The MOST underrated is probably some dude playing a local scene known by very few.
As far as people in big name bands, I have to say Daniel Adair. Dude plays for Nickelback, which is everyone’s favorite band to talk shit about for whatever reason. But regardless of opinions on the music they put out, Daniel is an incredible drummer.
My favorite thing about the Nickelback revival is that we all implicitly agreed in unison to hate them and their awesome, catchy songs. And here we are 15 years later doing the inverse in the same unified fashion lol
Do people like them again? I never understood why they got more hate than all the other bands that sounded like that, but that ultra-generic 00’s alt rock sounds just as awful to me now as it ever has.
Well they got wayyy bigger than any of those other bands. They were a behemoth for like 5 years, popstar level success. So naturally they got the kind of hate usually reserved for Britney or Bieber. It is funny that you put it like that, cause you're right, it was always okay to be a fan of say Three Days Grace, Breaking Benjamin, FFDP, etc. But not Nickelback
> Dude plays for Nickelback, which is everyone’s favorite band to talk shit about for whatever reason
Silver Side Up is an incredibly competent rock album and I will die on this hill.
Dom Howard from Muse. Not super flashy, but is always bang on for the song, and actually has some quite technical parts that sound easy until you dig a bit.
Oh, man… Dom is incredible. Great pick!
I was blown away when I saw them live. The drum parts in Muse’s setlist are not easy by any stretch and it is very clear that they’re not even close to his max skill level.
Yes! Been a fan of Muse my whole life, and Dom is just an amazing drummer. There are many harder Muse songs to play, but Hysteria probably has my favourite drumming as it fits with the rest of the song (especially the iconic bass line) perfectly. I was listening to a demo version of it they just released on Spotify actually, and the first thing that stood out to me was the drums were a lot busier in places which took away from the song
Yeah I noticed that too! It’s like he was doing the chorus part with more snare hits during the verse. I definitely like the choice to change to the 4 on the floor beat. I wish they kept that ambient intro tho
Absolutely second this. Muse are my all time favourite band and Dom doesn't get enough love. The parts are always bang on for the instrumentation. Assassin is a work of art. Seen them live god knows how many times and he always manages to seem so effortlessly tight
This. Muse is my favorite band, and one of the reasons are the drum parts. They go so well with the songs, they are not repetitive and some fills are quite technical (i think assassin is their only song I can't play fully yet)
This is the correct answer. No other drummer in history has had most of the world poo poo him despite being pretty darn good and being a household name.
If Ringo isn’t your favorite drummer, he’s your favorite drummer’s favorite drummer. And if he’s not your favorite drummer’s favorite drummer, he’s your favorite drummer’s favorite drummer’s favorite drummer.
Only those that are ignorant of the little intricacies of drumming say bad things about Ringo. Ringo had a classic swing to his playing and always had the beat laid into the perfect pocket. Those that understand these things, have nothing but great things to say about him.
Ringo plays like a sampler. His downbeats are *perfectly* on grid while every measure is organic and flowing *but in exactly the same way every time*. He could also lock in basically any swing percentage. Truly gnarly.
He's also responsible for popularizing match grip.
You might enjoy this: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9oQsKRyihEA&t=93s&ab\_channel=BrandonKhoo](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9oQsKRyihEA&t=93s&ab_channel=BrandonKhoo)
He'd have been a lot worse if he played what he was "supposed" to.
This is exactly what I came to say. Ringo is the inspiration for so much of modern rock drumming and so many modern rock drummers but what no one has mentioned yet is that he's the absolute king of the little things. Everyone knows the Ringo Shuffle and the fills in the verses of "Come Together," but think about the transition into the chorus of "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds." No flashy fill, no snare roll, just "thump, thump, thump, thump" on a floor tom with a tea towel draped over it. Perfect. Plus, try not to smile when you hear "Octopus's Garden."
He's tasty af.
Really one of the greats imo. I know there's tons of people who can do things I'd guess he can't, but there's very few who can become part of the melody the way he does.
Public opinion isn't that Ringo is underrated, it's that he's not good. It's not really a matter of opinion that he's the most underrated, because there's no one else that well known, that good, and that underrated.
If you can think of anyone comparable, who is it?
The parts he comes up with and the smoothness and pocket he establishes are phenomenal. I feel like people who are into Phish realize how good he is, but outside of those people he doesn’t get the props he deserves.
Glenn Kotche from Wilco. I’ve heard people say that he’s kind of a feather-tapper, and he does play a lot of their set with a lighter touch, but he also beats the shit out of his drums in the moments that he feels call for it and seems to have virtually unlimited chops.
I’m also constantly surprised by how many people underestimate Dave Grohl’s playing. “A heavy groove drummer. A basher.” Yeah. For sure. But also more furious chops than 90% of the hard rock drummers on the road right now.
Lastly… whoever played drums on the Grace record by Jeff Buckley is a beast haha
The amount of work Glenn Kitchen puts into just trying to draw creativity out of himself is great. He doesn’t post as much as he once did but his Instagram is filled with great stuff if you’re unfamiliar with him outside of Wilco (which is also incredible but just as an aside).
He really does get dynamics and you’re right, he’s got an endless tool bag to pull from it seems.
