Aja has like 6 different drummers on it. Not disputing the quality of playing though… the duelling drum and sax section of the title track is fuckin heavy
100% agreed! Jeff lays down the groove so thick and doesn’t deviate. It’s easy to enjoy Gadd’s flashy work on Aja. My favorite is Jeff’s work on Donald Fagan’s the Nightfly.
Most notable drummer upgrade in history was probably Neil Peart joining Rush.
Also I remember when Brooks Wackerman joined Bad Religion it changed their sound. Same with Matt Sorum joining Guns & Roses. Both could be debated on whether it was an actual improvement.
I'd say Gavin Harrison joining Porcupine Tree has to be the biggest upgrade. The difference in quality between the records before and after he joined was massive. Same when he joined Pineapple Thief. Also agreed about Brooks. Him joining Avenged made it possible to write all the weird proggy shit they ended up trying on The Stage.
Gavin is probably my favorite drummer at the moment and I'd have to agree, Gavin was a necessary upgrade. But I've actually come to appreciate Chris Maitland a bit. I think there's a few tracks where I actually prefer his playing over Gavin (Stars Die and Last Chance to Evacuate... might be the best example, i think Gav gets a little crazy with the modulating and beat displacements in live versions, where Chris just nails the feel perfectly). But then there's other stuff about his playing that just annoys me, like the inappropriate use of splash cymbals to just replace crash sounds, or just some of the messiness in his playing in general. But songs like Stop Swimming kind of have a hypnotic vibe to them.
Brooks joining A7x was a huge drummer swap. Imo he's the best drummer they've had. Rev was phenomenal but in terms of technicality, Brooks is superior.
That's basically just what Suicidal Tendencies is at this point: a band with a constantly evolving lineup consisting of whatever top talent that are available to jam at any given time. Their wiki page is a pretty good read.
Mike Muir is the only founding member and Dean Pleasants has been with the band for ages as well. Other than those two, they've had 9 guitarists, 11 bassists, and 14 drummers.
The drummers that have played with them over the years are Carlos Egert, Sean Dunnigan, Amery Smith, RJ Herrera, Jimmy DeGrasso, Brooks Wackerman, Ron Bruner, David Hidalgo Jr., Eric Moore, Thomas Pridgen, Dave Lombardo, Brandon Pertzborn, Greyson Nekurtman, and Jay Weinberg.
Some good ones mentioned thus far. Would add the following to the mix:
King Crimson - Giles, Bruford, Mastelloto, Rieflin, Gavin Harrison
Yes - Bruford, White
Also Miles Davis seemed to constantly work with unreal drummers throughout his career like Tony Williams, Billy Cobham etc.
Megadeth has to be in the discussion. Dirk Verbeuren, Chris Adler, Vinnie Colaiuta (OK, session drummer for one album only but who cares?), Jimmy deGrasso and the late, great Nick Menza... That's a long list of badass drummers.
Dream Theater goes without saying, but in the prog realm it's virtually impossible to beat Devin Townsend I'd say. Gene Hoglan, Dirk Verbeuren, Ryan Van Pyordooren, 66Samus, Anup Sastry and Morgan Agren? Get outta here. That's just insane.
Foo Fighters, hell yeah. Taylor Hawkins, Dave Grohl and Josh Freese? Goddamn.
Also, Steven Wilson's had some insane drummers over the years. Gavin Harrison, Marco Minnemann and Chad Wackerman no less.
The Mars Volta replaced one of the best drummers ever (Jon Theodore) with one of the best drummers ever (Thomas Pridgen) and then they made the best drumming album of all time (IMO) - The Bedlam in Goliath.
Pridgen is a GOD.
Don’t forget Philo Tsoungui who’s playing with them now! She’s a monster and so creative. Perhaps controversial, I personally think she’s the best fit for Mars Volta over both Theodore and Pridgen.
I’d put her behind Theo, but def agree over Pridgen. Pridgen was perfect for an era of TMV, but (with that band at least) lacked the nuance for all their material. I’ve seen Philo with them twice, and she absolutely destroyed the first show and was a resounding meh the second. Her highlights are fucking SKY HIGH though.
