The Best 2010s Drummers All Time Ranked
Several factors determine the sound a drum produces, including the type, shape and construction of the drum shell, the type of drum heads it has, and the tension of these drumheads. Different drum sounds have different uses in music. For example, the modern Tom-tom drum. A jazz drummer may want drums that are high pitched, resonant and quiet whereas a rock drummer may prefer drums that are loud, dry and low-pitched. The drum head has the most effect on how a drum sounds. Each type of drum head serves its own musical purpose and has its own unique sound. Double-ply drumheads dampen high frequency harmonics because they are heavier and they are suited to heavy playing. Drum heads with a white, textured coating on them muffle the overtones of the drum head slightly, producing a less diverse pitch. Drum heads with central silver or black dots tend to muffle the overtones even more, while drum heads with perimeter sound rings mostly eliminate overtones. Some jazz drummers avoid using thick drum heads, preferring single ply drum heads or drum heads with no muffling. Rock drummers often prefer the thicker or coated drum heads. The second biggest factor that affects drum sound is head tension against the shell. When the hoop is placed around the drum head and shell and tightened down with tension rods, the tension of the head can be adjusted. When the tension is increased, the amplitude of the sound is reduced and the frequency is increased, making the pitch higher and the volume lower. Here are the best 2010s Drummers ranked.
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20. John Dolmayan
“John Dolmayan is a Lebanese-born Armenian-American songwriter and drummer. He is best known as the drummer of System of a Down. During System’s hiatus, he made a solo album based solo on covers called These Grey Men, which featured vocal performances from Serj Tankian, M. Shadows, Franky Perez, Jonathan Dorr, Jonah Perry Nimoy, and Sirusho. Tom Morello provided guitar work on Street Spirit. Dolmayan and Serj have argued on social media, due to their drastically different political beliefs.”
19. Carter Beauford
“Simply fantastic, a really “Two Hands” drummer, vigorous as well as tender and with a wonderful voice…what else! Live shows are for life and he’s full of fans because he’s the Dave’s hero…and he’s an Hero for all of us. Carter Forever, a myth!”
18. Tony Royster, Jr.
“Though German-born Tony Royster, Jr, is largely known for some of his work as a session musician for hip-hop stars – among them stadium-filling artists such as Jay Z – he is a talented and versatile drummer. Royster has played R&B, pop, rock, Latin and jazz, and backed musicians as diverse as Norah Jones and Eminem. He broke on to the music scene aged 12 with an attention-grabbing drum solo at the 1997 Modern Drummer Festival and is known for his speedy hand- and foot-work. He played at President Barack Obama’s inaugural ball in 2009 and has also received the prestigious Louis Armstrong Jazz Award.”
17. Trè Cool
“I’ve been lucky enough to go to a Green Day concert and honestly, he’s just amazing. His energy, funny faces and insane drumming skills made the concert so much greater than what it was already.
16. Dominic Howard
“Drummer for Muse, and brings the power to muse! Bringing, drum beats that go incredibly well with what the band is looking for; it makes up a good portion of the band. If you are doubting me, then take a listen to songs such as “Resistance”, “Assassin”, “Exo-Politics”, “Apocalypse Please”, and “Stockholm Syndrome”, and that’s just the start! It’s pretty awesome how they incorporate such a strong beat in their music.”
15. George Kollias
“Giorgos “George” Kollias is a Greek heavy metal drummer and music teacher best known for his work with American technical death metal band Nile. He is the first Nile drummer to perform every song on more than one full-length album.”
14. Dave Lombardo
“Dave Lombardo, who was born in Havana, Cuba, on February 16, 1965, is best known as a founding member of thrash metal band Slayer. A powerhouse drummer, his innovative playing led DRUMMERWORLD magazine to describe him as “The Godfather Of Double Bass.” “Early Slayer albums such as Show No Mercy were all written for drums that needed to be heavy.”
13. Jason Costa
“He makes the most out a very simple and affordable drum set-up and gives players like us in the real world a chance to know that you don’t have to have a thirty-thousand dollar set up to sound incredible and also that your kick doesn’t need to be huge to get a powerful sound. His timing signatures are sick and he stays locked in way better than a lot of metal drummers out there. anyone with a brain cell can do blasts, gravity blasts and heel to toe.”
12. Blake Richardson
“Easily the most talented artist on this list – he’s the glue that allows BTBAM to jump from style to style so seamlessly. While most won’t like BTBAM as much as some of the other bands on this list, none of their drummers could fill in for Blake, while he could get behind the kit for anyone.”
