Greatest Drummers

You know the drill. No particular order. All I do is provide you with a list of the best in the biz. True hard rock/heavy metal hard hitters of the skins. Prize percussionists who have rocked us time and time again. Just see if you agree.

1. Neil Peart- A man of mystery who has rarely if ever done on-camera interviews. That's just part of his genius. Not only did he once possess the world's largest drum set; Neil is the primary lyricist of the progressive rock/hard rock/metal trio, Rush. Neil began as a hard rock guy but throughout his tenure in Rush, beginning with the 2nd album Fly By Night, he's also played in jazz, metal, big band and swing, and progressive musical styles. Nobody gives fans a more entertaining drum solo live nor has one drummer ever been cited as an influence on so many unique contemporary players.

2. Carmine Appice- I was watching VH1's That Metal Show the other day, of which I'm a big fan, and was surprised that Carmine didn't make their top five hard rock drummers list. The man is a terrific showman. He's a drummer with a singer's stage presence. A rare feat indeed. Also, let's have a run down of this man's credentials. Vanilla Fudge? Check. Rod Stewart? Check. Cactus? Check. Beck, Bogart, and Appice? Oh yeah. Ted Nugent? Sure. Paul Stanley? Yep, that terrific first solo record. King Kobra? Such an underrated hair unit that is more famous for their singer's sex change than their awesome rock. Marty Friedman? Come to think about it. Blue Murder? Terrific stuff. Hey, he even co-wrote Do You Think I'm Sexy with Rod.

3. Roger Taylor- Probably the most commercially successful drummer, Roger was the drummer, occasional vocalist, and one of the four songwriters of Queen. He wrote I'm in Love with My Car, Radio Ga Ga, A Kind of Magic, Innuendo, Breakthru, These Are the Days of Our Lives, and Tenement Funster. He's also been know to play the guitar and bass on his compositions. He's another artist that hasn't allowed himself to be pigeonholed into one genre. Primarily known as a rock drummer, Roger has provided beats for early heavy metal tunes like Stone Cold Crazy, film score for Flash Gordon, rock classics like Another One Bites the Dust, dance and funk tunes like Staying Power, and progressive leanings like Innuendo.

4. Ginger Baker- Ginger was the drummer for the legendary British supergroup, Cream. Ginger's biggest claim to fame is his popularization of the double bass drum.

5. Tommy Lee- Tommy is a guy who is more famous for his antics on the other side of the drum kit but make no mistake, the percussion man of Motley Crue can provide some sick beats when he has to. He's a very showy drummer and the perfect compliment to the bluesy guitar playing of Mick Mars, flashy bass and personal lyrics of Nikki Sixx, and nasaly wail of singer Vince Neil. Not to mention, his playing influenced the glam scene that would dominate the 80s.

6. Cozy Powell- Cozy is another one of those guys that passed his expert playing around quite a bit. He played for The Jeff Beck Group, Bedlam, Rainbow, Michael Schenker, Whitesnake, Black Sabbath, Graham Bonnet (Marbles, Rainbow), Brian May (Queen), Roger Daltrey (The Who), Robert Plant, Cinderella, Gary Moore (Thin Lizzy), Peter Green (Fleetwood Mac), Yngwie Malmsteen, Tony Martin (Black Sabbath), Warlock, and Donovan!

7. Scott Travis- Scott is one of those guys that really brings the heaviness and speed to a band. Just check out his work with Judas Priest, Fight, and Racer X.

8. Robb Reiner- No, not the filmmaker. Robb is the drummer of the long-standing Canadian metal band, Anvil. Recently, Anvil has gained a little attention on the strength of a successful documentary about their struggles. Don't let the hype do it for you though. Go get their records and see for yourself. Hard N' Heavy, Metal on Metal, and Strength of Steel are classic examples of fast heavy drumming.

9. Richard Christy- Richard may be better known to folks out there as one of the wacky folks over at the Howard Stern show, but he's a class A drummer as well. He plays with great speed and timing. He sat behind the kit for Death, Iced Earth, Control Denied, Acheron, Burning Inside, and Leash Law. Today, he's hitting the skins for his own band, Charred Walls of the Damned. A really heavy band that features the vocal talents of Tim "Ripper" Owens.

10. Eric Carr- I love Eric Carr. The man died way too early of the rare heart cancer. It was a tragic loss to KISS both as a friend/bandmate and as a band. The world had given up on KISS after Dynasty, Unmasked, and Music from the Elder (Which I think have their moments). Enter Eric Carr. The opening drum kick alone, on Creatures of the Night, is the heaviest piece of music KISS has ever recorded.

11. Frankie Banali- Frankie has played with Hughes-Thrall, W.A.S.P., and Blackthorne. But you probably know him best as the skin-hitter for Quiet Riot. He pounded his way through Quiet Riot's best albums, Metal Health, Condition Critical, and the unfairly neglected, Terrified.

