, then copying the quick extra shots with tom/snare fills, finally leading into a regular djent beat with a pulsed cymbal on the beat. All of this is absolutely brilliant to me and is a great example of the level of composition I hope to achieve. The next major section I want to talk about is the drum solo at 7:39. Ray goes crazy here with some modulation in 9/8 time that to this day still boggles my mind. I do not really have much to mention regarding this solo other than it being a fantastic depiction as to how far Ray keeps improving over time. I will now move on to something more modern; this is “Nil by Mouth” off the album Vector:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cuGQpJ7fLjw

Haken have a small handful of amazing instrumental songs, but this is likely the most insane one overall. At the 0:47 mark, we can hear Ray filling in the gaps with the floor tom, somewhat similar to his approach to writing the unison section in Pareidolia. Later on during a “breakdown” at 1:50, Ray uses both toms as well as multiple cymbals to create a beat while mimicking the rhythm and melody with double bass. Just in this one section, he managed to combine every element of writing that I mentioned from Drowning in the Flood and Pareidolia in such a smart and advanced way. This is where his experience over the years really shines; he is able to take any idea he has ever had, improve the technicality of it, and combine them together to create something entirely new. Ladies and gentlemen, that’s just the definition of innovation.

The unfortunate aspect of this blog post is that it only highlights a few of the brilliant ideas Ray has and how he has improved over time. There is much more to his drumming and Haken’s music overall that I highly suggest everyone attempts to check out. Each member of the band continues to evolve and innovate within the Progressive Metal genre, constantly keeping them very relevant and fresh. I cannot wait to hear what Ray and Haken have in store for the coming years. To finish this post off, I will leave you all with part one of five of the 17~ minute epic from Haken’s most recent album titled “Virus”. If you enjoy this, I implore you to listen to all five parts and understand how amazing Haken has become in terms of songwriting. Here is “Messiah Complex i: Ivory Tower,” and thank you for reading!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NMtkfO5glDI

Hello, and welcome to round four of my Drummers I Love series! This week, I will be writing about someone I have discovered within the last year. For those who do not know, my roots for drumming actually come from a video game called Rock Band. I have been playing this game and other games like it for over ten years now, and most of what I know about drums has come from my experience on it. For the past few years, several individuals (including myself) have found enjoyment through transcribing (or “charting”) drum tracks for over 3000 songs. I am forever grateful to these people for exposing me to some music that otherwise may have been swept under the radar. As of late, I have been searching through any and every band I can find under the “Tech Death Metal” genre amongst these charts. I have found some amazing gems in this endeavor, but one band and drummer have stood out in particular above the others. This would be none other than…

Sebastian Lanser – Drummer for Obsidious, Panzerballet, (formerly) Obscura

The band in particular that I grew very fond of is Obscura, but sadly Lanser is no longer with them. Obscura now has an entirely new lineup (with the exception of front-man Steffen Kummerer) featuring past members Jeroen Paul Thesseling on bass, Christian Muenzer on guitar, and David Diepold on drums (who is also well-deserving of his own blog in this series). During his time with Obscura, Lanser recorded two albums titled “Akroasis” and “Diluvium.” Both of these albums are fully transcribed for drums on Rock Band, and I believe I can say they are my most consistently played albums on the game over the past year.

Between these two albums, my favourite aspect of Lanser’s drumming lies in his writing ability. I have talked a lot about how much I liked the writing from other drummers (Baard Kolstad, Matt Garstka, and Dan Presland) in past blogs, but Lanser brings some truly unique and “mechanical” ideas in his parts. Most of his main beats follow the music quite nicely in ways most people would predict, but it’s the fills that get me. Many drummers will throw in fills with simple straight 16^th notes or some triplets, but Lanser is not afraid to throw in quintuplets or septuplets wherever he sees fit. This is not easy to do in time with the song by any means or make it work musically, but the man never misses a beat. For a good example, check out what he does just in the intro section of “An Epilogue to Infinity” by Obscura. I would also like to add that there is so much more going on in regards to technical composition in this piece throughout, especially around the 3:37 mark:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XRJgYB_tSho

The precise calculation and delivery of Lanser’s ideas is truly unique. I would argue that much of this ability comes from his training in jazz and composition, giving him a lot of knowledge in musical theory. It is quite evident in Lanser’s playing that he has combined elements of jazz into his playing in metal to create his own style within the Tech Death genre. In fact, this would make a lot of sense considering his work in the project “Panzerballet,” best known as a Jazz Metal band. I really enjoy the way this band executes the combination of two otherwise different genres by using “jazzy” horn lines with a metal/heavy rhythm section. As an example, here is Panzerballet’s cover of “Birdland” by The Weather Report:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4myiOgv5aOc

I look up to Lanser as a master of technique as well. With his feet, he is able to use ankle motion and swivel technique whenever required and without missing a beat. With his hands, it is obvious that he has spent a lot of time perfecting his rudiments and proficiency with multiple grips such as German and French, as well as developing his ambidexterity. Ever since I have discovered Lanser, I have been slowly working towards being able to execute the above skills to the best of my ability. Using your left hand (as a right-handed drummer) as the beat holder can allow for greater compositional ideas for both beats and fills, as Lanser demonstrates with precision. I could really use any of his playthroughs as an example of all of this (including An Epilogue to Infinity), but I want to highlight one of my favourite songs to both listen to and play. Here is “Diluvium” by Obscura:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yHHgxzQ6pU4