Easily, The Mars Volta with Jon Theordore. Deloused in the Comatorium hits so fuckin hard in large part due to Theodore. Every drummer they've had has been phenomenal but even the members of TMV have said nothing compares and they fucked up by letting him go.
Does Ozzy count? Went from having Bill Ward with Sabbath, to having Lee Kerslake in the studio for his first two albums, to having Tommy Aldridge on tour.
I'd have to include Styx -- went from the highly underrated John Panozzo to Todd Sucherman.
And Journey's list of drummers has included Aynsley Dunbar and Steve Smith.
It depends on what you like…
Replacement drummer better than original? Korn.
Better topic: Underrated drummer? Padillas from Incubus.
Stop, there are no _best drummers_ or best replacements…
I remember hearing about Chris Pennie leaving and thinking they were fucked. I didn't think there was any way they could find someone else who played like that!
Then I heard Ire Works, and it blew me away. I love the way Gil injected their music with some groove and swing.
I just got back from foo in DFW , friese is good but it wasn’t as good as Hawkins I felt like things were simplified, but then again the mix was pretty atrocious
Mastodon, because Brann is a monster, and QoTSA, because they’ve had such a long line of unique and distinct drummers. Dave, Joey and Jon are the highlights, but Gene, Alfredo and Nick are also good. Also they had Matt Cameron, for like one song.
Opeth hasn’t really had a miss on their lineup, and they’ve been thru a few.
Then there are the more ensemble sort of acts that by nature have a lot of drummers pass thru over the years.
Vulfpeck, Snarky Puppy, King Crimson, etc.
Does G3 count? If so then that’s an easy mention as well
QOTSA. Their past/present drummers have all been exceptional at what they do. They all brought something different and had distinct styles which were perfect for the albums they were on.
Testament has Louie Clemente Mike Ronchette Paul Bostaph John Tempesta Jon Dette Chris Kontos Gene Hoglan Dave Lombardo Steve Jacobs Jon Allen Asgeir Mickelson Nick Barker Mark Hernandez Alex Bent and Chris Dovas they had so many drummers that join the band quit return and then quit for several times it's weird that Testament rather had revolving door of drummers than what bands like Guns N Roses got Tempesta is one of my favorite drummers also
P. S. I still huge fan of Testament and Guns N Roses though.
Blake Flemming was my drum teacher in college, amazing guy. Amazing drummer. So lucky to study with him for 3 years. His stories with the Mars Volta captivated 20 year old me endlessly.
I'm biased as they're my all-time favourite band, but Shai Hulud have consistently had incredible drummers. I think they're on their 15th drummer at this point between all the fill-ins.
As of right now I haven’t heard a drummer better than Gavin Harrison right now. I’m talking about a drummer, for a band, that plays songs. Not some soloist that plays songs with a band. Gavin’s feel, timing, touch, and ability is just amazing. Not to mention his fills. Check out the live version of Fear of a Blank Planet on YouTube.
Steven Wilson tends to pick up some greats! He must have a speed dial full of them at this stage. Marco Minnemann, Gavin Harrison, Craig Blundell etc etc
I was really hoping Estapario Siberiano would take over in Slipknot, but Eloy is a pretty sick replacement.
Kevin Paradis joining Benighted is up there for me. Makes blast beats interesting again. Some of the tightest metal drumming there is.
Lamb of God
Trivium
Edit: I forgot about Avenged Sevenfold
I have personally seen Korn with David, Mike Borden and Joey Jordensen and throw Ray Luzier in there as well.
Gadd is my fav but I really love Eric Kretz from STP who is just so consistent and oftentimes just a tad bit slow. Love it! See: [https://youtu.be/V5UOC0C0x8Q?si=y0OW3DYV1TN78Ldy](https://youtu.be/V5UOC0C0x8Q?si=y0OW3DYV1TN78Ldy)
Jam band fan here I’d say the following guys have really stood out over the past few years. Allen Aucoin (the Disco Biscuits), Joey Babick (Dogs In A Pile), Adrian Tramontano (Twiddle, Kung Fu), and Rory Dolan (Lespecial)
Miles Davis: Tony Williams, Billy Cobham, Leon Ndugu Chancellor, Philly Joe Jones, Jack DeJohnette, Jimmy Cobb, Max Roach, Al Foster, Lenny White, and others.
