10 Times Gene Hoglan Was the Best Drummer on Earth

Gene Hoglan has remained one of the greatest thrash metal drummers since the genre’s beginnings. Whether manning the kit for Dark Angel, Death or Strapping Young Lad, Hoglan has been called The Atomic Clock for his impeccable tempo and machine-like precision.

Dark Angel remains one of the most underrated thrash bands ever, unleashing classics such as We Have Arrived and Darkness Descends. Hoglan brought Dark Angel through some of the fastest and most brutal thrash of the ‘80s on cuts such as “No One Answers” and “The Burning of Sodom.”

Strapping Young Lad’s ‘Skeksis” is still one of the heaviest rhythms ever put to tape. Using his trademark “double slap” technique, Hoglan slapped before anyone said, “This slaps!” You’ll see exactly how Gene works his double kick pedals so you can play it yourself, but you’ve gotta grab a pair of pink and purple argyle socks first.

Some of Hoglan’s finest drum parts can be heard throughout Death’s Individual Thought Patterns and Symbolic albums. Arguably the heaviest Death records, Hoglan’s drumming is directly responsible for the pure devastation of the ‘90s must-have albums. In this compilation, you’ll see Hoglan wreck his way through “Symbolic” and “The Philosopher” live with Death and for his The Clock Strikes Two DVD, respectively.

Check out the 10 Times Gene Hoglan Was the Best Drummer on Earth above.

See Gene Hoglan in the Top 66 Hard Rock + Metal Drummers of All Time