The world has seen a multitude of fantastic drummers—but where did they come from? These drummers are the greatest of the great, the cream of the crop, and they sit far above the rest in the historic record of percussion.
John Bonham
John Bonham led the band Led Zeppelin through their absolute best years. Bonham was an early adopter of polyrhythms that complicated otherwise normal songs in standard time signatures. He also popularized the rock and roll sound on songs like Good Times Bad Times due to their sloppy nature and "poor" recording quality.
His Claim to Fame
One of Bonham's most incredible achievements was writing the polyrhythm intro to Fool in the Rain. If you've ever listened to that song, just know that Bonham literally had to do the math to make sure the drum part he wanted to play would work. That's pretty impressive for a self-taught musician.
Neil Peart
Peart was the drummer from the fantastic band Rush. He was selected because his style matched that of Keith Moon from The Who. But, after all was said and done, and Rush figured out what their sound was going to be, the only similarities they shared was the fact that both of them were incredibly hard-hitting drummers.
Timing, Practice, and Flair
Peart got famous because of his propensity to lose his sense of timing. However, he was meticulous and practiced, so he was able to work his sloppiness into Rush's songs and merge them seamlessly. So, if you catch Peart dropping a beat here and there, just be aware that he definitely knows about it.
Keith Moon
As previously mentioned, Keith Moon was an incredibly prolific drummer. He hated rock and roll drumming, which somehow made him the #1 candidate to back one of the greatest rock and roll groups of all time. Moon was explosive, experimental, and unafraid of any chances he would take.
The Artist
Moon was more of a performance artist than a drummer. He tried to match the energy of every single instrument at the exact same time. However, with a mind like Moon's, the attractive rock and roll lifestyle coupled with drug culture led him astray. Moon died of an overdose at the age of 31 in 1978.
Ginger Baker
Ginger Baker got famous for playing in Cream and Blind Faith with Eric Clapton. Baker was one of the pioneers of double-bass-pedal drumming and the abstract drum solo. He was able to create a wall of sound that was both pleasant and overwhelming at the same time.
The Contradictory Genius
As much as he hates to admit it, Baker was one of the original metal-style drummers. He incorporated numerous techniques that are popular in the metal-drumming world and applied them to jazz and rock fusion songs in a way that never quite fit, but was incredibly impressive on its own. He, unfortunately, passed away recently.
Buddy Rich
Buddy Rich was best known for his speed and power. He was trained as a jazz drummer and conductor, but it was his background in music that really led him to a future of success. He taught himself how to read music at the very young age of 4, and at 5 he was playing the drums in an off-Broadway pit band. By the time he turned 14, he was already leading bands on world tours.
Starting Them Young
By the age of 15, Buddy Rich was one of the highest-paid drummers in the entire world. He stayed committed to his art as the industry began to change around him. He was just as versatile as a drummer as he was curious about the forward direction of music.
Gene Krupa
In a lot of ways, Gene Krupa was the first rock drummer in history. He relished in the spotlight, and he always sought opportunities to play much harder and much, much faster as often as he could.
Walkin' Down Easy Street
Krupa tried to simplify all of his playing as best he could. However, when he increased his speed, his technique didn't change at all. He was solid as a rock until the day he died, and he influenced the vast majority of all the memorably good drummers from the heyday of music.
Benny Benjamin
For years, Benny Benjamin was the gold standard for Motown drummers. Berry Gordy refused to record anything unless Benny Benjamin was on the track.
The Gold Standard
Benny Benjamin had a unique knack for creating various rhythms all at once. He would switch time signatures with his hands and feet independently, unlike all Motown drummers of the time. Benjamin died of a stroke in 1969, but his legacy left his young protege Stevie Wonder the opportunity to fill his shoes.
Mitch Mitchell
Mitch Mitchell was a jazz fusion drummer who played in numerous acts all the way until modern times. He inspired a wide variety of drummers including Steward Copeland of the Police. His complex rhythms and easy-going attitude helped him find success in the industry quickly.