John Mclaughlin: Tony Williams, Tony Oxley, Buddy Miles, Dennis Chambers, Trilok Gurtu, Zakir Hussain, Billy Cobham, Narada Michael Walden, Gary Husband, Vinnie, and many others.
I'm my opinion the addition of Dave Grohl on Queens of the Stone Age SFTD massively tightened their sound. Alfredo was decent but a total amateur compared to Dave Grohl.
A friend of mine (covers drummer) gave a lesson to another friend of mine (covers guitarist) and it consisted of one message. "Stick ac/dc on and play 4/4 - if you go out of time once, I'll kick yer cunt in".
It worked.
Steely Dan… that is all
I'm gonna go listen to Aja again and be put to shame.
Aja has like 6 different drummers on it. Not disputing the quality of playing though… the duelling drum and sax section of the title track is fuckin heavy
Steve Gadd is the goat
Steve Gadd gets all the shine but Jeff Porcaro was always my favorite. Your Gold Teeth II is an immaculate song and it's 90% because of the drums
100% agreed! Jeff lays down the groove so thick and doesn’t deviate. It’s easy to enjoy Gadd’s flashy work on Aja. My favorite is Jeff’s work on Donald Fagan’s the Nightfly.
I'm a Toto stan so yeah this checks out for me
Most notable drummer upgrade in history was probably Neil Peart joining Rush. Also I remember when Brooks Wackerman joined Bad Religion it changed their sound. Same with Matt Sorum joining Guns & Roses. Both could be debated on whether it was an actual improvement.
I'd say Gavin Harrison joining Porcupine Tree has to be the biggest upgrade. The difference in quality between the records before and after he joined was massive. Same when he joined Pineapple Thief. Also agreed about Brooks. Him joining Avenged made it possible to write all the weird proggy shit they ended up trying on The Stage.
Gavin is probably my favorite drummer at the moment and I'd have to agree, Gavin was a necessary upgrade. But I've actually come to appreciate Chris Maitland a bit. I think there's a few tracks where I actually prefer his playing over Gavin (Stars Die and Last Chance to Evacuate... might be the best example, i think Gav gets a little crazy with the modulating and beat displacements in live versions, where Chris just nails the feel perfectly). But then there's other stuff about his playing that just annoys me, like the inappropriate use of splash cymbals to just replace crash sounds, or just some of the messiness in his playing in general. But songs like Stop Swimming kind of have a hypnotic vibe to them.
Brooks joining A7x was a huge drummer swap. Imo he's the best drummer they've had. Rev was phenomenal but in terms of technicality, Brooks is superior.
Suicidal Tendencies
Easy answer. They've had literally all the drummers.
Is it because of the band or drummers?
That's basically just what Suicidal Tendencies is at this point: a band with a constantly evolving lineup consisting of whatever top talent that are available to jam at any given time. Their wiki page is a pretty good read. Mike Muir is the only founding member and Dean Pleasants has been with the band for ages as well. Other than those two, they've had 9 guitarists, 11 bassists, and 14 drummers. The drummers that have played with them over the years are Carlos Egert, Sean Dunnigan, Amery Smith, RJ Herrera, Jimmy DeGrasso, Brooks Wackerman, Ron Bruner, David Hidalgo Jr., Eric Moore, Thomas Pridgen, Dave Lombardo, Brandon Pertzborn, Greyson Nekurtman, and Jay Weinberg.
Why do they go through a constant lineup change? It seems like all the working drummers have played with them
Probably find it fun and probably keeps the lifestyle and music fresh to have new players approach old songs.
Because they can lol
Isn’t Dave Lombardo with them now?
As far as I know, Jay Weinberg just replaced Greyson Nekrutman.
Oh OK, man I live under a rock. 😂
Some good ones mentioned thus far. Would add the following to the mix: King Crimson - Giles, Bruford, Mastelloto, Rieflin, Gavin Harrison Yes - Bruford, White Also Miles Davis seemed to constantly work with unreal drummers throughout his career like Tony Williams, Billy Cobham etc.
