Sean Reinert

Derek Roddy
Bobby Jarzombek
Dave Culross
I would like to start by informing you of the passing of Modern
Tim Yeung
Drummer Magazine editor in chief, William F. Miller. Bill left us
on December 12, after a long and noble bout with cancer. Our George Kollias
hearts and thoughts are with Bill’s entire family this Holiday
Season. Steve Asheim
Donations can be made in his memory to: Franck Camus
The Frost School of Music
University of Miami Chris Pennie
P.O. Box 248165
Coral Gables, Fla., 33124 Mike Smith
or The Melanoma Research Foundation, 170 Township Line Rd. Charlie Zeleny
Hillsborough, N.J. 08844, www.melanoma.org.

Rest In Peace...
Adam Jarvis
As I think of all the advancements I have experienced in only 6
John Merryman
months, it’s humbling to think of all he must have experienced
during his extensive career at MD. Looking back at this year... I
Elliot Hoffman
am both excited and proud of what we have achieved at SDM,
and the steps this drumming style has been taking.
Darren Cesca
We are starting to see guys like John Longstreth get endorsed
Duane Timlin
by major companies like Pearl & Regal Tip. We are now seeing
interviews in Drum! Magazine with guys like Adam Jarvis, and
Jeff Willet
we couldn’t be happier. We launched our magazine this year,
started the Blast Off Drum Competition, were given a column in Gus Rios
Terrorizer Magazine and much more.
Eric Park
2009 is looking very promising, so keep your eye on what we
come up with next... Tom Ales
I hope you all had a great holiday season... Justin DiPinto
Stay True, Ian Macdonald - SDM
Paule Seidel
Mike Heller
Bruce Moore: Engineer

2 3
 Cover Photo By: Taija Lynn

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Bill Durrant - Photography US (East Coast) james murphy special interview����������� 26
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SDM is published Bi-Monthly

5
 n e w

A Short look inside The

Brain of Bryan ""Brain"" Mantia

I thought Guns would actually be

the easiest gig to do... but I realized
it’s harder to play and write drum
parts to a well-written song...
SDM: You have played with many groups in a wide variety of
styles... which has been the most challenging as a drummer?

Brain: Definitely Guns N’ Roses. I thought Guns would

actually be the easiest gig to do... but I realized it’s harder to
play and write drum parts to a well-written song than it is to
beat off and improvise.
SDM: Bernie Worrell, TM Stevens, and Blackbyrd McKnight.
How did you hook up with these guys? Do you ever get
nervous when playing with guys like these?
Brain: No, I don’t get nervous. I am really looking forward to
SDM: Is Tom Waits as strange in person, as the music he
creates? Has his approach to music taught you anything in
particular about drumming?
Brain: Yeah, Tom is a crazy MF. He taught me that anything
can be used for making music. We have played carbure-
tors, garbage can lids, tire irons hitting wagon wheels... he

playing with these guys. The only thing I’m nervous about is
how many notes are going to get played.
change how
definitely makes you think outside the box.
SDM: When listening to the varied styles you have recorded
with different projects, I wonder your influences are, past and

you see cymbals

SDM: What was it like playing with Les Claypool? As another
drummer, I would like to think he would bring out some
off-the-wall grooves that you would only create while playing
with someone like him.
Brain: Yes, that’s true... Les really taught me the importance
of being yourself and not copying other people when you play.
present.
Brain: My favorite drummer is Animal from Sesame Street.
SDM: What do you think about the extreme levels that
modern death metal drumming has reached? As far as The formidible sound and look of Rock at its absolute best. Pitch BlackTM cymbals
technicality, speed, and endurance... were specifically designed to be coated and played loud! We started with our high
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SDM: With the advancement of software and technology
in general, what approach do you take when tracking new
songs? Analog, digital, triggers, no triggers, et cetera...
Brain: I don’t use triggers. I might add samples to the
existing analog drum tracks that are laid down (for example,
double the kick drum with an 808, or interchange the snare
sound on every four).
6 7
Brain: I think it’s totally ridiculous, but maybe that’s because
I can’t keep up.
SDM: What does 2009 have in store for you and your different
projects?
Brain: I’m about to get paid whether it’s truthfully or
untruthfully.
and profiles guaranteed to deliver the brightness and presence required for Rock
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Don’t miss your chance to win great gear, visit www.zildjian.com/pitchblacksweetstakes. zildjian.com/pitchblack
 CONTEST Prizes
(everything autographed)
INCLUDE:
1st place --
My Destroy The Opposition Snare I used for the recording -
signed by me & possibly the other members of DYING FETUS john biscomb of terrorizer
from 2000.
kevin talley challenges s! 2nd place -
you to sharpen your skill My Zildjian K Hybrid splash I used on the DAATH “The Con- Hello, sick drummers. It’s been a tough couple of
weeks at Terrorizer; releases are slowing down
cealers” recording... almost new. and people are going away for Christmas, leaving
photo: alex morgan
us with the fun task of making a magazine regard-
3rd place - less... the joy! Anyway, rather than talk to you
DYING FETUS Embroidered hat from year 2000 about some shitty third rate demo CD (although a
lot them are really good), I figured I would offer you
4th and 5th place - all a selection of CDs worth keeping your mum’s
present money for. Taken from the Terrorizer top
signed Destroy The Opposition CD 40 albums of 2008, these albums give you an idea
what our scribes are most into, and being the world
6th place- authority on extreme metal, you know you can trust
Pair of 5b Ahead drum sticks used recording it! Check out the January issue of Terrorizer for the
DAATH “The Concealers”. definitive list, as well as our readers’ polls as well...