Playin' for Jimi
In 1966, the Jimi Hendrix Experience needed a new drummer. Mitchell and Aynsley Dunbar flipped a coin, and Mitchell won the toss. Because of him, the Jimi Hendrix experience branched down an improvisational route.
Stewart Copeland
Many people only know the Police because of Sting, but in reality, it was Stewart Copeland who held the band together. Copeland carved a space in the scene for himself with his abstract take on the classical drumming style. He rarely used his snare, and instead settled with creating intricate hi-hat patterns and playing polyrhythms on his toms.
His Accents Came Far From Home
Copeland lived the majority of his early life in-between Europe and the Middle East. He became well-versed in the musical styles of Middle Eastern countries and he was able to transition smoothly from being a classic rock and jazz drummer to create a world sound in simple pop tunes.
Mike Portnoy
Portnoy is best known for his work in the band Dream Theater. However, he is currently active in the Neal Morse Band, Flying Colors, Transatlantic, The Winery Dogs, Liquid Tension Experiment, Metal Allegiance, and Sons of Apollo. Portnoy co-founded Dream Theater and left after 25 years of being the soul behind their music.
The Metal Pioneer
Dream Theater was the first band to begin using elements of noise, power-violence, and drone in their metal songs. Portnoy was one of the fastest, most aggressive, and steadiest drummers in modern times. Seriously, he was really that good. Listen to anything by Dream Theater and you'll understand.
Meg White (The White Stripes)
Hilariously considered one of the “worst” or “most untrained” drummers in modern rock history, Meg White is actually doing something nobody else is. Her lack of formal training has lent so much flavor to the White Stripes’ jangly, DIY blues-rock sound. Without Meg White, there likely wouldn't be massive modern popularity in "easycore" style music.
Cindy Blackman
Growing up studying jazz didn’t prepare Cindy Blackman for the rock and roll industry. Cindy was picked up by Lenny Kravitz, who was notorious for his fairly pocketed songs. Lenny’s songs are largely built around a consistent beat and a consistent riff that repeats itself multiple times. Cindy is one of those drummers who like to stay in the pocket until a small bit of flair finds itself coming out. She's considered to be one of the greatest drummers of all time, and she's married to Carlos Santana.
Chris Dave
Described by Questlove as the “most dangerous drummer alive.” Chris “Daddy” Dave has been featured on many high-profile pop hits, notably Adele’s 21 and D’Angelo’s Black Messiah. Chris Dave is known for his extravagant and creative kits, one of those kits has 5 snares to add texture to songs, corresponding with the chorded notes. His flexibility and knowledge of classic techniques make him the perfect hip-hop drummer.
Tomas Haake (Meshuggah)
The long-standing percussionist in Swedish “extreme” metal group, Tomas Haake made his name known for playing 4/4 grooves with his off-hand and playing poly-rhythms with his dominant hand. Tomas is fast and powerful, tonally similar to a lot of the nu-metal and deathcore bands coming up around the time Meshuggah showed up. Tomas is a remarkable drummer who manages to weave complex rhythms into otherwise "simple" songs in basic time signatures.
Brian Chippendale (Lightning Bolt)
This dude’s music is super weird. His drumming style is so powerful and primal, taking influence from free jazz and industrial music. Brian Chippendale rigs a microphone mask to his face and distorts his vocals to sound almost like a cross between a 1930s commercial narrator and the devil himself. Chippendale set an example for some of the greatest experimental drummers of our day, like Zach Hill, who is the drummer of Death Grips.
Ronald Shannon Jackson (Last Exit)
An avant-jazz icon, Ronald Shannon Jackson made his name by being fast, wild, unpredictable, and robotic. Jackson was originally a parade drummer, he learned from African rhythms and funk musicians, which made his style very unique yet recognizable. Jackson started Decoding Society and later formed Last Exit, an Avant-jazz-punk quartet that still plays today. If Ronald Jackson didn't start his career as a drummer in a marching band, it's likely that his sound would be much different.
