The Best Glam Metal Drummers Of All Time Ranked

Musically, glam metal songs traditional hard rock or heavy metal songs with catchy hooks over hard-hitting drumming. Some songs feature flashy shred guitar solos where the lead-guitar sound is effects-processed. The overall sound is much more studio-engineered than earlier styles of heavy metal, such as the rough, raw sound of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal bands. The vocals have a softer melody, sometimes with an anthemic “sing-along” chorus. In addition, they were usually sung with a clean hard rock tone, in contrast to many other heavy metal subgenres that often employ a more extreme vocal style. Glam metal performers became infamous for their debauched lifestyles of late-night parties – widely covered in the tabloid press – , very long teased hair (hence the alternative “hair metal” tag), use of make-up, and gaudy clothing and accessories (chiefly consisting of tight denim or leather jeans, spandex, and headbands). Here are all of the best Glam Metal Drummers of all time ranked.

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20. Clive Burr

“Another drummer renowned for his feel, as much as his virtuosity, Clive Burr manned the Iron Maiden drum stool throughout the New Wave of British Heavy Metal icons’ first three, career-making albums, including ‘The Number of the Beast’ where his galloping attack behind “Run to the Hills” remains a signature performance.“

19. Vinnie Paul

“For someone who spent the first half of his career keeping 4/4 time behind Pantera’s original, glam rock incarnation, Vinnie Paul sure made up for lost time with his aggressively busier attack behind the band’s groove metal renaissance, particularly with his blistering and precise double kickdrum footwork. Nowadays, he’s showcasing his skills as a member of Hellyeah.“

18. Alex Van Halen

“You’d think that being in a band with Eddie Van Halen would tend to overshadow one’s drumming talents, but not so for big brother Alex, who merged his oft-unheralded formal training with presence and power capable of reaching the back of the world’s largest arenas.”

17. Gene Hoglan

“Arguably the busiest, most prolific drummer in extreme metal history, man mountain Gene Hoglan has effortlessly stepped behind the kits for Dark Angel, Death, Strapping Young Lad, Dethklok, Fear Factory, Testament, as though learning their intricate song parts was a walk in the park. It’s not; the man is a giant, in more ways than one.”

16. Mitch Mitchell

“Mitch Mitchell did more to infiltrate the world of rock ‘n’ roll with jazz techniques, especially circular rhythms, than perhaps any other drummer. And while these interests ultimately led him down other roads, beyond rock’s highway, Mitchell’s restlessly inventive work behind the incomparable Jimi Hendrix offer more than enough evidence to land him on this list.”

15. Terry Bozzio

“Frank Zappa’s drummers could populate a top 50 list all their own, but if one can represent them all in this necessarily brief list, then Terry Bozzio is hard to argue against. A capable vocalist, responsible for many a hilarious on-stage skit with Mr. Zappa, Bozzio is also a percussionist of almost mind-boggling skill and a famously massive drum kit worthy of that rep.“

14. Chris Adler

“One of the new milennium’s most imitated and thus influential extreme metal time-keepers, Chris Adler is known for his highly developed heel-toe bass drum technique, and has been the engine behind Lamb of God’s career success for over a decade, as well as sessions with the likes of Testament, Protest the Hero and, most recently, Megadeth.”

13. Nicko McBrain

“Iron Maiden may be getting on in years, but their long-serving drummer Nicko McBrain has yet to show the slightest sign of age when performing the band’s punishing music, night after night. That’s because Nicko will likely go down as heavy metal’s premiere technician and, as a result, one of its most influential players ever. The fact he is one of the funniest men in rock is just gravy.”

12. Charlie Benante

“One of thrash metal’s premier drummers (and a bad-ass guitarist and songwriter, to boot), Charlie Benante has been a driving force behind Anthrax and, by extension, the thrash genre as a whole for over two decades, bringing impeccable technique and influencing countless percussionists along the way.”

11. Joey Jordison

“Another drummer with an encyclopedic musical knowledge, capable at stepping with other bands in need at a moment’s notice, Joey Jordison is also one of the current millennium’s most influential drummers. And that was while playing behind two other percussionists in Slipknot, until his recent exit from the group.”

10. Dave Grohl

“Though he’s long been found front-of-stage with his band the Foo Fighters, Dave Grohl has never let anyone forget he is a massively skilled drummer, beginning with hardcore upstarts Scream, through his reputation-making years with Nirvana, and subsequent stints with Queens of the Stone Age, Them Crooked Vultures and Tenacious D, to name but a few.”

9. Bill Bruford

“Arguably the quintessential ’70s prog rock drummer, Bill Bruford helped establish the genre with Yes, took is talents to another level with King Crimson, and even temped for Genesis before embarking on a distinguished solo and sideman career that maintained him among the world’s most influential drummers until his retirement in 2009.”

8. Bill Ward

“Underestimate Bill Ward at your own peril he’ll crush you with a mere cymbal crash. Even more than Led Zeppelin’s John Bonham, Ward set the thunderous percussive template for heavy metal via his seminal work with Black Sabbath and drums of doom that disguised a deep-seated affinity for jazz, inspired by heroes like Gene Krupa and Buddy Rich.”

7. Mike Portnoy

“As a founding member and longtime driving force behind Dream Theater, Mike Portnoy came to be recognized as the archetypal progressive metal drummer, capable of virtuosity and sheer strength in equal measures. Even after his acrimonious departure from the group, the workaholic Portnoy continue to with a variety of bands and musical styles.”

6. Ginger Baker

“Though his visits to the rock world have been sporadic at best since his legend-building days with Cream, some argue that when it comes to drumming, its Ginger Baker and everybody else. Just ask Mr. Baker himself, or better yet — don’t — he might just kick your head in. If he isn’t busy going toe to toe with the greatest jazz drummers who ever lived to pass the time.”

5. Danny Carey

“As the drummer for avant-garde heavy metal originals Tool, Danny Carey has made seismic contributions to the art of drumming, quite unlike any other, welding a formal training in jazz and musical theory to his obvious love of aggressive music, and then taking it all one step beyond with his forays into metaphysics, sacred geometry, and the occult.”

4. Dave Lombardo

“Just as thrash arrived and shook all of heavy metal by the scruff of the neck, Dave Lombardo established himself as the movement’s most influential stylist, as the engine behind the one and only Slayer. A rare blend of technique, precision and feel (for which he often credits his Latin roots), Lombardo is quite simply the perfect thrash metal drummer.“

3. Neil Peart

“Arguably no rock drummer has enjoyed a longer run near the top echelons of drumkit royalty than Rush’s Neil Peart. With his adventurous approach to diverse musical styles and all manner of percussive instrumentation (he can write some nifty lyrics too), Peart is quite often the first name mentioned whenever rock fans are asked to name a drummer.”

2. Keith Moon

“”Wild abandon” personified, Keith Moon brought incomparable excitement and unpredictability to British rockers The Who, while earning a legendary reputation– and the nickname of “Moon the Loon” for his madcap antics. Until his death in 1978, Moon could always be counted to provide the savage backbeat behind Pete Townsend’s songcraft.”

1. John Bonham

“The ultimate combination of power and finesse, John Bonham is the prototypical heavy rock drummer. Though his life and career were cut tragically short and his body of work is pretty much confined to Led Zeppelin’s nine studio albums, that’s been more than enough to make him the absolute benchmark aspired to by most every drummer who has followed in his incomparable footsteps.”