Nicko McBrain vs. Vinnie Paul – Greatest Metal Drummer, Semifinals

Our first matchup in the semifinals of our Greatest Metal Drummer tournament brings two veteran skin bashers together. Both of these men are renowned for bringing a tremendous amount of character to their music, earning them legions of fans in the process.

Classic Iron Maiden drummer Clive Burr was unable to defeat Black Sabbath's Bill Ward in Round 2 of our competition, but Maiden fans united to give current drummer Nicko McBrain a quarterfinal win against Ward. McBrain is now one of four drummers competing for the title, having also defeated Motley Crue's Tommy Lee and Sevendust's Morgan Rose in the earlier rounds.

Pantera / Hellyeah drummer Vinnie Paul has carved a strong path throughout our Greatest Metal Drummer competition. Since taking out Lamb of God's Chris Adler in Round 1, Vinnie defeated late Avenged Sevenfold drummer Jimmy 'The Rev' Sullivan in an extremely close race before claiming a win against Anthrax's Charlie Benante the quartefinals. Will Vinnie Paul make it to the finals?

Nicko McBrain or Vinnie Paul? Cast your vote for the Greatest Metal Drummer in the poll below! Voting for this round closes on Thursday, Sept. 12 at 10AM ET. Fans can vote once per hour, so keep coming back to make sure that your favorite metal musician wins!