Janet Weiss (Sleater-Kinney)
A seriously powerful and catchy drummer, Janet Weiss was the third person added to the legendary alt-rock group Sleater-Kinney. Fronted by Corin Tucker and Carrie Brownstein, Janet Weiss led the band in rhythm, lending an ample platform for the leads, but remaining as aggressive as possible without sounding overzealous. Weiss has been active in Bright Eyes, the Shins, the Jicks, and many more groups. Weiss also works as a drum teacher for young women.
Bill Stevenson (the Descendents, Black Flag)
In 1977 at the age of 14, Bill Stevenson co-founded the Descendants, a pre-emo pop-punk band that has stood the test of time. He was also present on what’s considered as Black Flag’s most creative or “weirdest” albums; My War, and Slip It In. Every punk drummer wanted to sound like Stevenson, and he didn't even realize he was doing anything particularly special. He was just a guy who never practiced and enjoyed coffee and snickers bars before his sets.
George Hurley (Minutemen)
Another So-Cal punk band to hit the scene, with their jerky-folksy-Beatles-punky-violent sound (yeah it's a mouthful, just listen to Double Nickels on the Dime and you’ll understand), George Hurley contributed jazz-influenced stripped down drumming. Somehow he sounds clean and chaotic at the same time, he really is one of the drummers whose style makes no sense on paper but does well in application. He plays far differently from the standard punk drummer textbook, but by forging his own sound, he was able to turn himself into a legend.
Glenn Kotche (Wilco)
Glenn Kotche focused on pushing every boundary he could, drumming on things that aren’t traditionally used as drums (ping pong balls, hubcaps, chains, ball bearings, air tubes, you name it, he’s hit it). Kotche is also well known for his use of a MIDI pad on stage to play compressed drum sounds to pair with his actual drumming. Kotche wasn’t the first person to do this (lots of Japanese bands; Fishmans, Yellow Magic Orchestra, Harumi Hosono), he was the first to record unusual or “unintentional” polyrhythms and replay them via software during his set for added flair.
Earl Hudson (Bad Brains)
The ferocious, Earth-shaking drummer from the D.C. hardcore band Bad Brains started as a jazz drummer. He switched from traditional to matched grip and started playing at light-speed. Hudson played like a man possessed, and solidified himself as the prime example for the east coast hardcore drumming technique while remaining authentic to his reggae and jazz roots. If you haven't listened to Bad Brains' 1982 self-titled unmastered album, you absolutely should.
JR Robinson
Robinsons is mostly known for making smash pop hits with KILLER percussion tracks (Pointer Sisters “I’m So Excited,” Steve Winwood’s “Higher Love,” a big chunk of Daft Punk’s Random Access Memory), Robinson laid the rhythm for Michael Jackson’s Off the Wall. According to the late Michael Jackson; “I wanted a drum lick that the whole world could sing… and they sang it.”
Pete Thomas (Elvis Costello and the Attractions)
Pete Thomas was tasked with holding down Elvis Costello’s ever-changing rhythm section. Costello, as many know, has bounced around through a ton of genres, holding his surf and jazz roots close at all times though (one of the original Jazzmaster players, go figure). Pete Thomas held every single album down, and is considered by Elvis Costello himself as the “single best drummer of our generation, without a doubt.” That sounds pretty biased, but if you listen to “Lipstick Vogue” off of This Year’s Model, you’ll understand in the first 5 seconds of the song.
Steve Jordan (Stevie Wonder, John Mayer)
This dude has such an extensive resume, it's almost a shame to keep this concise. Steve Jordon backed Stevie Wonder, Eric Clapton, Keith Richards, and the X-Pensive Winos, John Mayer, Neil Young, and even was hired to play in the Blues Brothers' fictional band. If Benny Goodman is the King of Swing, Steve Jordon would be the Hand of the King. That, and he was powerful, flavorful, fast, and creative. He was extremely well respected in the percussion world.