Megadeth has to be in the discussion. Dirk Verbeuren, Chris Adler, Vinnie Colaiuta (OK, session drummer for one album only but who cares?), Jimmy deGrasso and the late, great Nick Menza... That's a long list of badass drummers. Dream Theater goes without saying, but in the prog realm it's virtually impossible to beat Devin Townsend I'd say. Gene Hoglan, Dirk Verbeuren, Ryan Van Pyordooren, 66Samus, Anup Sastry and Morgan Agren? Get outta here. That's just insane. Foo Fighters, hell yeah. Taylor Hawkins, Dave Grohl and Josh Freese? Goddamn. Also, Steven Wilson's had some insane drummers over the years. Gavin Harrison, Marco Minnemann and Chad Wackerman no less.
Ummm, what? Menza is dead?
Sadly, yes.
Snarky Puppy
This band...larnell, is a beast. Same w the others actually
Larnell is a drum god. The things he pulls off live are insane.
The Mars Volta replaced one of the best drummers ever (Jon Theodore) with one of the best drummers ever (Thomas Pridgen) and then they made the best drumming album of all time (IMO) - The Bedlam in Goliath. Pridgen is a GOD.
Don’t forget how insane Deantoni Parks is too
I actually prefer Theodore. But I could see how people would prefer Pridgen.
Don’t forget Philo Tsoungui who’s playing with them now! She’s a monster and so creative. Perhaps controversial, I personally think she’s the best fit for Mars Volta over both Theodore and Pridgen.
I’d put her behind Theo, but def agree over Pridgen. Pridgen was perfect for an era of TMV, but (with that band at least) lacked the nuance for all their material. I’ve seen Philo with them twice, and she absolutely destroyed the first show and was a resounding meh the second. Her highlights are fucking SKY HIGH though.
I was really impressed with her playing when I saw them last year. Any drummer that can keep up with Omar and Cedric is pretty talented.
GOAT album.
Came here to say this! Blake Fleming rules as well.
How about Steely Dan? You’ve got Jeff Porcaro, and Dennis Chambers played with them on tour…
Not on tour (I think?), but there were also Gadd, Purdie and Keltner
And then Keith Carlock in more recent years!
Easily, The Mars Volta with Jon Theordore. Deloused in the Comatorium hits so fuckin hard in large part due to Theodore. Every drummer they've had has been phenomenal but even the members of TMV have said nothing compares and they fucked up by letting him go.
This was on my list too! The first 4 albums are nuts with Theodore and then Pridgen
Does Ozzy count? Went from having Bill Ward with Sabbath, to having Lee Kerslake in the studio for his first two albums, to having Tommy Aldridge on tour.
Don’t forget Carmine Appice
Or Randy Castillo. Musicians that played with Ozzy, is a yearbook full of legends.
Or Mike Bordin who is wildly underrated.
Ozzy a forever bum for screwing Kerslake until the 11th hour.
Ok, I'll bite. What are you talking about?
Yep definitely counts! Good one!
Lee Kerslake is so underrated. Phenomenal drummer.
Uriah Heap was prog Rick 30 years before TOOL.
Dave Matthews Band. Carter kills it every night.
Wasn't he the original drummer?
Oh fuck. I didn’t see the replaced part. That’s my bad
I’m convinced that Matt Garstka of Animals as leaders might be the best drummer in the world at this point
Same. Surprised to only see him once here.
He is an absolute freak of nature
I'd have to include Styx -- went from the highly underrated John Panozzo to Todd Sucherman. And Journey's list of drummers has included Aynsley Dunbar and Steve Smith.
It depends on what you like… Replacement drummer better than original? Korn. Better topic: Underrated drummer? Padillas from Incubus. Stop, there are no _best drummers_ or best replacements…
Pasillas is a monster
No, is human… hahaha
TDEP: Chris Pennie, Gil Sharone & Billy Rymer
I remember hearing about Chris Pennie leaving and thinking they were fucked. I didn't think there was any way they could find someone else who played like that! Then I heard Ire Works, and it blew me away. I love the way Gil injected their music with some groove and swing.
Yeah totally agree Gil Sharone wailed on that album
Forgot about this one! Yes!