Deicide’s “Till Death Do Us Part” was always gonna

7th place - be in the list; Trap Them’s “Seizures In Barren
Pair of DB drum shoes. Praise” will grind your head in; Aura Noir’s “Hades
Rise” is pure evil; Viruses “The Black Flux” will
Many people often wonder about writing techniques and how
artists go about creating songs. In my experience, the best way VIDEO INSTRUCTIONS: 8th place - 12th place - make you sick; Origin’s “Antithesis” is a technical
to write is to find someone you click with and jam in a room with
The only rule is that you must play the song DYING FETUS DVD - Live shows from year 2000. marvel; Enforcer’s “Into The Night” is for nu-old
schoolers only; Krallice’s self-titled album is just
them. Yes, there can be some preliminary riff writing to a drum
machine, but don’t let that initial recording restrict your desire
to change it later. Get in the room and jam it out. Speed it up;
with no headphones or click track and be PLUS! - A Free Drum DVD to everyone who makes a decent that; Burst’s “Lazarus Bird” is well worth a listen;
finally, Portrait’s self-titled album is more old
slow it down; change the time signatures. Don’t get caught up sure I can see and hear you playing. attempt at the beat and uploads a video! school speed metal mayhem.
in the rules of writing -– just do what feels and sounds good.
If you haven’t got all these records, you bloody well
The Daath song “Sharpen the Blades” was created in several should have!
different writing sessions. Emil was messing around with the Next, go to Youtube As a final thought, if you’re after something a bit
opening riff for a while, and I suggested that we start the song
with that riff and I would come in with a blast... no fill –- just and search “DAATH Sharpen the blades” more underground, try checking out Rosewest, a
straight to the blast. The verse riff is a variation of the opening
riff, but notice the interesting kick drum pattern (turn the music to find the new song we posted. spazzy grind band from Croydon, South London, or
Basement Torture Killings! Respect to you all, and
off and try to sing the drums to yourself). Then we go back to happy new year!
the blast for the pre-chorus chugga riff. After that, we were
originally “breaking it down” for the chorus, but it was too typi-
cal, so we kept it upbeat and wrote a chorus riff making sure
Post YOUR video as a Video RESPONSE. Keep an eye out for the 2 part Grind Special, begin-
ning in our February Issue that will be released on
it was simple and effective. After the chorus I threw in a killer January 29th!
beat which has the snare on 1 and 3, the hat on “1 te 2, 3 te 4”,
opening the hat with the left foot on 2 and 4. Listen to the song TITLE your video “(Your Name) Drumming
to figure out where the bass drums belong.
Daath Sharpen the blades”.
EVERYONE who posts a video of themselves playing the
beat described above will get a free copy of my drum DVD. The
person who best plays this beat gets the Pearl piccolo snare I
used to record “Destroy the Opposition”, autographed by Dying
The deadline is February, so get on it!
Fetus circa 2000. The beat is not hard, and it is only 8 seconds
long. Download the song “Sharpen The Blades” at the Daath
MySpace and figure it out from 0:48 to 0:56. > play video <
8 9