Earl Young
This guy was in a few bands, did a couple of Blue Note Recordings, backed some big acts, but his greatest contribution was… Inventing disco. Earl Young was the first drummer to kick on all 4 beats of a measure and improvise over it and brought it to dance halls. Once disco hit the radio, every drummer knew Earl's name. He left behind a legacy that drove an entire genre, hell, he drove an entire generation.
Mick Avory (The Kinks)
60s teen-pop bands were known for cool outfits, trendy haircuts, and soft drummers. That is until the Beatles started contending with Led Zeppelin, and The Kinks had to play catchup. Avory was replaced by a studio drummer on “You Really Got Me,” although he did get to play tambourine. Avory innovated in his own way, creating a style that was one part swing, one part soul, one part rock, and one part his own. He was courted by the Rolling Stones later on in his career and was later kicked out in 1984 presumably because he and Dave Davies fought so frequently. However, he left behind a legacy, and many musicians consider him to be the grandfather of punk drumming.
Jon Theodore (Queens of the Stone Age, the Mars Volta)
Fuser of Afro-Cuban, Latin American, and experimental metal drumming, there isn’t much that Jon Theodore can’t do. After drumming in the Mars Volta (one of the wildest bands of all time IMO), Theodore bounced around projects until he ended up in Queens of the Stone Age. For anyone who has listened to the Mars Volta, you know that the drumming is central, noisy, and extremely intricate to the point that they're kind of hard to follow. Theodore an abstract artist who uses drumming as his medium.
Micky Waller (the Jeff Beck Group)
Described as the “missing link between blues and heavy metal,” Waller had an incredible ability to play powerfully and simply, so powerfully that his playing didn’t sound simple. Waller also recorded on some of Rod Stewart’s original solo albums, notoriously forgetting his cymbals on his way to the session to record “Maggie May,” he played the song with no cymbals and overdubbed them later, he played so hard that the overdubbed cymbals sounded like they were coming from another drummer.
Travis Barker
Travis Barker is famous for his presence in the legendary pop-punk band, Blink-182. Travis plays fast, loud, and clean. Travis has a background in hip-hop drumming, which has aided him in his conquest to be one of the best pop-punk drummers of all time. Those sounds merge quite easily with the reflective tones that these genres share.
Butch Trucks and Jaimoe (the Allman Brothers Band)
A two-for-one deal! Some might say this is cheating because there are two drummers in this band, but it would make more sense to do this than splitting them. Butch Trucks and Johanny “Jamioe” Johanson were inseparable since they met at the conception of the Allman Brothers Band. Few tandem drummers have been able to trust one another at such a high level, for that they deserve this ranking.
Dennis Chambers
Chambers is a flashy, hired-drum who filled in for too many bands to count. His stage presence never solidified him as the core drummer for any group, however, he was an incredibly popular throw-in drummer. He was the house drummer for the Sugar Hill label, he’s played with Steely Dan, and Santana. If you've ever listened to the unforgettable drum fills on "Hey Nineteen" by Steely Dan, you've listened to Dan Chambers.
Jerome “Bigfoot” Brailey
Drummer of the legendary alien funk group, Parliament-Funkadelic, Brailey led the group through outer-space and back. Listen to any P-Funk album and try not to dance to the percussion section, it’s impossible.
Greg Errico (Sly and the Family Stone)
A member of one of the most groundbreaking funk bands of all time, Greg Errico drove Family Stone with his unbelievable feel. He later moved on to composing and producing for other folks, Lee Oskar, Betty Davis, and Parliament-Funkadelic. Much like Bigfoot, Greg Errico helped usher in a new generation of integrated bands producing fusion music.
Kenny Aronoff (John Mellencamp)
Aronoff made his presence known by being the “hard basher” in John Mellencamp’s band from 1980-96. He has worked with the Rolling Stones, Springsteen, Bob Dylan, Neil Diamond, Eric Clapton, Sting, the Smashing Pumpkins, and even Lady Gaga. Aranoff is still making music today, despite being a 67-year-old man.