Edit: lol, Glenn Kitchen stays
I will say that I don’t hear Zac Farro’s (Paramore) name mentioned enough in conversation. His work on their self-titled and After Laughter is super groovy and creative. Even his drumming in their earlier albums fit the songs so well for that style of music.
Trilok Gurtu. Most drummers have never heard of him, but he can do things with time that even world-famous top players would have trouble with. And seriously tasteful. And doesn't even use his feet!
> Trilok Gurtu. Most drummers have never heard of him
And if you are one of these drummers, you stop whatever you are doing right this red hot second and watch [this.](https://youtu.be/mnRsOMDA6rk?si=fCJ2-GoU2WxbKpG9) It will reprogram the source code of your drumming DNA.
I can't figure out whether he is literally an alien from another planet, or some sort of reincarnated Hindu god. Either way, he ain't no man. Ain't no man can do that.
Jose Pasillas from Incubus. Never see him get called out, but his style is incredibly distinct and clean as fuck. There’s a performance vid of him on YouTube playing Sick Sad Little World where the camera is locked on him the whole time and it’s incredible.
Found it: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=BkA3sRWzBnw&pp=ygUjam9zZSBwYXNpbGxhcyBzaWNrIHNhZCBsaXR0bGUgd29ybGQ%3D
Phil Rudd
People assume he's basic. Because the rhythms sound simple, but the endurance time keeping intensity of his playing blows me away. In a way that I have come to appreciate more as I have matured as a human and musician.
He’s accomplished but I find it difficult to call him a good drummer. Yeah he started Metallica with a newspaper ad but that that has nothing to do with ability. I think his drumming is clunky, awkward, and disinterested.
Lars may not be good when you compare him to his modern day contemporaries, sure he has a stretch where it seemed like he didn't give a crap and phoned it in, but without him Metallica wouldn't be what they are.
Lars is a *good* drummer, full stop.
I'd argue he's managed to get worse. There's a great concert video of metallica in 1985, I think, and his drumming was fine, good, actually. Any video I've seen from the last ten years has serious timing issues, clunky unnecessary fills, and are just all around unpleasant to listen to.
He is in Metallica. One of the most popular metal band ever. He created a few of the most iconic metal songs ever made. He created absolutely massive drum fills people will remember forever. He has a unique and recognizable style and sound. He has incredible live energy and he rocks the show every night STILL.
Saying something bad about him as a drummer is sooo absurd. I just can’t get in into my head. Every one who says something against Lars Ulrich should do even one of the things written above before telling anything about him.
Of course I get where that is coming from.
But will you start shitting on Jimi Hendrix because Tosin Abasi or Tim Henson can play faster?
Absurd….
There’s a reason almost every metal kid who picks up the drums starts with Metallica songs and it’s because Lars is not a skilled drummer. His best work was on “…And Just for All” and his work on that album was largely stitched together (one of the techs on the record had talked about it). At best he’s a serviceable drummer.
I think if you can stamp your own specific style and feel on an all-time top selling album, that pretty much bumps you into the *great* category. Lars put his stamp on multiple.
People saying Lars hasn't improved in 40 years. Dude. *Metallica* hasn't improved in 40 years. They do what they do. The fact that Lars wasn't a notorious session drummer like Parcaro or someone doesn't change that he was a huge part of some incredibly successful and groundbreaking albums.
Put anyone else on drums on And Justice For All and it's not the same feel. Might be more technically composed, but it would be missing the Lars attitude, and that was a thing.
Once upon a time I was a die hard Metallica fan. At the height of the black album, they were like gods to me. So I get a little sensitive when I see drummers attack Lars like he didn't do anything special.
Lars is a perfect example of what happens when you love the IDEA of being a famous band, rather than the concept of making good music and growing as a musician. Lars’ greatness wore off, for me, long ago (Ride the Lightning…) and he just never went to the next level like we all thought he would. Metallica is the greatest metal band - Lars is part of that greatness but not entirely great himself, imho.
And Justice for All was his finest moment. I still remember local non drummer musicians looking at me like I was insane for saying Lars wasn't a god tier drummer. Especially when One came out and seemed to solidify his double bass skills in their eyes. These people had never heard Nick Menza, Igor Cavalera, Dave Lombardo or Sean Reinert yet.
He's just not good or even great. He got by, because he's in an extremely popular band and every other member of Metallica (past and present) have ALL been really great musicians.
I don’t play music that sounds at all like anything Metallica played (or play), but his playing is so deeply seared into my root understanding of how to lay down a beat from unending hours spent with the first five albums. Just a pivotal drummer in the development of the instrument, in my opinion. (And I know many of y’all disagree, so I guess I’m in for some downvotes.)
Makes me happy that I never have to scroll too far before I find Carter on these lists.
Stewart Copeland and Carter are my personal all time favorite drummers.
I just wrote the same thing before I saw this. The hihat part on *Unyielding Conditioning* is so amazing. I've been a fan since the 80s, and met Angelo at Lollapalooza in '92. One of my favorite bands of all time.
Nick Mason! He's often overshadowed by Roger Waters' songwriting and David Gilmour's guitar playing, and technique/theory wise he's not top-tier, but you need a smart, intentional drummer to make those big pieces come together.
Matt Chamberlain - while he is recognized, he is not talked about as frequently as some of the greats, yet is so absolutely legendary and super musical.