Interview By noel smart
bleed from within"s
drummer in the studio
SDM: How would you describe the sound of Bleed From
Within?
Ali: I think that when Bleed From Within started writing music
as a band, many people would have categorized us into the
“scene”. The early material was slower, and not as intense.
Our new material, however, has a certain edge to it that sets
it apart from other bands trying to make a name for them-
selves at the moment. Writing new songs has been very
exciting, and has opened a lot of doors in terms of drumming.
The release of our debut album “Humanity” should show
that we have matured in our songwriting and developed in
our playing. Trying to pinpoint our sound, I would simply say
metal, but people could liken us to black, thrash, or death
depending on their perception of the songs.
SDM: Who are some of the band’s influences? Who are some
your metal drumming influences, and do you think these
come out in your recordings?
Ali: The band as a whole take influence from a wide range
of music and artists. I would consider our main inspirations
to be bands such as Lamb Of God, The Black Dahlia Murder,
and Necrophagist. There are many more, but that narrows it
down. As a drummer, I take inspiration from many different
styles. Whether it be metal, rock, ambient, or even house,
I believe that there is groove in everything we hear. That’s
what good drumming is all about. Drummers that inspire me
the most are the ones who believe in creativity and pushing
the boundaries of their specific genre, taking blast beats and
thrash beats, then placing them over riffs that wouldn’t gen-
erally have such a pattern. Chris Adler (Lamb Of God), Dan
Foord (Sikth), Tim Java (Dead To Fall), Danny Carey (Tool), Jose
Pasillas (Incubus), Benny Greb (Solo, Jerobeam) all strive in
finding groove and power in their performances. I have been
lucky to see all these artists live, and I was blown away by the
power in their playing. For other people to hear me and make
comment on my playing, I would hope that they would see me
as I see my influences, but it’s all down to opinion in the end,
I suppose.
10
SDM: How was Bleed From Within’s “In The Eyes Of The For-
gotten” taken by the masses of fans out there?
Ali: Being the first release, “In The Eyes Of The Forgotten”
had only 100 original copies made and were sold for next to
nothing at our local shows. It was something that we funded
ourselves and we looked to make little or no profit. Its sole
purpose was to put on us on the map in terms of music and
gain us some recognition around the country, and with no
label it was hard to get any real distribution. We had never
imagined that people would take to it the way they did. I
mean, on YouTube there is a video of a young girl from Amer-
ica playing the opening riff to the first track on her guitar!?
We were all blown away when we realized that anything from
the EP had made its way across the waters. It was a starting
point for us in terms of writing and recording, and gave us a
good idea of where we wanted to be.
SDM: What did you do to change, if anything, the drumming
on your latest release “Welcome to the Plague Year”?
Ali: The development between “In The Eyes” and “Plague
Year” was a big one in terms of my playing. In the early days,
I was always skeptical about pushing myself in the studio.
I felt that everything had to be played in a way that made
me feel comfortable. Working with Ross McGowan (Chime
Studio’s Producer/Engineer for both recordings) was great.
He is a good friend, and he knows my playing very well. On
entering the studio, preparing to record, I let him know that
the barrier was there to be raised. Playing on the record was
great fun, and really changed my perception on studio work.
Being such a long time since the recording, however, I think
that my standards have increased. It’s a lot of factors, such
as different influences, continuous practicing, and obviously
having to gear down for our debut album. The days of playing
lackluster beats, just putting whatever pops into my head
over the next riff that one of the guys may bring in, are defi-
nitely over. At that time I may have considered everything to
