1) Mike Portnoy: My entire drumming style is basically “what if MP was only an okay drummer”. Almost everything I do involving drums is directly influenced by/stolen from him.
2) James “The Rev” Sullivan: It’s very rare when a drummer is also a band’s best songwriter. Jimmy put the music first, and as a result his drum parts were always creative and sounded fresh. He is missed and will be loved forever.
3) Lars Ulrich: I actually like the random fills, and I incorporate that style into my drumming as well. When he practices, Lars is actually a great drummer, and his 80’s and early 90’s output, especially the drumming on AJFA shows how great he could be.
4) Neil Peart: Precision is the word I would use to describe Neil’s drumming. There was never a hit out of place, and even with modern quantizing tools, you can barely tell the difference. The man was brilliant as a drummer, writer, arranger, and overall musician. There’s a reason he’s ranked as one of the all time greats not just in rock, but music in general.
5) Mike Mangini: There was no better drummer to replace Portnoy than Mangini, mostly because there’s probably no better drummer on the planet. The only reason he’s not ranked higher is because I can actually somewhat play the parts of the other four drummers on this list. MM represents the pinnacle of drummer virtuosity, but he doesn’t sacrifice musicality to achieve it. He uses his ridiculous ability to play drums like he’s conducting an orchestra, accenting what the rest of the band around him is doing. It’s inspiring to hear drums treated like a musical instrument and not like something just meant to keep time.
Topic: Your favourite drummers? (Read 11732 times)