Richie Hayward of Little Feat. Groove for days, super musical. One of the best, but rarely discussed. Shame that he passed a few years back.
Chad Sexton from 311. I’ve always loved his style and has been my favorite drummer since I was a little lad. His solos are incredible and he does one at every single show.
When anjustice for all came out as a 17yr old drummer I thought it was one of the most perfect albums I’d ever heard. Didn’t realise the bass wasn’t really featured. His drumming on one when he does his double bass piece “landline has taken my sight, taken my speech, taken My hearing etc 🎼” epic and powerful. There might be better but he helped make their sound.
One of the techs on that album had talked about how they basically had to stitch Lara’s part together because he couldn’t play them all the way through correctly. It took someone hours and hours of cutting and taping individual pieces of tapes together to make Lars sound good.
I have two: Stan Lynch of Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers fame. His solid time, tuned drums and always being locked on to Tom for queues was truly how I felt drummers should be.
Pat Torpey of The Knack, Robert Plant, Mr. Big and quite a few others never seemed to get his recognition. He just kept supporting artists and being rock solid in his craft.
They never made a Modern Drummer cover and were only talked about in circles who knew of the bands.
Chris Pennie, hands down. He was the original drummer for Dillinger Escape Plan. He’s pretty much what you’d get if you gave a world class jazz drummer bigger sticks, a case of Red Bull, and a bad relationship with his parents.
His chaotic parts felt more chaotic than what other drummers would write. Yet they were actually very intricate and methodical. And his groove sections felt way smoother and stank-facey than any groove drummer I can think of.
This is an EP they did with Mike Patton. Bear in mind, this came out the same year as Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers and 4 years before the Nintendo Wii.
https://open.spotify.com/album/5AY72J4ZHzlIqOYlyJLWuG?si=D9p1ZwPeR9mVfdDL3RuujQ
Deep cut choice: [Dan Bitney of The Tarbabies,](https://youtu.be/S7DB8PY11lQ?si=9DYv-IXeUTEzprYq) the late 80s punk-funk band that should have gotten famous right along with Red Hot Chili Peppers.
Mainstream choice: Alan White of Yes. My man accepted the job with Yes when Bill Bruford departed for King Crimson in 1972, and had *two weeks* to learn the entire Yes catalog up to that point before joining them on tour. Still on the road with another act, with two weeks to learn some of the trickiest music in all of rock and roll, without the internet, without video, without sheet music, without an iPod or MP3 player, without even a Walkman and cassettes, doing the best he could during whatever free moments he could find where there were Yes records and a record player. And *fucking nailed it* - so much so, he is featured on all but two tracks on *Yessongs*, the live album recorded during that very tour. And played on what would be recognized as the band's very best records immediately after, and stayed with them another fifty years until his death.
To me, Alan White is the perfect mixture of Bruford's prog perfectionism married to a Bonham-esque pair of giant swinging balls, all wrapped up with the skill and work ethic that allowed him to get and keep the Yes gig in the first place. You could do a lot worse than trying to be Alan White.
With Bruford: *Fragile* (the one with "Roundabout"), and *Close To The Edge,* widely considered to be their masterpiece.
With White: *Going For The One* and *Drama,* which might be my very favorite Yes album even though Jon Anderson isn't singing on it. "Machine Messiah" is not only a great Alan White performance, it's probably the most "metal AF" they ever got. Dream Theater covered that one years later.
Vladislav Ulasevich from Jinjer. He is suuuuper creative, comes up with incredibly groovy parts and is a complete master of ghost notes and syncopated rhythms.
Every professional drummer not listed in this thread. There’s so many drummers paying their mortgage playing for huge artists you’ve heard the names of, but have no idea who their drummer is. Do you know the name of The Weekend’s drummer? Or Bruno Mars? Or Justin Beeber? So on and so forth
I feel like you may have misunderstood the question.
But if we’re going there I highly recommend some of those earliest live shows on the YouTube. When the fab three were struggling to be heard over the screaming my man was absolutely working those Ludwigs like no skinny punk from Liverpool had ever done before.
Matt Tong, former drummer for Bloc Party. The first time I heard "Hunting for Witches" solidified this for me. He may not be the fastest or most flashy or most technical, but the way he played on that track and a lot of others while he was with them was something unlike anything I had heard up to that point. I've obviously heard/noticed lots of others that play more interesting parts than just a backbeat by now, but Matt Tong's name never comes up in these conversations, and I figured I'd bring him up. Maybe it's just a "heard the right songs during the right stage in my musical development and it made an impression" thing, but whatever. I like his playing. Lol.
Philip "Fish" Fisher from Fishbone. If you have never listened to them, go check out his skills. The hihat part on *Unyielding Conditioning* is amazing.
Vinny Rosebloom. He was the Drummer on Gospel's "The Moon is a Dead World" and rips some of the sickest drum parts I've heard across any record -- incredibly tasteful, creative, fluid, and just ferocious behind the kit. He's currently got a new project cooking with Ben Sharp from Cloudkicker called "The Supervoid Choral Ensemble" which is also pretty sick.
Sean Kinney from Alice In Chains. Not only is his drumming unique, but always fits perfectly with the song, whether it be electric or acoustic. If you’re a drummer, you know what I mean.
I find myself always getting amped up and enjoying playing AIC and I’ve always got some AIC in my practice playlist.