11. Shannon Leto
“Shannon Leto is an American musician best known as the drummer of rock band Thirty Seconds to Mars. He co-founded the group in 1998 in Los Angeles, California, with his younger brother Jared. Their debut album, 30 Seconds to Mars, was released to positive reviews but only to limited success.”
10. Danny Carey
“Carey’s popularity among drummers and non-drummers stems from the diversity of his sound and dynamics through his years of learning jazz music, his technical ability, frequent use of odd time signatures, polyrhythms and polymeters. He has stated in interviews that he effectively treats his feet as he does his hands: he practices rudiments (used for sticking techniques) and even snare drum solos with his feet to improve his double bass drumming, hi-hat control and foot independence.”
9. Mike Mangini
“Mike Mangini is an American drummer. Since 2010, he has been a member of progressive metal band Dream Theater, following the departure of founding drummer Mike Portnoy. Between 2002 and 2005, he set 5 World’s Fastest Drummer records. And speed isn’t the only quality of his drumming – he plays some of the most complex material”
8. Neil Peart
“Canadian drummer and songwriter Neil Peart was born on September 12, 1952 and, like so many of the drummers on this list, was inspired after watching The Gene Krupa Story. Following a spell working in his father’s business, Dalziel Equipment, and playing music part-time in local Ontario bands, he joined Rush in 1974, two weeks before the group’s first tour of America. The drummer was a major factor in their success. Rush have sold more than 40 million albums worldwide and his sculptured drum solos have been a celebrated feature of their live shows. “To me, drum soloing is like doing a marathon and solving equations at the same time,” he said.”
7. Mike Portnoy
“Mike Portnoy, who was born on April 20, 1967, and raised in Long Beach, New York, grew up immersed in music. “My father was a rock’n’roll disc jockey, so I was always surrounded by music constantly. I had this huge record collection when I was real young and loved The Beatles, and then, later on, KISS. It was inevitable that I’d become a musician.” He taught himself to play the drums and was later awarded a scholarship to attend Berklee College Of Music. He said his biggest influence was Rush drummer Neil Peart. The co-founder of the progressive rock band Dream Theater, Portnoy was particularly pleased to become the second youngest musician, after Peart, to be inducted into the Modern Drummer Hall Of Fame in 2004.”
6. Matt Greiner
“His cymbal set up is sick man, he is a very talented dude who has extremely talented creativity in his beats, fill ins, and everything. Why don’t you guys listen to august burns red songs before you vote? I recommend you guys not to listen to august burns red songs because you all will piss on your pants due to their awesomeness.”
5. Joey Jordison
“Joey Jordison, was an American musician, songwriter, and record producer, best known for his work as the former drummer and co-songwriter for the heavy metal band Slipknot as well as guitarist in the Horror-punk band Murderdolls. He is the co-founder and drummer for the Blackened Death Metal band Sinsaenum and a Heavy Metal side project VIMIC.”
4. Chad Smith
“Chad Smith is the drummer with Red Hot Chili Peppers. Smith, who was born on October 25, 1961, joined the band in 1988. He said he learned his trade playing lots of clubs in Detroit. “Six nights a week, three sets a night. That was my schooling instead of going to university,” he said. He has also worked regularly with hard rock band Chickenfoot. Smith, who is known for the infectious beats in his playing, has also been an in-demand session musician, playing with The Dixie Chicks, Johnny Cash and The Avett Brothers.”
3. Josh Dun
“For somebody who didn’t take any lessons and literally got kicked out of music stores for playing too long as a kid, it’s amazing to see the dedication and passion for what he does. Of course, he’s not flawless. Some say that what he does is mediocre, but I think that he successfully handles half of his band and would continueously do so. His energy is contagious, and for a guy who hide from the mic, he’s extremely confident behind his drums. Very innovative and willing to try new things, and is improving so much. And don’t forget how many he’s inspired. He’s in a suitable position on this list, I think.”
2. Travis Barker
“The speed and timing of the drums to the music is superb. Travis Barker really puts some extra topping to the blink 182 songs. He is not only a good replacement for scott raynor but he surpasses scott’s talent and took blink to a totally new level!”
1. Jimmy Sullivan
“Probably the best metal drummer ever. He could do it all. He was a master at almost all aspects of drumming. He was also a musical genius. He wrote most of Avenged Sevenfold’s greatest hits. Jimmy could also laid down some of the fastest beats. Just listen to songs like Unholy Confessions, Chapter Four, Beast and the Harlot, Burn it Down, Almost Easy, A Little Piece of Heaven, and although he didn’t actually record Nightmare and Welcome to Family, he wrote those ones.”