be perfect, but with hindsight I realized that some fills were
off, and some drums just didn’t fit the riffs. Having the op-
portunity to work with professional producers has opened my
eyes and ears to what should be played, and how it should be
played. I am currently recording the new BFW album “Hu-
manity” with our producer, Mark Daghorn, and it has been a
very tough process. Despite the blisters, the many bottles of
Lucozade, I feel as though I’m going to leave the studio with
my best recorded performance to date.
SDM: Tell us about your other bands: Bodicea’s Grave and Cit-
ies And Skylines? Which is your favorite to play in, and why?
Ali: Ever since I started playing the drums, I have always been
interested in experimenting with my sound. Like trying new
styles, getting involved with lots of projects to increase my
session skills. Bodicea’s Grave (formerly known as Paradox)
was my first metal project, or band in general for that matter,
that I joined at the age of 14. This was long before Bleed and
Cities. It was here where I got to grips with the whole concept
of playing metal drums. I had just begun drumming and
was right into artists such as Chris Adler, Vinnie Paul, Danny
Carey, and Mike Portnoy. At first I felt the need for technical-
ity, and speed. But I soon matured my sound, and concentrat-
ed on groove. It was this sound that I developed in Bodicea’s
Grave, and I had some great musicians working with me, and
some amazing music was made. It was a real shame that
nothing ever happened with the band. Cities And Skylines
was simply a favor to begin with, but I clicked really well with
all the members, and put together some amazing songs.
Playing seriously in a band that wasn’t metal was a great
experience. It seemed to make metal more exciting, and re-
ally tightened up my small game. Things like song structure,
drags and accents, click playing. Everything becomes more
apparent when you’re playing 4/4 grooves at 160 bpm, as
opposed to playing 16th note double bass at 210 bpm. Whilst
playing in Cities, I had the opportunity to work with renowned
producer, Romesh Dodangoda at Longwave Studios in Cardiff,
UK. The final result was incredible. My drum sound was
perfect. Like I’ve said, working with people that can pinpoint
your every flaw, and notice your every sloppy fill, is the best
way to improve your playing. Parts that may sound okay
to yourself as a drummer, are instantly noticed, and after 7
takes on a groove, or fill, you truly begin to realize what they
are getting at and just how capable you are of playing the
required beat. Each band had their advantages. I think that
after the six years I’ve spent between them, I have learnt a lot
about drums; the different ways they can be used.
SDM: You qualified for “Young Drummer Of The Year” in
2006, making the Top 40, then being the only candidate from
Scotland. How did all that come about?
Ali: Not really being a solo player, I wasn’t too sure about en-
tering myself for the competition. Some of the talent entering
was ridiculous. Twelve year-old players, that had been play-
ing drums for eight years!? Some of the other entrants videos
were enough to put me off. I soon realized that I had nothing
to lose, so I thought I might as well go for it. The Young Drum-
mer Of The Year competition is set up every year for drum-
mers sixteen or under. It has about eight hundred entrants,
and that is narrowed down to forty, then the final forty nar-
rowed down to twelve finalists, who perform live in London to
a panel of judges. My solo routine was by no means conven-
tional, I just stuck to what I knew best. Groove, and power.
Basically held a strong groove part, some funk beats, then
the occasional burst of double kick. I was ecstatic to find my
name in there with the thirty nine other semi-finalists, then
discovered I was the only one there from Scotland. In a way
it meant I was the Scottish Young Drummer Of The Year, but I
doubt that. Nevertheless, great inspiration to keep going at
the instrument.
SDM: Tell us about your future plans to study at Drumtech,
the world-renowned drum university in London, England. 11