Chad Smith (Red Hot Chili Peppers)
The perfect rhythmic match for Flea to play off of, Smith crushed every song he’s showed upon. One could say that Chad Smith has “hard feelings” for his drums, meaning that he absolutely punishes his kit and body for his craft. Flea kept Smith around for his “mighty power and great vibes.” Plus, he was the one who brought the reggae influence to the Peppers.
Jim Gordon
A world-renowned session drummer. Present on the Beach Boys Pet Sounds, Eric Clapton then recruited Gordon to form Derek and the Dominoes. Gordon recorded with Randy Newman and Steely Dan and even made one of the most sampled hip-hop drum beats of all time. Also, he kind of lost his mind and killed his mother in '83. So, great talent brings great madness.
Moe Tucker (Velvet Underground)
A totally off-kilter drummer, Moe Tucker chose to stand instead of sit, she played with mallets instead of sticks and avoided using cymbals unless completely necessary or unexpected. Tucker chose to follow the emotional flow of the song to drive her percussion, not to follow the actual time signature exactly. She and Lou Reed had a push-pull relationship, but it never dipped into being difficult to manage.
Tommy Ramone (Ramones)
The punk self-starter from the UK, Tommy Ramone was known for providing the Tommy-gun drums to accompany Johnny Ramone’s buzzsaw guitar. Tommy Ramone basically established the genre that we know as punk today. Pretty much every band that has ever played Warped Tour has drawn from Tommy Ramone.
Tony Thompson (Chic)
The hardest rocker of the disco era, Thompson laid down floor grooves for Chic, the outlandish disco group that stomped conventions of the genre. Thompson also played drums for Madonna on “Like a Virgin,” if you needed an example to figure out how hard he grooved.
Vinnie Colaiuta
Honestly, this dude is just a showoff. Colaiuta is one of those drummers who can just do absolutely anything around the kit. With permanent offers from the Bee Gees and Frank Zappa, Colaiuta was an all-around musician dedicated to his technical craft over developing music to sell.
Mick Fleetwood (Fleetwood Mac)
A drummer who never seemed to be working in his personal style, Fleetwood was praised for being able to act instinctively and to add flair that felt weird but not out of place. Plus, he was the guy who figured out the time signature for Dreams, which is arguably one of the best songs ever made.
Billy Cobham (Miles Davis)
First seen on Miles Davis’ Bitches Brew, Cobham has been a consistently mentioned figure in practically all modern music since. Cobham is cited as an inspiration for King Crimson's In the Hall of the Crimson King, and even Phil Collins himself said that Billy Cobham played some of the finest drummings he had heard on a record, ever. For reference, Phil Collins is one of the greatest drummers who ever lived as well.
Dave Lombardo (Slayer)
Please just do yourself a favor and listen to “Angel of Death” off of Reign in Blood. That song is 210 BPM, no human should be able to consistently play that fast.
Max Weinberg (Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band)
Weinberg showed up at a try out for Springsteen’s legendary backing band, with experience playing in Broadway pits as a kit drummer and stand percussionist. Springsteen was blown away by his performance and let him walk onto the band right before Born To Run went into recording. He stuck with the E-Street band until he got too old to slap the skins on tour.
Amir “Questlove” Thompson (The Roots)
Arguably the most prolific drummers of this generation, Questlove is a Philly boy (Go Birds), who’s playing complex, old school hip-hop to an audience of predominately white young adults, despite all that, he’s kicking more ass than any single drummer really ever has before. That, and he's the official live drummer of SNL.
Roger Hawkins
Considered by some to be the actual best drummer of all time (that’s subjective, this is just hearsay information), Hawkins was known for being incredibly quick to learn complex songs, and further innovate on them in the same session. Homie is from another past time though, so we will never know who the objective best drummer is. Hawkins killed it for the time that he was around, though.