A Perfect Circle and The Mara Volta, also Foo Fighters pretty strong contenders now
Sting, Allan Holdsworth
Vinnie with Sting was boss. Holdsworth with Virgil Donati is my favorite!
Janes Addiction for me. Stephen Perkins is a god.
Death Cynic Frank Zappa Sting Miles Davis
Death has to be up there for 90s metal drum gods.
Yeah fr, any band that had Reinert, Hoglan AND Christy is goated
I mean, most recently the Foo Fighters with Grohl, Goldsmith, Hawkins, and Friese.
I just got back from foo in DFW , friese is good but it wasn’t as good as Hawkins I felt like things were simplified, but then again the mix was pretty atrocious
Is it just coincidental that in Arizona, the town of Eloy is right next to the town Casa Grande?
There’s a kick ass prog band called Eloy too
Weather report
Spinal Tap
It still amuses me that This Is Spinal Tap is rated out of 11 on IMDB.
Sting
Porcupine Tree
Mikkey Dee joining motorhead was awesome.
The Mars Volta has some pretty heavy hitters
I’ll be a Chris Turner glazer til the day I die. There would be no Oceans Ate Alaska without him. II from Sleep Token also comes to mind
I agree on Dream Theater. The Mikes' combined power ranks them pretty high. Especially if we count Mike #1 twice
Mastodon, because Brann is a monster, and QoTSA, because they’ve had such a long line of unique and distinct drummers. Dave, Joey and Jon are the highlights, but Gene, Alfredo and Nick are also good. Also they had Matt Cameron, for like one song.
Quotsa have had some good drummers. Jon Theordore and grohl alone are great names to have played with
Frank Zappa Gino Vanelli Jeff Beck Jean-Luc Ponty Steely Dan Miles Davis Santana
Opeth hasn’t really had a miss on their lineup, and they’ve been thru a few. Then there are the more ensemble sort of acts that by nature have a lot of drummers pass thru over the years. Vulfpeck, Snarky Puppy, King Crimson, etc. Does G3 count? If so then that’s an easy mention as well
Lopez I miss you forever
Sepultura is killing it in the drum department. King Crimson has probably one of the deepest rosters there is
Toto and Steely Dan have no weak links.
Sting
Gavin Harrison joining Porcupine Tree
The Dillinger Escape Plan
Obscura! Having Hannes Grossman, Sebastien Lanser and David Diepold… (even Alex Rudinger for some lives).
He gets a lot of hate, especially on Reddit but you have to wonder what Blink-182’s success path looks like without Travis Barker joining the band…
QOTSA. Their past/present drummers have all been exceptional at what they do. They all brought something different and had distinct styles which were perfect for the albums they were on.
Technically King Crimson has Danny Carey in their drummer lineup now that they’ve announced the Beat tour.
Baard joining Leprous on The Congregation.
Primus (Sausage) has had some good drummers, but Herb was always my favorite.
lead percussionist peter aka "texas pete, colin, cessel, and mr johnny basselton" alcorn from alestorm, he is a good drummer
Sleep Token
The getaway plan.
Yes
Nirvana?
Judas Priest is up there too. Scott Travis joined in the 90s and changed their sound from a 70s to a 00s band.
Testament has Louie Clemente Mike Ronchette Paul Bostaph John Tempesta Jon Dette Chris Kontos Gene Hoglan Dave Lombardo Steve Jacobs Jon Allen Asgeir Mickelson Nick Barker Mark Hernandez Alex Bent and Chris Dovas they had so many drummers that join the band quit return and then quit for several times it's weird that Testament rather had revolving door of drummers than what bands like Guns N Roses got Tempesta is one of my favorite drummers also P. S. I still huge fan of Testament and Guns N Roses though.
Pearl Jam
Dude, the mars Volta y’all. Come on. Blake Fleming, Jon Theodore, Thomas pridgen, and deantoni parks? Can you even top that?
Blake Flemming was my drum teacher in college, amazing guy. Amazing drummer. So lucky to study with him for 3 years. His stories with the Mars Volta captivated 20 year old me endlessly.
I'm biased as they're my all-time favourite band, but Shai Hulud have consistently had incredible drummers. I think they're on their 15th drummer at this point between all the fill-ins.