Ali: My plans for Drumtech had to be changed due to the
record deal that Bleed acquired at the start of the year. We
are now too busy with writing and touring for me to even
consider going to study there. It was frustrating as I’ve
always wanted to be in the company of drummers who have
had that educational background, to see what they make of
my playing, and how I hit my drums. I myself have never had
any tuition or lessons, and I always held that in high regard.
I found that a lot more drummers these days weren’t self-
taught anymore. More and more people were coming up to
me asking, “Oh man, how long have you had lessons for?”, or
“Who teaches you drums dude?”. Whilst feeling some sense
of pride that I was all self-taught, I began wondering what the
benefits would be of getting a professional over my shoulder
giving me advice and also learning more about drum notation.
Whether I will have the opportunity to go to the university at
all, I’ll just have to wait and see.
SDM: You believe in keeping your options open, understand-
ing different genres, and being a versatile player. Do you
recommend that all drummers in extreme music do the same?
Why or why not?
12
Ali: All too often I see the same old thing. Metal drummer
walks on stage. Blast beat. Thrash beat. Breakdown. Then
walks off. I am so disappointed when that drummer doesn’t
attack the kit with feel or power. It feels as though they
started playing a month ago and have just been listening to
the fastest, most extreme music, and taken no time to appre-
ciate the actual concept of drums. Drums are the backbone
of a band. They carry the band, and dictate the rhythm. It’s
the drums that make you bang your head, it’s the drums make
you tap your feet. I don’t think I would ever have been able
to write an album by sticking to one genre. You have to think
outside the box. Listening to other drummers, that don’t
play the same style as you and taking great notice as to how
they move about the kit, and what beats they put over what
riffs. Getting yourself into other bands, projects, et cetera,
will open the mind to new rhythms and methods of songwrit-
ing. It will make you, as a drummer, a lot more aware of just
how much can be done with the simplest of riffs. So when
you next hit the studio with your metal band, they could play
a simple breakdown pattern and you’re instantly compelled
to shift it into a 7/8 shuffle. Keeping a strong backbeat or
whatever!? You know? It’s things like that. I generally think
that most metal drummers will have a firm understanding
of this, but for the ones that don’t? They need to open their
fucking ears to the world around them. So frustrating. If no
one takes notice of that, then metal bands will slowly become
more alike than some already are, the will lose the power they
once had, and it will all end in beers, or tears.
SDM: Why do you stand by Sabian cymbals? Is there any-
thing they do for you as an artist that other cymbal compa-
nies don’t?
Ali: Trying to get the right set of cymbals was a right pain
in the arse. I’ve spent years beating my way through other
brands, and trying to find my perfect sound was hard. My
first Sabian cymbal was a 19” AAXplosion Crash. I’ll never
forget walking into the studio, setting up, then the look on
everyones face, including my own, when I went into a pat-
tern with the crash. It was massive. After this, I ditched my
other cymbals straight away and began going about my new
cymbal set up. I’ve spent thousands on them, just going
for that same bright sound that the AAX and HHX can get. I
have a 14” HH Mini China that literally punches you in ears
when I hit it. I still use two Zildjian cymbals, though, to give
some accents to my playing. The Mega Bell and the Zil-Bell
work great with each other. Flicks between them are ideal
for bringing a riff to life. Same with my two splashes. The
12” AAX and the 10” HHX are powerful enough to cut through
the dirtiest of riffs. I would consider my set up to be ideal for
what I’m playing. Everything is there. Nothing moves. It all
works together brilliantly. The companies I have chosen are
the ones that give me the products I need to make my playing
come to life. I can only hope that other drummers hear my kit,
and notice the effort I’ve put into getting everything perfect
for this recording, all my live performances, and anything I’ve
done in the past. If they don’t? I’ll fight them...
Some words with
recording engineer
Mark Daghorn
of Red House Farm Studios
SDM: Can you tell us about the process for preparing to
record Ali?
Mark: It was pretty straightforward -- the room was ready,
as we use it all of the time. Ali’s kit was well tuned, so it was
really just a case of micing up and going. The mics were as
follows:
Kick - Shure Beta 52, Snare top - Audix D3, Snare bottom -
AKG C414, Hats - AKG C414, Toms - Audix D3s,
Ride - Groove Tubes GT1, Overheads - Groove Tubes GT57s
(matched pair)
Everything was tracked through Focusrite ISA pres into Pro
Tools HD3 through HD192 converters.
SDM: What specific things were you focusing on with his
sound, and were there any special studio techniques used in
the tracking?
Mark: Again, it was really straightforward -- he had his parts
down, so we were able to focus on performance rather than
just getting it right. There was nothing unusual about any of
the techniques.
SDM: How long does it typically take the drummers you work
with to track their songs? How long did it take Ali?
Mark: Ali took around two days to track all of the drums, and
this included the set up and getting some guide guitars down
for him, so he was very quick, and it took five or six days to
edit and trigger the drums. All of the triggers were samples
from his kit, other than an extra kick drum sample that we
used. This was very quick in both the tracking and editing
process -- we’ve had albums in this year where the drums
have taken a week to track and a week to edit, which is the
worst it’s been, but somewhere between the two is probably
a reasonable average.
> play video <
SDM: What is the biggest common mistake you see drummers
make in the studio?
Mark: Where do you want me to start? [laughing] Well, a
few months before a session, I always send the band an
email with a list of things they need to do to prepare. One of
these is that they get all of their tempo maps sorted out and
practice to the click until it is second nature to them, so that
