Greatest Metal Drummer

Tool write music that goes beyond the borders of being progressive. In math terms, the group is equivalent to Calculus Level Four. Danny Carey has the unenviable job of keeping it all together in addition to actually having to play it. The song ‘Schism’ utilizes an array of time signatures, including, as the band refers to it, 6...

This is a matchup between two progressive masters. Martin Lopez is the famed Opeth drummer that played on everything from ‘My Arms, Your Hearse’ to ‘Ghost Reveries.’ As Opeth transitioned further away from their extreme metal roots and affinity for Iron Maiden-like harmonies, the entire band had to adapt and evolve with the music...

Slipknot drummer Joey Jordison's influences are from the bowels of the underground and his stickwork is far beyond your standard metal group. Constantly adding little flourishes to his playing, the drummer gives Slipknot the edge that pushed them ahead of their contemporaries...

Here we have a matchup with two drummers who completely own their style. Meshuggah are an incredibly complex band that pioneered polyrhythm and solely influenced the djent subgenre. The music of Meshuggah would seemingly drive most drummers to lay down the sticks forever, but Tomas Haake was up for the challenge of anchoring the madness...

Mike Portnoy is lauded for his drumming in Dream Theater, some considering him the metal version of Neil Peart. His complex rhythms and ability to change time signatures on a dime earned him his reputation. He also has the uncanny ability to memorize entire albums of drumming from other bands, note for note...

Gene Hoglan has been in a LOT of bands. Let’s just get this out of the way: Dark Angel, Strapping Young Lad, Zimmer’s Hole, Fear Factory, Testament, Dethklok, Death, Devin Townsend, and he even filled in live with Opeth, among others...

Former Morbid Angel drummer Pete Sandoval is the king of the kick drum. When death metal was in its infancy, ‘Commando’ would practice nothing but double kicks until he would collapse. Before perfecting this style, his single pedal blasts can be heard on the debut Terrorizer album...

It's a battle of the Daves! Former Slayer drummer Dave Lombardo changed the game forever. ‘Reign in Blood’ laid out the rules for early death metal and saw Lombardo’s drumming become the standard protocol for extreme and brutal music in the late 1980s...

Renowned Pantera drummer Vinnie Paul worked harmoniously with his late brother Dimebag, locking in some sort of subconscious groove that gave way to heavy metal domination. The finesse that Vinnie Paul possesses could never have been replicated in Pantera...

Jimmy ‘The Rev’ Sullivan left a noted body of work before his untimely passing in 2009. Avenged Sevenfold combine aggression with melody and soaring hooks, which are given life in The Rev’s drumming. He had a feel for the arena rock sway while maintaining his hard-hitting aspects...