DRUMMER KERANG, KUTRANG..DE.DE.DEI KA NGAISANG VELO. AHLA MILA MAWITAKA VAWREM THIAMHI DRUMMER THACHU ANIMAI!! When new technologies arrived, metal drumming standards entered the realm of the physically impossible. Today, many bands write songs using computers without even rehearsing them. When an English band recently came to Mr. Mynetts studio, none of the musicians could play the parts theyd written, he said. The bands bass- drum tracks—the foundation of metal songs —had to be digitally constructed. Some bands say they like the cold, inhuman quality of machine sounds. But the trend raises hackles among purists, because metal aficionados put a premium on authenticity and virtuosity, and sometimes dont know that they are being duped. Paradoxically, to make drum tracks sound more human, metal producers deliberately introduce mistakes into their own programming. They cover it up, Mr. Mynett says. The idea is to make people think the virtuoso is real. Bands themselves dont deny using machines. Kaizen, a French metal band, forges its songs with instrumental discipline and devastating clockwork guitar rhythmics, says its Facebook page, but also taps a Clavia ddrum4 module, a synthesizer for drums. We are human, not machines, so its good to use a bit of technology to make better records, 30-year-old drummer Fabien Rault explains. This sleight of hand can cause embarrassing missteps live, but bands often rely on some computer drum tracks for concerts, too—especially if performances are recorded for a live album, says producer Russ Russell, 44, from Northamptonshire, in central England. There are some live albums where theres not that much live on it. Rick Magill, a 25-year-old metal fan at Mr. Hoglans recent sold-out performance with Testament here in Silver Spring, Md., was surprised to hear some metal bands fake their drum tracks. Maybe part of that comes from the pressure to be perfect, he says. People are like, if we cant do it, well cheat. To be sure, it isnt easy being a fast drummer. It is like running a marathon while screaming, says Mr. Hoglan. Mr. Hoglans foot- drumming, which involves stomping on pedals that hit bass drums, is, he estimates, equivalent to running 15 miles a show, and his top foot-speed is 240 beats a minute. Mike Mangini, the 50-year- old drummer for progressive-metal band Dream Theater, used to be the worlds fastest drummer, with a record for hand-drumming of 1,203 b.p.m.—as fast as some hummingbirds beat their wings. He was beaten in Tennessee in July by 23-year-old Tom Grosset at the Worlds Fastest Drummer competition, a contest in Nashville founded by Boo McAfee, an inventor of a gizmo called a Drumometer that clocks drummers speeds. More metal-heads are bucking the trend. Fenriz, the drummer of Norways Darkthrone, a group known for sounding like they are recording in a garage with one microphone, says bands that overuse computers are losers. Anything that makes a bass drum sound less bass-y is ridiculous, he says. Some of metals elder statesmen are encouraging drummers to slow down. Dave Lombardo, former drummer of Slayer, has removed the parts of his drum set that once helped him play superfast and thinks todays metal drummers sound sterile. Theyre missing the whole point, he says. Youre going to lose the feeling if you try to achieve [speed] in an artificial way. Rick Allen, Def Leppards drummer, has found new feeling in slowing down a little. On New Years Eve 1984, he lost his left arm after speeding and crashing his Corvette in England. I remember saying, Im a drummer, and Ive lost my arm. Using a custom- made electronic drum set, the then-21-year-old Mr. Allen was able to play the bands songs without hitting as fast or hard— and barely missed a beat. The bands next record, 1987s Hysteria, was one of the biggest-selling albums of the 1980s. When singer Joe Elliott recently suggested performing Good Morning Freedom, an unreleased song from the bands earliest days that zooms at 160 b.p.m., Mr. Allen got nervous. I was like, youre kidding. He ended up removing beats so the song didnt require him to play so fast. These days, for Mr. Allen, drumming is more meditative than manic. As soon as I start to feel tension when Im playing, I back off, he says. I think, Im not ready yet. Then, I relax.
Posted on: Sat, 18 Jan 2014 05:48:42 +0000