when they get into the studio we can focus on performance
rather than the drummer having to get used to the click. I am
amazed by how many times this gets completely ignored --
out of the fifteen albums I’ve worked on this year, there were
probably three drummers that came in properly prepared with
accurate tempo maps -- Ali, Max from Trigger The Bloodshed,
and Tim from Many Things Untold (who unfortunately got ar-
rested during tracking, but that’s another story altogether!).
Pretty much every other drummer came in with an excuse
as to why they hadn’t practiced to the click, usually along
the lines of “the guitarist was supposed to do the clicks for
me but he didn’t”, or “I was supposed to be using my mate’s
rehearsal room but he let me down at the last minute”. It
simply isn’t good enough and the whole session suffers as
a result. I recently had a drummer tell the rest of his band
that I didn’t know what I was talking about when I asked for
them to sort out tempo maps and clicks, so he didn’t do it,
and we wasted an entire day sorting the maps out and then
he couldn’t play to a click to save his life. The band fired him
after the session.
13
 a lesson learned from the
youing trigger man
Interview By noel smart
SDM: Can you tell us more about signing to Metal Blade? How
is the support from the label so far?
Max: Being signed to Metal Blade is awesome; it’s the home
of so many sick bands, and it’s amazing to be a part of it! The
support is really good, we couldn’t ask for more.
SDM: You are currently on tour with Cryptopsy and Beneath
the Massacre? Have you learned anything from these mon-
ster drummers?
Max: I’ve learnt that, fuck, I’ve got a long way to go. They are
just absolutely amazing drummers, and awesome guys, too!
SDM: On Trigger the Bloodshed’s “Purgation”, released by
Rising Records: how well is the album doing in the UK? US?
Max: The album seems to be doing quite well. We’ve received
some really good reviews, and our fan base seems to be
steadily growing. We’re just so eager to get the new album
out. It’s a huge step up in both song writing and musician-
ship.
SDM: Can you talk about the drum tracking process on “Pur-
gation”? Do you have any studio advice to share with other
young drummers?
Max: The recording process was pretty simple; it took two
days to get all the drums recorded. Any advice? Well, just
make sure you’re 100% ready to record and that you’re 100%
happy with all your parts -– the last thing you want is to be
hearing the album back later down the line and wishing you
added a certain fill or beat in certain places.
14
SDM: With songs like “Merciless Ignorance”, “Impregnable
Miscreation”, “Wretched Betrayal”, “Retribution”, and “Whit-
ed Sepulcher” reaching speeds comparable to that of Origin
and Brain Drill, how did you develop this level of extreme
playing? Did this just come naturally for you? Or have you
been practicing since birth?
Max: I’ve been drumming for eight years, and been playing
death metal drums for two years. It’s just practice, a shitload
of practice. It’s taken me so many hours a day at home in the
cellar behind the drums to develop my techniques, and I’ve
still got a lot of work to do.
SDM: What are your methods for practicing?
Max: For death metal drumming I will just put a metronome
on and play, then go through and focus on different limbs,
just making sure I’m all up to speed. I’m learning jazz, and to
read music as well, so I’ll also go through some sheets and
various exercises.
SDM: How would you describe the music of Trigger the Blood-
shed? Who would you compare the sound to?
Max: We’re a fast blasting aggressive death metal band;
there are influences from bands like Necrophagist, Decapi-
tated, Nile, et cetera.
SDM: How do you keep things original when it comes to
recording your parts?
Max: I will just go over and over the drum parts, and try to
make them as interesting and as suited to the song as I can. I
also think listening to, and playing, a lot of different styles of
music helps keep my drumming interesting. There are a few
drum parts on the new album that I’m particularly proud of.
SDM: Who are the main blast beat masters that you listen to
for influence?
Max: Elliot Sellers, George Kollias, Derek Roddy; these guys
are probably my top death metal drummers.
15
 with the DeLeos, but with Scott singing in front of 45,000 peo-
ple!
SDM: Can you talk about your fusion trio, The Hideous Sun De-
mons? Anything planned for ‘09?
Ray: Nothing planned as of now. We’ve been writing a bit
here and there. I go to Japan two or three times a year to do
drum clinics and tour music schools. HSD only plays out live
over there right now. Toshi Hiketa moved back to Osaka last
year and James Lomenzo joined Megadeth, so it makes it a bit
rough to do anything at the moment. You can hear some tunes
on myspace.com/hideoussundemons.
SDM: What is the most important thing you learned during
your time with David Lee Roth?
Ray: Dave’s still one of the best front men that ever lived. I
learned so much being in his band for eight years, recording
and touring. WAY too much to type!
He took my drumming and musicianship to a whole other level.
He also taught me how to be a singer and an entertainer. Be-
ing a huge Van Halen fan growing up, my time with DLR still
remains one of the best time periods in my life. Words can’t
possibly describe it.
a ton of great musicians and made a lot of connections there.
That’s what it’s all about in this wacky music biz... playin’ your
ass off and meeting a ton of people. MI really helps you get
your s#%t together fast! But like anything, it’s what you make
it. If you have the right attitude to really want to get better and
play professionally and make a living in the music biz, then
this is the place for you.
SDM: What was it like working on the Jeff Beck tribute album
as opposed to working on the Jason Becker tribute?
Ray: It doesn’t matter to me who or what the session is for. I
just try to do the best job that I can in any situation. I’m a huge
fan of both of those guitarists.
SDM: Out of all you have experienced, what project has done
the most for your personal advancement as a drummer, and
how?
Ray: I grow and learn from every situation. You never stop
learning. If you do, you might want to move on and do some-
thing else! I still have a long way to go but I have a complete
blast playing music for a living, and I feel lucky to be doing
something that I absolutely love and live for.