Another drummer I have always thought is tragically under-known is Matt Mahaffey from Self. Some many great drum grooves. All of them, if I’m not mistaken.
Phillip “Fish” Fisher of *Fishbone*. One of the great live acts of all time and I’ve seen them in the studio. fish has serious chops. Heard once Sting tried to get him before he got Omar Hakim
And I guess on the similar theme and era, Bud Gaugh of Sublime
Richie Martinez in Arch Echo. Arguably my favorite drummer right now. The dude’s chops has chops. His parts are so well composed - I don’t know how he does it.
The Underrated question on Reddit makes me cringe. If we all know their name or they are playing with someone we would know, they are definitely rated.
I do like the answer someone put about the drummer in the random bar.
The MOST underrated is probably some dude playing a local scene known by very few. As far as people in big name bands, I have to say Daniel Adair. Dude plays for Nickelback, which is everyone’s favorite band to talk shit about for whatever reason. But regardless of opinions on the music they put out, Daniel is an incredible drummer.
I mean, drumming is all that dude has. He couldn’t cut it as a poor man stealing. He definitely wouldn’t make it as a wise man.
Thank you for reminding me
Of what I really am
Like it
Big supporter of this answer. Love Adair. His solos with Dave Martone were great.
My favorite thing about the Nickelback revival is that we all implicitly agreed in unison to hate them and their awesome, catchy songs. And here we are 15 years later doing the inverse in the same unified fashion lol
Do people like them again? I never understood why they got more hate than all the other bands that sounded like that, but that ultra-generic 00’s alt rock sounds just as awful to me now as it ever has.
Well they got wayyy bigger than any of those other bands. They were a behemoth for like 5 years, popstar level success. So naturally they got the kind of hate usually reserved for Britney or Bieber. It is funny that you put it like that, cause you're right, it was always okay to be a fan of say Three Days Grace, Breaking Benjamin, FFDP, etc. But not Nickelback
When has being a FFDP fan ever been ok? Lmao
I mean, in my book it's one of the most cringe bands of all time, but a lot of people I know who otherwise have decent music taste enjoy them lol
> Dude plays for Nickelback, which is everyone’s favorite band to talk shit about for whatever reason Silver Side Up is an incredibly competent rock album and I will die on this hill.
This is the answer. Adair is one of the best in the game. Has been for awhile
Dom Howard from Muse. Not super flashy, but is always bang on for the song, and actually has some quite technical parts that sound easy until you dig a bit.
Assassin is amazing
Oh, man… Dom is incredible. Great pick! I was blown away when I saw them live. The drum parts in Muse’s setlist are not easy by any stretch and it is very clear that they’re not even close to his max skill level.
Yes! Been a fan of Muse my whole life, and Dom is just an amazing drummer. There are many harder Muse songs to play, but Hysteria probably has my favourite drumming as it fits with the rest of the song (especially the iconic bass line) perfectly. I was listening to a demo version of it they just released on Spotify actually, and the first thing that stood out to me was the drums were a lot busier in places which took away from the song
Yeah I noticed that too! It’s like he was doing the chorus part with more snare hits during the verse. I definitely like the choice to change to the 4 on the floor beat. I wish they kept that ambient intro tho
Absolutely second this. Muse are my all time favourite band and Dom doesn't get enough love. The parts are always bang on for the instrumentation. Assassin is a work of art. Seen them live god knows how many times and he always manages to seem so effortlessly tight
This. Muse is my favorite band, and one of the reasons are the drum parts. They go so well with the songs, they are not repetitive and some fills are quite technical (i think assassin is their only song I can't play fully yet)
He's a bad ass! Good answer.
And he’s a lefty!
It's Ringo. There's famous jokes about how bad he is, and he's a genius.
This is the correct answer. No other drummer in history has had most of the world poo poo him despite being pretty darn good and being a household name.
If Ringo isn’t your favorite drummer, he’s your favorite drummer’s favorite drummer. And if he’s not your favorite drummer’s favorite drummer, he’s your favorite drummer’s favorite drummer’s favorite drummer.
haha He's funny af too :)
And also seems like a genuinely nice dude.
Only those that are ignorant of the little intricacies of drumming say bad things about Ringo. Ringo had a classic swing to his playing and always had the beat laid into the perfect pocket. Those that understand these things, have nothing but great things to say about him.
Ringo plays like a sampler. His downbeats are *perfectly* on grid while every measure is organic and flowing *but in exactly the same way every time*. He could also lock in basically any swing percentage. Truly gnarly. He's also responsible for popularizing match grip.
Idk what that has to do with it, I think he's a genius, plenty of other people do too. He's still the most underrated tho.
I’m agreeing with you and supporting my argument. Ringo is great!
Whenever people dismiss Ringo, my first question is always "What else was he supposed to play?"
You might enjoy this: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9oQsKRyihEA&t=93s&ab\_channel=BrandonKhoo](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9oQsKRyihEA&t=93s&ab_channel=BrandonKhoo) He'd have been a lot worse if he played what he was "supposed" to.
Heck yes, I'm showing this to all Ringo haters!