Jimmy Chamberlin (the Smashing Pumpkins)
Chamberlin stood out so hard in the Smashing Pumpkins that the founder, Billy Corgan, didn’t have faith that he would stick around in the band. He stuck around, in fact, he brought an element that drove the Smashing Pumpkins to the level of fame that they are on today. Chamberlin shined on Melancholy and the Infinite Sadness, but in modern years he has taken a step away from the Smashing Pumpkins to pursue his own endeavors outside of music.
Carter Beauford (the Dave Matthews Band)
DMB should be called the Carter Beauford Band because he completely owns pretty much all of their songs. DMB would be nothing without Beauford, no offense to Dave Matthews, he’s a great songwriter, but DMB without Beauford would have never left the ground. Also, Buford set a Guinness World Record for having the largest touring drum set in music history in the early '90s.
Clem Burke (Blondie)
Emerging from the CBGB scene in the 80s, following new wave and punk legends with vigor. Burke has been described as “the happiest drummer who ever lived,” evidently when he hit the stage, he couldn’t shake the smile from his face, good or bad playing. Burke kind of stood apart from the "angry and misdirected" attitude that used to be present at CBGB, he was really just a happy-go-lucky guy.
Dale Crover (the Melvins)
Crover had a brief stint in Nirvana, you can hear his drums on nine tracks off of Bleach and its B-Sides. Crover helped innovate the sludge-metal/shoegaze genre from a percussive standpoint, and the Melvins were able to become famous due to his creative drumming style.
John “Drumbo” French (Captain Beefheart’s Magic Band)
Captain Beefheart let Drumbo help compose the chaotic avant-masterpiece "Trout Mask Replica" (some people consider it that, it’s more about who took inspiration from the album though), as Beefheart had a very narrow view of music theory. Drumbo played his heart out on that album, developing some of the whackiest and hard-to-understand lines ever made.
Phil Collins
Bet yall saw this one coming, it is only fair to include who many people consider the “actual best drummer of all time,” Phil Freaking Collins. A multi-instrumentalist, social icon, unstoppable artist, creator of the Tarzan soundtrack, half of Genesis, and genuinely an outstandingly creative percussionist. There's not much else we can say here outside of singing the praise of this genius. All hail Phil Collins.
Akira Kawasaki (Mouse on the Keys)
Somewhere between classical, jazz, and punk, Mouse on the Keys is a band that is held together by super creative technical yet somehow still pocket drumming. Kawasaki has an ear for what can make a piano-drums song mind-blowing. Mouse on the Keys is one of the coolest two-piece bands to ever exist. If you like "mathrock" or anything that could be considered of the mathrock ilk, you should check out Mouse on the Keys.
Sheila E. (Prince)
Sheila E. bounced around legends backing bands for a dauntingly long time, playing with the likes of Herbie Hancock and Marvin Gaye at a very young age. She was later picked up to play with Prince, and she stuck with him until the day he died.
Bill Ward (Black Sabbath)
Somehow Bill Ward fused bebop and heavy metal before heavy metal was even invented. Wait… Did I mention that Bill Ward co-founded metal as a genre? With Tony Iommi at his side, and Ozzy standing somewhere within a mile of them, these dudes created an art form that may never die. If you've ever listened to a metal band at any point in your life, the reason the drums sound the way they do is because of Bill Ward.
Jim Keltner
Another studio musician who deserves more credit. Keltner worked with every Beatle’s solo project, Bob Dylan's “Knocking on Heaven’s Door” and Steely Dan’s “Josie.” Unfortunately, we'd run out of space explaining everything he's done, just know he was an incredibly important character.
Tony Allen
Tony Allen co-invented one of the most prolific yet appropriated genres of music of all time: Afrobeat. Considered one of the “coolest” drummers of all time, he influenced some of the highest critically acclaimed acts in history (Talking Heads, Gorillaz, King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, King Crimson, pretty much every Brian Eno piece, you get the picture). This dude knows how to hit a groove like nobody's business.