SDM: How much of your success can you credit to your degree
from MI? www.rayluzier.com
myspace.com/rayluzier
Ray: Musician’s Institute is a great school. I don’t know how www.korn.com
much of my success I owe to going there, but I do know that it www.jdsfa.com
opened me up to playing many different styles of music; I met

> play video <

Korn"s Ray Luzier Clinic
Footage and interview
Interview By noel smart
Photography by Jeff Gerew
SDM: Can you tell us about the current drumming situation with
Korn? Is this now a full time thing? How has it been adapting
to the style of David Silveria?
Ray: I joined Korn in October of ‘07; it’s been amazing. Our
tour was huge, and we went around the world to countries
like Dubai, Russia, South Africa, Europe, Australia, and South
America. Korn has a worldwide fan base like I’ve never seen;
it’s insane! It’s a full time thing at the moment. You can hear
my first recording with them on the “Nightmare Revisited”
soundtrack. It’s been great playing their catalog of great tunes
on the road. You can check out a bunch of live videos and pics
on korn.com.
I definitely put my own style and flavor into the tunes, but I
respect the cool grooves that David played and the strength
and
16 power that he gave the band. I’m really looking forward to
doing a new Korn CD in ‘09.
SDM: How is the Jonathan Davis solo project coming along?
What can we expect?
Ray: The tunes are great, and it’s sounding really incredible
right now. I finished my drum tracks... we used a TON of dif-
ferent drums on this record. It was a lot of fun, and I can’t wait
to hear the finished mixes. There were live webcams on us the
entire recording process, so fans could log on at anytime and
watch; it was a trip. You can check them out on: jdsfa.com.
SDM: Tell us about the DeLeo brothers and Army of Anyone. Is
this your main focus, outside of Korn?
Ray: The DeLeo Bros. are some of my favorite musicians, and
two of my favorite people on the planet. I’m very proud of the
AOA CD and the tour that followed it. It only lasted a little over
two years and then we disbanded. STP and Filter got back to-
gether; I joined Korn. My main focus is Korn and Jonathan Da-
vis & the SFA right now.
I recently filled in for Eric Kretz and played two shows with
Stone Temple Pilots. It was such a rush to be back on stage 17
 SDM: Who were your main inspirations behind the kit, at the time the Lethargy material
was written?

Brann: Animal from the Muppets. Sean Reinert, Stevie Wonder, Elvin Jones, and all the
rest of the amazing drummers that everyone else likes too. The real thing that inspires
me behind the kit, is awesome guitar riffage. When I hear an amazing riff blaring out of a
Marshall stack, I can hardly wait to put drums to it.

SDM: Can you tell us about you and Bill meeting the other members at a High On Fire
show, and eventually forming Mastodon?

Brann: It was two weeks after we had moved to Atlanta. We went to go see High On
Fire at this place called Parasite House, a house in town that had shows in the base-
ment. Brent had an Iron Maiden jean jacket on, so we got to talking, and he informed me
that his band just broke up that night. We exchanged information, and a few days later
Mastodon was formed. There was also an ice storm that night that lasted for a few days;
figures, I moved here to get away from the harsh Rochester winters, and next thing you
know: Ice Cold.

SDM: Can you tell us more about your appearances on the Melvins tribute doing the song
“The Bit”, and the Metallica tribute doing “Orion”? How did this come about? Were you
happy with the outcome of both?