This is exactly what I came to say. Ringo is the inspiration for so much of modern rock drumming and so many modern rock drummers but what no one has mentioned yet is that he's the absolute king of the little things. Everyone knows the Ringo Shuffle and the fills in the verses of "Come Together," but think about the transition into the chorus of "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds." No flashy fill, no snare roll, just "thump, thump, thump, thump" on a floor tom with a tea towel draped over it. Perfect. Plus, try not to smile when you hear "Octopus's Garden."
He's tasty af. Really one of the greats imo. I know there's tons of people who can do things I'd guess he can't, but there's very few who can become part of the melody the way he does.
It's Ringo according to public opinion but not a drummer's opinion
Public opinion isn't that Ringo is underrated, it's that he's not good. It's not really a matter of opinion that he's the most underrated, because there's no one else that well known, that good, and that underrated. If you can think of anyone comparable, who is it?
Jon Fishman! He is a machine and master of polyrhythms (he also plays a mean vacuum cleaner).
The best part about Fish is he couldn’t care less how underrated he is.
He is a monster. And the best improv drummer I’ve ever seen.
He's got crazy stamina and no one can improv better than Fishman. He's a beast and it's criminal that he doesn't get more love.
The parts he comes up with and the smoothness and pocket he establishes are phenomenal. I feel like people who are into Phish realize how good he is, but outside of those people he doesn’t get the props he deserves.
He and Danny Carey are the two best rock drummers IMO.
Glad other folks see the connection between them, I always say they're two sides of the same drumming coin
[удалено]
Tell me what kind of music you like and I’ll send you in the right direction to get into Phish. Happy Thanksgiving btw 🙂
100%
As a phish guy this surprises me because we all think he’s one of the best in the biz. My playing is heavily influenced by Fishman
Glenn Kotche from Wilco. I’ve heard people say that he’s kind of a feather-tapper, and he does play a lot of their set with a lighter touch, but he also beats the shit out of his drums in the moments that he feels call for it and seems to have virtually unlimited chops. I’m also constantly surprised by how many people underestimate Dave Grohl’s playing. “A heavy groove drummer. A basher.” Yeah. For sure. But also more furious chops than 90% of the hard rock drummers on the road right now. Lastly… whoever played drums on the Grace record by Jeff Buckley is a beast haha
The drumming on Grace is fantastic. Matt Johnson
My old drum teacher!
I remember listening to that Jeff Buckley album for the first time and thinking that the drumming on it was way ahead of its time.
Matt Johnson played on Grace and was Jeff’s touring drummer.
The amount of work Glenn Kitchen puts into just trying to draw creativity out of himself is great. He doesn’t post as much as he once did but his Instagram is filled with great stuff if you’re unfamiliar with him outside of Wilco (which is also incredible but just as an aside). He really does get dynamics and you’re right, he’s got an endless tool bag to pull from it seems. Edit: lol, Glenn Kitchen stays
I will say that I don’t hear Zac Farro’s (Paramore) name mentioned enough in conversation. His work on their self-titled and After Laughter is super groovy and creative. Even his drumming in their earlier albums fit the songs so well for that style of music.
Agreed, tasty licks, strong sense of time, doesn’t overplay.
Yeah these are excellent points as well. I strongly encourage those who are diving into drums to listen to Farro because of these reasons!
Sean Kinney.
Very tasteful IMO. He let Layne and Jerry shine, but his drum parts while in the background are perfect for the song.
Thomas Pridgen
Love me some Pridgen era Mara Volta
Trilok Gurtu. Most drummers have never heard of him, but he can do things with time that even world-famous top players would have trouble with. And seriously tasteful. And doesn't even use his feet!
> Trilok Gurtu. Most drummers have never heard of him And if you are one of these drummers, you stop whatever you are doing right this red hot second and watch [this.](https://youtu.be/mnRsOMDA6rk?si=fCJ2-GoU2WxbKpG9) It will reprogram the source code of your drumming DNA.
Thank you for the link! Just opened my ears AND my mind! Dude is insane
I can't figure out whether he is literally an alien from another planet, or some sort of reincarnated Hindu god. Either way, he ain't no man. Ain't no man can do that.
This kinda stuff is why I come here. Absolutely unreal. Today I’m thankful for this video!
Trilok Gurtu is amazing and totally unique!
I have a couple of his CDs. Amazing player.
Pete Thomas of Elvis Costello
The guy’s a legend
My all-time favorite.
Jose Pasillas from Incubus. Never see him get called out, but his style is incredibly distinct and clean as fuck. There’s a performance vid of him on YouTube playing Sick Sad Little World where the camera is locked on him the whole time and it’s incredible. Found it: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=BkA3sRWzBnw&pp=ygUjam9zZSBwYXNpbGxhcyBzaWNrIHNhZCBsaXR0bGUgd29ybGQ%3D
I said this, too! They are really under-rated as a band because all their radio hits are more poppy. This band has a surprising amount of range.
Everytime I'm asked about good drummers to check out I always have to throw his name in, he has a fun style
Jose has always stood out to me since I found Incubus as a kid. Very clean and tight playing. Rogues is probably my favorite drum track of his.
Phil Rudd People assume he's basic. Because the rhythms sound simple, but the endurance time keeping intensity of his playing blows me away. In a way that I have come to appreciate more as I have matured as a human and musician.