In conclusion, Sebastian Lanser is truly one of the most underrated in the metal genre. There are not many drummers that can match up to the speed and precision that he plays with, and he is certainly quite unparalleled in compositional techniques. I understand that technical drumming such as his is not necessarily for the average music listener, but it is absolute ear candy for those trying to dissect the theory behind the music. I hope in the coming years that I am able to write parts even remotely as interesting as his. I am greatly looking forward to Lanser’s work in Obsidious with his fellow ex-Obscura members Rafael Trujillo and Linus Klausenitzer (who, as a side note, has quickly become one of my favourite bass guitar players with amazing proficiency on a fretless bass). Thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed it!

Welcome back for entry number three in my “Drummers I Love” series, where I talk about my past or current drum influences and how they have shaped my playing. Today’s drummer will deviate from the progressive rock/metal trend I have started and dive into some faster and heavier stuff. In recent years, death/speed-based metal has really grown on me. I have been very intrigued by the different techniques drummers use to play so fast for so long with seemingly little effort. One of my favourite examples of this can be seen in this post’s featured drummer. His name is…

Dan Presland – Drummer for Ne Obliviscaris, Vipassi, A Million Dead Birds Laughing

To begin, I would like to talk briefly about Ne Obliviscaris as a band. As I will be talking about in an upcoming podcast, symphonic metal has largely overtaken progressive rock/metal as my current favourite genre of music, at least for the time being. NeO is a fantastic example of a very high quality symphonic death metal band. There is a little less orchestral emphasis than some other bands I have grown to listen to, but the violin (played by clean vocalist Tim Charles) makes for some very atmospheric and ethereal sections. The band as a whole is very clean and produce a big sound, but Dan Presland is a huge factor in their rhythmic intensity.

I used to think speed-based drumming was just a “flex” or “gimmick” until I heard drum parts like what Dan Presland produces. I do not want to label him solely as a speed-based drummer, however; Presland is a master at writing with a song rather than for a song, just as I mentioned Baard Kolstad is an expert at. I first would like to make note about Presland’s speed and endurance, as it has had a massive impact on my practice routines as of late. Presland writes some parts that feature non-stop double bass with the use of ankle motion and swivel techniques between 200-240bpm for multiple minutes at a time. There are a number of drummers that write similar parts, but they usually use the heel-toe method which generally requires triggers and less effort. Not only does Presland use only single-stroke techniques, but he plays with a lot of power and precision. Watching him do this is absolutely inspiring for me, as it shows me how far extensive practice can truly get someone. Below shows one of the best examples of how long Presland can play for. Not only does he play 200bpm double bass for almost a minute and a half straight starting at 3:30, but then he immediately speeds up to 226bpm for another full minute. The rest of the song is littered with long sections at this speed. Here is “As Icicles Fall” by Ne Obliviscaris:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5HrfG5IeARw

Along with the double bass, Presland also plays with a lot of power behind his blasts. He switches between either wrist motion or French grip (finger motion) depending on the speed and length of a blast, and also to give different muscle groups a rest which allows him to play for longer. I really appreciate his use of blasts in his writing; despite his ability to play them for a very long time, he only uses them when it makes sense for the song during an intense section. He also sometimes switches his left hand off of the snare and onto a tom which is not a common practice for blast beats but adds a very unique sound to some sections. Everything I have listed above can be seen around the 2:07 mark in the video below of Presland’s playthrough of “Xenoflux” by Ne Obliviscaris:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pjToVyG75tE

Insane endurance aside, I would also like to comment on some very interesting ideas Presland uses that I do not see from many other drummers. Presland likes to write some very melodic tom beats that highlight or accent the current melody, along with throwing some smart embellishments in to the mix. A great example of this can be seen in the intro of “And Plague Flowers the Kaleidoscope” by Ne Obliviscaris. His foot pattern is very smart, as he is playing a constant alternating beat but with each foot switching back and forth between the bass drum and their respective hi-hat pedals (since he uses a right hi-hat setup as many metal drummers do). He actually uses the opening and closing of each hi-hat with his hand hits to produce a panned effect rather than just playing on one hi-hat. All of this is done while playing a tom rhythm that matches the other rhythm instruments. This is the kind of writing I aspire to come up with myself someday. Here is the video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YB2JJFRlwN4

With insane foot and hand endurance as well as creative section writing, Dan Presland has quickly become one of my favourite drummers. Just watching him play inspires me to want to practice for hours on end until I can come even somewhat close to what he is capable of. Any time I feel I am in a rut, I find myself scrolling through his playthroughs on YouTube to give me the inspiration I need to get back on my feet. Thank you for your amazing drumming Dan, and I am anxiously awaiting your new releases with NeO and Vipassi. I will leave you all with two videos of me drumming to Presland’s playthroughs of Lit and CROWN by A Million Dead Birds Laughing. Thanks for reading!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3flK5NWz1N8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7CkWdkwHR94