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Top 5 Drummers of the Decade
By: Aaron Kalor5.) Josh Freese (A Perfect Circle, Nine Inch Nails…)
You simply can’t go wrong with Josh Freese. Talk about the all time greatest session drummer. He has appeared on everything from Avril Levine to Nine Inch Nails. And with each project, Freese locks in with musicians he’s never met like a drummer who’s been with a group for 15 years. Live, Freese meshed with Trent Reznor’s drum machine seamlessly. With A Perfect Circle, Freese takes subtly and incredible complexity to unexplored levels.
Best Album: Thirteen Step
Best Track: The Outsider
4.) Meg White (The White Stripes)
For a lot of people, Meg White would be on a list of the worst mainstream drummers of the decade. Many said the same about Keith Moon when The Who first became popular. Compare The Who’s Face Dances to Who’s Next and tell me Keith Moon was not the lifeblood of the band. The same can be said for Meg White. Without her, the White Stripes would be boring and unoriginal. Just compare the Raconteurs to the White Stripes to get an idea of White’s importance. Moon and White would never be accused of being just a metronome. Their unconventional technique added elements to their respective bands that few drummers can replicate.
Best Album: Elephant
Best Track: Black Math
3.) Brad Wilk (Rage Against the Machine, Audioslave)
With Rage Against the Machine, Wilk simulates the beats of Dr. Dre and Ghetto Boys era gangster rap better than anyone. With Audioslave, Wilk took simplicity and feel to a new level. He always plays exactly what the song needs, never distracting from the powerhouse rhythm section surrounding him.
Best Album: Audioslave (self-titled)
Best Track: Show Me How To Live
2.) Danny Carey (Tool)
For raw drumming ability, there is no comparison. I could listen to an entire album of Tool drum tracks, and it would never get boring. Carey doesn’t lay down groves, he composes complex orchestras drum behind the drums. His drum pieces seem to take on a melody of their own. Toying with complex time signatures most drummers would never dream of, Carey bangs out tribal war rhythms with the feel Miles Davis’ Kind of Blue.
Best Album: Lateralus
Best Track: Lateralus
1.) Dave Grohl (QOTSA…)
Hand’s down, the greatest drum album of the decade is Songs for the Deaf by Queens of the Stone Age. It is a 13 track freak out from behind the drums with no wasted strokes and ridiculous intensity. Just listing the artists Grohl has drummed for this decade is impressive on its own: Queens of the Stone Age, Nine Inch Nails, The Prodigy, Juliette and the Licks, Probot, Them Crooked Vultures. Live, Grohl’s energy is unmatched. Look up live Queens of the Stone Age videos and you will see what I mean. Lets hope Grohl spends more time with sticks than a guitar pick in his hands this coming decade.
Best Album: Songs for the Deaf
Best Track: No One Knows