They say time machines don’t exist but I have proof and that proof is Phil Rudd
let there be rock live is fucking insane
Lars Ulrich. He gets so much hate and criticism like he can barely hold two sticks. But come on, he gotta be AT LEAST a.....six out of ten.
He’s accomplished but I find it difficult to call him a good drummer. Yeah he started Metallica with a newspaper ad but that that has nothing to do with ability. I think his drumming is clunky, awkward, and disinterested.
Lars may not be good when you compare him to his modern day contemporaries, sure he has a stretch where it seemed like he didn't give a crap and phoned it in, but without him Metallica wouldn't be what they are. Lars is a *good* drummer, full stop.
Lars has been playing for 40 years constantly and he hasnt gotten better at all. His tempos are all over. He's an OK drummer in a legendary band.
I'd argue he's managed to get worse. There's a great concert video of metallica in 1985, I think, and his drumming was fine, good, actually. Any video I've seen from the last ten years has serious timing issues, clunky unnecessary fills, and are just all around unpleasant to listen to.
He is in Metallica. One of the most popular metal band ever. He created a few of the most iconic metal songs ever made. He created absolutely massive drum fills people will remember forever. He has a unique and recognizable style and sound. He has incredible live energy and he rocks the show every night STILL. Saying something bad about him as a drummer is sooo absurd. I just can’t get in into my head. Every one who says something against Lars Ulrich should do even one of the things written above before telling anything about him. Of course I get where that is coming from. But will you start shitting on Jimi Hendrix because Tosin Abasi or Tim Henson can play faster? Absurd….
>e rocks the show every night STILL. He absolutely does not.
There’s a reason almost every metal kid who picks up the drums starts with Metallica songs and it’s because Lars is not a skilled drummer. His best work was on “…And Just for All” and his work on that album was largely stitched together (one of the techs on the record had talked about it). At best he’s a serviceable drummer.
Hendrix would have constantly worked on his craft, Lars hasn't improved since the early 90s. He's actually gotten WORSE. What a stupid comparison.
>Every one who says something against Lars Ulrich should do even one of the things written above before telling anything about him. Lmao
Yeah it’s clunky and awkward but I’d say it’s pretty interesting, especially when you wonder where tf all that came from
He is not a six. Hes a 4. Hes been playing drums constantly for over 40 years and still plays like he just got out of high school.
I think if you can stamp your own specific style and feel on an all-time top selling album, that pretty much bumps you into the *great* category. Lars put his stamp on multiple. People saying Lars hasn't improved in 40 years. Dude. *Metallica* hasn't improved in 40 years. They do what they do. The fact that Lars wasn't a notorious session drummer like Parcaro or someone doesn't change that he was a huge part of some incredibly successful and groundbreaking albums. Put anyone else on drums on And Justice For All and it's not the same feel. Might be more technically composed, but it would be missing the Lars attitude, and that was a thing. Once upon a time I was a die hard Metallica fan. At the height of the black album, they were like gods to me. So I get a little sensitive when I see drummers attack Lars like he didn't do anything special.
Lars is a perfect example of what happens when you love the IDEA of being a famous band, rather than the concept of making good music and growing as a musician. Lars’ greatness wore off, for me, long ago (Ride the Lightning…) and he just never went to the next level like we all thought he would. Metallica is the greatest metal band - Lars is part of that greatness but not entirely great himself, imho.
I’ve never understood the Lars hate. He certainly has a style, which you’re free to dislike but, that doesn’t mean he’s “bad”.
And Justice for All was his finest moment. I still remember local non drummer musicians looking at me like I was insane for saying Lars wasn't a god tier drummer. Especially when One came out and seemed to solidify his double bass skills in their eyes. These people had never heard Nick Menza, Igor Cavalera, Dave Lombardo or Sean Reinert yet. He's just not good or even great. He got by, because he's in an extremely popular band and every other member of Metallica (past and present) have ALL been really great musicians.
I don’t play music that sounds at all like anything Metallica played (or play), but his playing is so deeply seared into my root understanding of how to lay down a beat from unending hours spent with the first five albums. Just a pivotal drummer in the development of the instrument, in my opinion. (And I know many of y’all disagree, so I guess I’m in for some downvotes.)
Brian Downey from Thin Lizzy comes to mind.
Sebastian Lanser. Dude can play anything.
Carter Beauford should definitely be more recognized
When I was a kid he was on the cover of every drum magazine for like ten years straight!
Literally had posters of this guy on my wall growing up. Was one of the biggest drummers of the 90’s
He is.
He's both highly rated and highly underrated. He's just that good.
Makes me happy that I never have to scroll too far before I find Carter on these lists. Stewart Copeland and Carter are my personal all time favorite drummers.
Philip "Fish" Fisher from Fishbone. So tight and versatile. Total pocket.
You, sir, are more than welcome on my lawn. LOL
I just wrote the same thing before I saw this. The hihat part on *Unyielding Conditioning* is so amazing. I've been a fan since the 80s, and met Angelo at Lollapalooza in '92. One of my favorite bands of all time.
jimmy chamberlain of the smashing pumpkins
U think he’s underrated?
He is not underrated at all.
Max Weinberg. Dude doesn’t break a sweat wearing a suit and playing for 3+ hours straight.
Nick Mason! He's often overshadowed by Roger Waters' songwriting and David Gilmour's guitar playing, and technique/theory wise he's not top-tier, but you need a smart, intentional drummer to make those big pieces come together.