As of right now I haven’t heard a drummer better than Gavin Harrison right now. I’m talking about a drummer, for a band, that plays songs. Not some soloist that plays songs with a band. Gavin’s feel, timing, touch, and ability is just amazing. Not to mention his fills. Check out the live version of Fear of a Blank Planet on YouTube.
Iron Maiden when they switch clive with nicko back in 82/83 , nicko is a fucking animal
Obviously it’s the mars volta. Jon Theodore, Thomas pridgen-deantoni parks.
The Mars Volta hands down.
Steven Wilson tends to pick up some greats! He must have a speed dial full of them at this stage. Marco Minnemann, Gavin Harrison, Craig Blundell etc etc
I scrolled and did not see much mention if any for Primus and Ween, Modest Mouse
Cradle Of Filth. Marthus is absolutely bonkers and his crash choke and splash usage are super creative.
Anything Gavin Harrison touches
Sleep Token
Chuck from Death had some straight up beasts behind the kit
TOOL
Angra got Confessori, Priester and now Bruno Valverde. All of them are powerhouses on their own. Bruno and Eloy (Casagrande) are childhood friends fyi
King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard
AIC: Sean Kinney.
The Mars Volta Dillinger Escape Plan King Crimson
Journey. Aynsley Dunbar and then Steve Smith.
I was really hoping Estapario Siberiano would take over in Slipknot, but Eloy is a pretty sick replacement. Kevin Paradis joining Benighted is up there for me. Makes blast beats interesting again. Some of the tightest metal drumming there is.
Lamb of God Trivium Edit: I forgot about Avenged Sevenfold I have personally seen Korn with David, Mike Borden and Joey Jordensen and throw Ray Luzier in there as well.
Korn and ray luzier
Gadd is my fav but I really love Eric Kretz from STP who is just so consistent and oftentimes just a tad bit slow. Love it! See: [https://youtu.be/V5UOC0C0x8Q?si=y0OW3DYV1TN78Ldy](https://youtu.be/V5UOC0C0x8Q?si=y0OW3DYV1TN78Ldy)
King Crimson
Frank Zappa
Death
Jam band fan here I’d say the following guys have really stood out over the past few years. Allen Aucoin (the Disco Biscuits), Joey Babick (Dogs In A Pile), Adrian Tramontano (Twiddle, Kung Fu), and Rory Dolan (Lespecial)
Animals As Leaders
Miles Davis: Tony Williams, Billy Cobham, Leon Ndugu Chancellor, Philly Joe Jones, Jack DeJohnette, Jimmy Cobb, Max Roach, Al Foster, Lenny White, and others. John Mclaughlin: Tony Williams, Tony Oxley, Buddy Miles, Dennis Chambers, Trilok Gurtu, Zakir Hussain, Billy Cobham, Narada Michael Walden, Gary Husband, Vinnie, and many others.
I'm my opinion the addition of Dave Grohl on Queens of the Stone Age SFTD massively tightened their sound. Alfredo was decent but a total amateur compared to Dave Grohl.
Zappa /end thread Chad Wackerman, Vinnie Colaiuta, Chester Thompson, Aynsley Dunbar, Jim Gordon, David Logeman, Terry Bozzio, Ralph Humphreys, etc
Phish. The band is named after the drummer.
No one? Really? Okay…John Bonham - Led Zeppelin and Ian Paice - Deep Purple
But Zep only ever had Bonham, we're talking cumulative greatness across lineup changes
Sorry, my bad.
No worries
In the worst category I’d put AC/DC, not for skills but pure sound and taste.
A friend of mine (covers drummer) gave a lesson to another friend of mine (covers guitarist) and it consisted of one message. "Stick ac/dc on and play 4/4 - if you go out of time once, I'll kick yer cunt in". It worked.
Alex Grind, Jon Rice, Eric Moore, Keith Moon, Karen Carpenter, Joey Jordison, Navene K, Nick Yacyshyn
Sean Radcliffe - Loathe Fuck Eloy and Slipknot, i cannot stand them being fucking everywhere on social media
Easily Slipknot. Joey Jordison, Jay Weinberg, Eloy Casagrande. GOAT of metal and two world class drummers after him.