12. Peter Criss- The original KISS drummer and the most poppy commercially minded member of the bunch. However, Peter got heavy when he had too. Listen to Detroit Rock City, God of Thunder, and Love Gun. Not to mention, he wrote KISS' biggest hit ever, Beth.

13. Tommy Aldridge- Remember Black Oak Arkansas? Why not? They are perhaps the most neglected Southern rock unit ever. Tommy however, did achieve greater fame with Ozzy Osbourne, Pat Travers Band, Gary Moore, Whitesnake, Motorhead, and House of Lords. A heavy drummer for a southern-fried rock guy.

14. Vinny Appice- Carmine's younger brother and a great drummer in his own right. Catch his work with Rick Derringer, DIO, and Black Sabbath.

15. Bill Ward- Often called the father of heavy metal drumming, Bill coined the term Downer Rock. His slow but heavy playing helped to create the ominous doomy sound of Black Sabbath.

16. Samantha Maloney- She toured with Motley Crue! Plus she's the only female metal drummer I can think of. In fact, the only female drummer I can think of. She also played for Hole, Peaches, and The Eagles of Death Metal. Which aren't a death metal band by the way. Just another project by Kyuss/Queens of the Stone Age alumni Josh Homme.

17. Randy Castillo- He's drummed for Lita Ford, Motley Crue, Brett Michaels,and Ozzy Osbourne. Another talent that died young. Thanks again, to the plague that is cancer.

18. Chuck Biscuits- He played with Black Flag, D.O.A., Circle Jerks, Danzig, and Samhain. The drummer of punk and hardcore.

19. Mike Portnoy- I almost left him off. Honestly, his recent drama has almost turned me off to him completely. However, one cannot deny he is a masterful drummer. Perhaps the most technically proficient of all. Now, if he would just realize that he's in his mid forties and that his place is in progressive metal, not new young acts like Avenged Sevenfold, he could really make some magic again. I'm sure his departure from Dream Theater had more to it but from what he's made clear in the public, he left and he doesn't want the rest of the band to soldier on. Well, they have and they just released a great record. Meanwhile, he's touting his new project Adrenaline Mob. Which, in my opinion, is a huge step down from what he did in his previous band.

20. Mike Mangini- Mike Portnoy's replacement in Dream Theater. But that isn't all. Mike also drummed for Annihilator, Extreme, Steve Vai, and Tribe of Judah. He's not living in Portnoy's shadow, he's casting his own.

21. Charlie Benante- I've never been a huge Anthrax fan. However, their 2nd record, Spreading the Disease is amazing. I wish they had duplicated it a hundred times with different lyrics. Charlie, by the way, plays on that album and really tears it up. Also, check out Stormtroopers of Death Speak English or Die.

22. Vinny Paul- One of the founding members of Pantera. Vinny's also played with Damage Plan and HellYeah. However, my money says his best work was on Power Metal, Cowboys from Hell, and Vulgar Display of Power.

23. Dave Lombardo- Dave is a huge influence on modern thrash and black metal. What band did he drum for? Slayer, of course. The cult favorite South of Heaven/Reign in Blood thrashers from California.

24. Mikkey Dee- Mikkey has drummed for King Diamond and Motorhead and I have always loved his unique sound. He has a great playing sound that reminds one of tools falling on a concrete floor. Hey, he is a metal drummer after all.

25. Ivan de Prume- Here's a guy that doen't often get mentioned. He was the drummer for White Zombie and believe it or not, drummed for Christopher Young's score for the movie adaption of the occult superhero Ghost Rider.

26.  Alex van Halen- Often overshadowed by his guitar legend brother Eddie, he's the other reason the band was named Van Halen. Plus, he's a pretty good drummer who's been clean since the 80s and has remained very consistent.

27. Neal Smith- Who can forget that opening drum in Billion Dollar Babies? The drummer for the original Alice Cooper group, who should've had a longer music career. However, he can be heard on Alice's new album. The first time he's recorded with the singer since 1974.

28. Alan White- the drummer for YES. Alan, along with Neil Peart and Roger Taylor, has a great combo of influences that has made his playing in the long-running progressive rock band a real joy to listen to.

29. John Bonham- You can't forget John Bonham. He was the drummer for Led Zeppelin!

30. Jason Bonham- Yep, John's kid can play. The Bonham record, Disregard for Timekeeping is an 80s hard rock classic. These days he's playing drums in Black Country Communion.

31. Herman Rarebell- He's got to get props for writing some of the Scorpion's greatest tunes. Another Piece of Meat, Rock You Like A Hurricane, and Blackout. Oh, and what a drummer!

32. Ian Paice- The only member of Deep Purple to actually play on every Deep Purple record. Ian's another pioneer of the heavy metal sound and also played on the Gary Moore classic, Corridors of Power.