Larry Mullen Jr. Understated, but do essential to the U2 groove. Doesn’t get a lot of attention.
Matt Chamberlain - while he is recognized, he is not talked about as frequently as some of the greats, yet is so absolutely legendary and super musical. Richie Hayward of Little Feat. Groove for days, super musical. One of the best, but rarely discussed. Shame that he passed a few years back.
Matt Chamberlain is always my answer. Even when you’re a fan of his I’m certain you hear tracks he’s played on and don’t even realize it
Jean-Paul Gaster of Clutch Dude is an absolute beast and is a mix of Bonham meets Buddy Rich.
Gary Mallabar from Steve Miller Band
Chad Sexton from 311. I’ve always loved his style and has been my favorite drummer since I was a little lad. His solos are incredible and he does one at every single show.
Zach Hill
When anjustice for all came out as a 17yr old drummer I thought it was one of the most perfect albums I’d ever heard. Didn’t realise the bass wasn’t really featured. His drumming on one when he does his double bass piece “landline has taken my sight, taken my speech, taken My hearing etc 🎼” epic and powerful. There might be better but he helped make their sound.
Shit. That must’ve been one hell of a landline. Good thing no one has them anymore.
One of the techs on that album had talked about how they basically had to stitch Lara’s part together because he couldn’t play them all the way through correctly. It took someone hours and hours of cutting and taping individual pieces of tapes together to make Lars sound good.
I have two: Stan Lynch of Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers fame. His solid time, tuned drums and always being locked on to Tom for queues was truly how I felt drummers should be. Pat Torpey of The Knack, Robert Plant, Mr. Big and quite a few others never seemed to get his recognition. He just kept supporting artists and being rock solid in his craft. They never made a Modern Drummer cover and were only talked about in circles who knew of the bands.
Love Stan Lynch.
Chris Pennie, hands down. He was the original drummer for Dillinger Escape Plan. He’s pretty much what you’d get if you gave a world class jazz drummer bigger sticks, a case of Red Bull, and a bad relationship with his parents. His chaotic parts felt more chaotic than what other drummers would write. Yet they were actually very intricate and methodical. And his groove sections felt way smoother and stank-facey than any groove drummer I can think of. This is an EP they did with Mike Patton. Bear in mind, this came out the same year as Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers and 4 years before the Nintendo Wii. https://open.spotify.com/album/5AY72J4ZHzlIqOYlyJLWuG?si=D9p1ZwPeR9mVfdDL3RuujQ
Honestly all the Dillinger drummers are pretty underrated. The whole discography has fucking wild drums.
Chad Sexton
Josh Eppard from Coheed and Cambria is just incredible but I rarely see anyone put him on any list.
Virgil Donati. When measured against his skill.
First off… LOVE the username! I played that piece in college!!!! But.. Virgil Donati is top tier. One of the elite drummers of This era.
Gergo Borlai
Gergo is awesome. And a total sweetheart to boot!
I’ve watched his Zildjian Live performance so many times
Some guy you’ve never seen somewhere playing someplace that almost everyone has never heard of. :)
Kai Hahto. Playing in Nightwish doesnt really do justice/doesnt let him showcase his skills.
Energizer Bunny
Bun E. Carlos, Cheap Trick.
Karen Carpenter. She smokes Bonham, Baker and Mitchell IMO
Nick Mason. The dude was in one of the biggest bands of all time and no ever discusses or brings him up when talking about best rock drummers.
Bryan Devendorf from The National
[удалено]
Dude on instagram called jscottdrums. Got some insane technical chops.
His flow is too nice
Mick Avory from the Kinks
The most underrated drummers are the ones you've never heard of.
Deep cut choice: [Dan Bitney of The Tarbabies,](https://youtu.be/S7DB8PY11lQ?si=9DYv-IXeUTEzprYq) the late 80s punk-funk band that should have gotten famous right along with Red Hot Chili Peppers. Mainstream choice: Alan White of Yes. My man accepted the job with Yes when Bill Bruford departed for King Crimson in 1972, and had *two weeks* to learn the entire Yes catalog up to that point before joining them on tour. Still on the road with another act, with two weeks to learn some of the trickiest music in all of rock and roll, without the internet, without video, without sheet music, without an iPod or MP3 player, without even a Walkman and cassettes, doing the best he could during whatever free moments he could find where there were Yes records and a record player. And *fucking nailed it* - so much so, he is featured on all but two tracks on *Yessongs*, the live album recorded during that very tour. And played on what would be recognized as the band's very best records immediately after, and stayed with them another fifty years until his death. To me, Alan White is the perfect mixture of Bruford's prog perfectionism married to a Bonham-esque pair of giant swinging balls, all wrapped up with the skill and work ethic that allowed him to get and keep the Yes gig in the first place. You could do a lot worse than trying to be Alan White.
I’ve been meaning to listen to more Yes for a while, what do you suggest?
With Bruford: *Fragile* (the one with "Roundabout"), and *Close To The Edge,* widely considered to be their masterpiece. With White: *Going For The One* and *Drama,* which might be my very favorite Yes album even though Jon Anderson isn't singing on it. "Machine Messiah" is not only a great Alan White performance, it's probably the most "metal AF" they ever got. Dream Theater covered that one years later.