James Gadson
Arguably one of the most important drummers to come out of Los Angeles, Gadson played in the Jackson 5, The Temptations, Marvin Gaye’s band, and many many more. He was also the mastermind behind “Express Yourself” by the 103rd St. Rhythm Band. Every time you hear a Michael Jackson song, James Gadson gets some royalties money.
Matt Grenier (August Burns Red)
Fast, consistent, heavy, mechanical, explosive. These are all attributes of a great drummer, and Grenier practically wrote the book on adapting this to a metalcore setting. August Burns Red is as catchy and accessible as they are brutally heavy. If you like good drummers, listen to Constellations and Thrill Seeker in full.
Zach Hill (Death Grips, Hella)
Zach Hill is terrifying. Now with his head shaved bald, his twitchy, aggressive, chaotic, and uncontrolled style of drumming pairs perfectly with his body that quite possibly was created solely to drum. PLEASE listen to Death Grips’ The Money Store and Hold Your Horse Is by Hella. Both of these groups exemplify the greatest advances in musical trajectory, and Zach Hill is leading the pack in innovative drumming.
Jami Morgan (Code Orange)
Drummer/singer for the Pittsburg metal outfit Code Orange, the first metal band to come out after 2010 to have a billboard top 100 album, and the first modern metal band from the east to have a metal song on the Billboard Top 10 (Bleeding in the Blur, it was even played on Sports Center). If you like nu-metal crossover stuff, you should check out Jami's drumming style.
James Beveridge (Portrayal of Guilt)
Beveridge holds down the chaotic-skramz band Portrayal of Guilt. He is another single kick blast beat drummer, and he’s absolutely nuts. Check out Portrayal of Guilt's Audiotree session if you want to witness their pure, raw energy.
Dave Garibaldi (Tower of Power)
An adventurous and scholarly drummer, Garibaldi fearlessly assumed the rhythm section role in TOP. Tower of Power was one of the most innovative bands in the early '70s, and their influence spread the foundation of what we assume pop music should sound like today.
Kashikura Takashi (toe)
Takashi’s live performance is absolutely chilling. Japanese math rock is a hyper slept-on genre in the consideration of the best drummers of all time. Takashi plays emotively, and sometimes has outbursts on stage, sometimes screaming and throwing sticks, sometimes bursting into tears while playing a particularly beautiful piece. Do yourself a favor and listen to toe asap.
Yuusuke Yoshida (tricot)
Tricot (pronounced tree-coo) is another Japanese math rock band that’s exploding onto the American scene, rightfully so. Tricot has struggled to hold a drummer for more than a couple of years. That's because their music requires a TON of creativity, focus, and consistency. Yoshida has been touring with the band since 2016 and started recording with them in 2017. Honestly, he is a genius who doesn't get nearly enough recognition.
Dave Bland (Full of Hell)
Dave Bland is the emotive powerhouse that fills the drumming position for the Baltimore grindcore outfit, Full of Hell. These guys aren’t a household name, but if you have any interest in single kick drummers (he usually plays with a single kick, this is probably a house kit or something) playing 170 BPM blast beats, this is for you. Recently, Bland's family
Kevin Kaine (Knocked Loose)
Drummer for the American hardcore (metalcore crossover? Tone and genre are weird) band; Knocked Loose. Kaine plays to the strengths of the rest of the musicians, he’s one of those “perfect fit” drummers. Never too much, never ever too little, and just as wild as he needs to be when the time comes.
Ryan Leger (Every Time I Die)
The rhythm behind southern metalcore outfit (from Buffalo, NY, weirdly) Every Time I Die. Leger plays blues-inspired extreme metal style drumming, which is something that probably doesn’t exist anywhere else. Other similar bands that follow this model are '68, The Chariot, and Norma Jean.
Michael McClellan (68′)
This dude came out of absolutely nowhere and took on the task of reigning in Josh Scogin, former frontman of Norma Jean, and the Chariot. His playstyle is gritty and noisy but manages to play so simply that the noise-punk is tangible. Plus, this dude could hold a break-rhythm for an entire day, no kidding.