Former Slipknot drummer Joey Jordison (who currently performs in VIMIC and Sinsaenum) provided Metal Hammer with his own personal list of the ’10 best drummers of all time’. While there’s of course the old standards such as John Bonham (Led Zeppelin,) Neal Peart (Rush) and Bill Ward (ex-Black Sabbath,) there’s also some surprisingly contemporary mentions as well, such as Mastodon‘s Brann Dailor. One of his choices that will likely draw the most discussion however is his inclusion of Metallica‘s Lars Ulrich. Of that, he offered:
“A lot of people give this guy shit, but they need to shut their fucking mouths because Lars Ulrich is probably one of the best and most innovative drummers ever. I got to tour with the guy and I watched him play every night from behind the kit, and his double bass was completely on point. He’s also one of the best businessmen that keeps this type of music going; he’s the heart of the whole fucking community, because Metallica are the kings.
There’ll never be anybody that will match them, and Lars is a huge, huge part of that. Without that guy, and the influence of that band, I wouldn’t even be sitting here talking to you. Lars is one of my gods and he always will be. That guy fucking rules, period. So when I got the call asking if I’d fill in for him at Download Festival, of course I knew everything because he’s one of my hugest influences.
I remember playing to his shit all the time growing up and trying to be as good as him. Our technical abilities are way different but I’ll still never be as good as that guy, and getting to sit in his stool was one of the biggest fucking dreams come true. What an honour. I love that dude.”
You can find his whole list, complete with explanations for each choice, over at Metal Hammer.