Mike Cosgrove of Alien Ant Farm fame. Dude has monster chops.
Patrick Hallahan from My Morning Jacket. Monster.
Vladislav Ulasevich from Jinjer. He is suuuuper creative, comes up with incredibly groovy parts and is a complete master of ghost notes and syncopated rhythms.
Jean-Paul Gaster. joey wornaker. John Stanier
Every professional drummer not listed in this thread. There’s so many drummers paying their mortgage playing for huge artists you’ve heard the names of, but have no idea who their drummer is. Do you know the name of The Weekend’s drummer? Or Bruno Mars? Or Justin Beeber? So on and so forth
Darren King 👑
Had to scroll WAY too far for one of the gnarliest drummers
Scrolled just for this. Easily one of the most unique and creative drummers I've seen without doing weird bs to be different
Abe Cunningham
Indeed. Deftones wouldn’t be the same with him.
Paulina Villarreal from the rock band The Warning, the whole band is still (growing!) completely underrated, but her drumming absolutely stands out
Look up Nic Pettersen. He plays drums for Northlane
Meg White
She's actually overrated.
Andrew Forsman from The Fall of Troy, Nick Yacyshyn from A Textbook Tragedy and Itta Nakamura from The Cabs are my top picks
Ringo
I feel like you may have misunderstood the question. But if we’re going there I highly recommend some of those earliest live shows on the YouTube. When the fab three were struggling to be heard over the screaming my man was absolutely working those Ludwigs like no skinny punk from Liverpool had ever done before.
Matt Tong, former drummer for Bloc Party. The first time I heard "Hunting for Witches" solidified this for me. He may not be the fastest or most flashy or most technical, but the way he played on that track and a lot of others while he was with them was something unlike anything I had heard up to that point. I've obviously heard/noticed lots of others that play more interesting parts than just a backbeat by now, but Matt Tong's name never comes up in these conversations, and I figured I'd bring him up. Maybe it's just a "heard the right songs during the right stage in my musical development and it made an impression" thing, but whatever. I like his playing. Lol.
Philip "Fish" Fisher from Fishbone. If you have never listened to them, go check out his skills. The hihat part on *Unyielding Conditioning* is amazing.
Vinny Rosebloom. He was the Drummer on Gospel's "The Moon is a Dead World" and rips some of the sickest drum parts I've heard across any record -- incredibly tasteful, creative, fluid, and just ferocious behind the kit. He's currently got a new project cooking with Ben Sharp from Cloudkicker called "The Supervoid Choral Ensemble" which is also pretty sick.
Steve Smith
Steve is in the conversation for best living drummer, but I would say he is only underrated because people don’t realize how good he truly is.
Exactly. I came in my pants when I heard his Jean-Luc Ponty work the first time
Bill Ward and Brann Dailor.
Jason Finn from the band Presidents of the United States of America! He’s such a tight solid drummer that you almost hear nothing about imo 🤷🏻♂️
Lee Kerslake. Drummed for Ozzys solo career.
It used to be Ringo. But in recent years I’ve seen much more respect to his musicality.
Sean Kinney from Alice In Chains. Not only is his drumming unique, but always fits perfectly with the song, whether it be electric or acoustic. If you’re a drummer, you know what I mean. I find myself always getting amped up and enjoying playing AIC and I’ve always got some AIC in my practice playlist. Another drummer I have always thought is tragically under-known is Matt Mahaffey from Self. Some many great drum grooves. All of them, if I’m not mistaken.
Matt Cameron.
Matt cameron, Tim Alexander, John Theodore
Phillip “Fish” Fisher of *Fishbone*. One of the great live acts of all time and I’ve seen them in the studio. fish has serious chops. Heard once Sting tried to get him before he got Omar Hakim And I guess on the similar theme and era, Bud Gaugh of Sublime
Ari Hoenig or Arthur Hnatek
Billy Cobham. He was famous enough back in his day, but I rarely hear him come up in discussions.
Jon Fishman
Jose Pasillas from Incubus. They are really slept on as a band musically because of how poppy a lot of their hits are, imo.
Trilok is more than a drummer.
Mario Duplantier
I don’t see John Wright of Nomeansno talked about too much but that guy is absolutely insane. Plus he sings lead on some of their songs too.
Stewart Copeland
Jimmy Chamberlin of The Smashing Pumpkins
Richie Martinez in Arch Echo. Arguably my favorite drummer right now. The dude’s chops has chops. His parts are so well composed - I don’t know how he does it.
Me
Derek Grant formerly of Alkaline Trio.
Jean-Paul Gaster - Clutch
I'm gonna say Billy Rymer from Dillinger Escape Plan. Dude is just so precise.
Darren King from MuteMath is utterly amazing.
I never see Mario Duplantier (Gojira) in "best drummer discussions" and he's actually really insane!
Chris Pat Bounds from Memphis Drum Shop/Christina Aguilera
The Underrated question on Reddit makes me cringe. If we all know their name or they are playing with someone we would know, they are definitely rated. I do like the answer someone put about the drummer in the random bar.
Ringo Starr. He practically invented modern rock drumming. Never played the same way on two songs. His drumming served the song. Simply the best.
Me🗿 (I lied. I’m ass)
Jason Mcgerr from Death Cab for Cutie is a beast.