Brann: We’re all really big Melvins fans, so when the opportunity arose for us to do a
cover for the tribute compilation “We Reach”, we were really excited to learn “The
Bit” and go record it. We’ve been playing it live ever since. Recently at the All To-
morrow’s Parties festival in the U.K. we were joined on-stage by the Melvins,
some insight from the and played the song together. Three drummers! It was awesome.
thunder behind mastodon
The Metallica thing was for the twentieth anniversary of Master of
Puppets for Kerrang magazine. It was the first thing we tracked in
the Blood Mountain sessions, so we kind of used it to get sounds
Interview By noel smart for our material. We all love that song. It makes me think of
photography By tiaja lynn the beautiful musical spirit of Cliff Burton.

the thing that inspires me SDM: Please tell us a little about your experience with the Aqua
Teen Hunger Force movie soundtrack.

behind the kit, is awesome Brann: That was a lot of fun; I would definitely consider us-
ing Meatwad as a producer in the future. He brings a lot to the
guitar riffage table. He brought out the best in us as musicians and as people.

SDM: The logo and artwork for Mastodon seem to represent some-
SDM: Did you ever get to play with Discordance Axis? We heard
thing different about the four elements. Whether it’s fire, water, or
something about that and wanted to confirm...
earth. Why is that? Do you or any of the band practice any sort of
religion? What’s with the symbol at the top middle of your logo? Why
Brann: I hate to be the one to break it to ya, but I never played
does that change so often from album to album?
for DA. I don’t know where you saw that, but it’s wrong. Dave is
one of my oldest and dearest friends; he loves cats.
Brann: We are all practicing Scientologists, because we’re rich and famous,
and that’s how we do it. The symbols and artwork all tie into the concepts of the
SDM: What led to the split up of Lethargy, and are there any
records. We like to build a whole Mastodon world for the fans to immerse themselves
talks of a reunion show?
in, and it makes for bad-ass t-shirts, and I’m addicted to bad-ass t-shirts.
Brann: Lethargy was a blast; we had so much fun writing that
SDM: What was the reason for doing The Workhorse Chronicles? What was the objective
music, and I learned a lot about challenging myself as a musician playing with Eric Burke. In
behind it, and did you achieve your goals when it was released?
the end it was just time to move on and do something else. We’re all still really good friends,
and I would love to work with Eric again someday in the future. He’s one of the most talented
Brann: It was to show the history of the band up until that point. It was to kind of let
guitar players I’ve ever had the pleasure to work with. Maybe we’ll do a reunion when we’re
people know that we didn’t just pop up out of nowhere; we have a long musical history,
both senior citizens.
and we’ve been working hard at this for a long time. I think we achieved (continuted...)
18 19

what we wanted with it -- it gave our fans a little
insight on who we are as people.
SDM: Would you describe the Mastodon sound as
being progressive metal with groove? Or something
completely different?
Brann: I think it’s kinda like crusty prog. But what
do I know?
SDM: How do you stay on top of your drumming
game in Mastodon, consistently playing with such
original feel over the music?
Brann: I just try to play what I think fits over the
music, and make it work the way it’s supposed to.
The way I play it is the way I hear it. Sometimes my
parts come quick, and sometimes they take time,
but we don’t stop until we feel it’s right.
SDM: On the Remission album, why did you use
the roar of the T-Rex from Jurassic Park on the song
“Crusher Destroyer”?
Brann: Because it sounded bad-ass!
SDM: What has been the most difficult video you
have ever shot?
Brann: Without a doubt, the Colony Of Birchmen
video was the toughest. It was shot at Ruby Falls
in Chattanooga, TN, in front of the waterfall that’s
at the end of the cave trail. I had to carry my drums
and hardware all the way through the cave to get to
the location. It was a twenty minute hike to the falls
through very precarious and narrow passageways,
but it was worth it, because that shit looked awe-
some!
SDM: What can fans expect from “Crack the Skye”?
Brann: “Crack the Skye” has a little something more
than our previous records; there’s a big heart to this
record. I couldn’t be more proud of my bandmates
and everyone that was involved in the making of
this album. It’s the kind of album I would like to be
remembered by; it will always have a special place
with me. I can’t wait to share it with people.
20
the Brann Dailor Giveaway!
One lucky winner will be chosen at
random to receive the cymbal and the
$250.00 gift package from Evans.
All you need to do to enter:
Send an email to: contest@sickdrummermagazine.com
Make the email subject “The Thunder of Mastodon”
Please include your sickdrummermagazine.com user
name in the email body...
A winner will be chosen and emailed on Febraury 1st
Good Luck!!
by gus rios
numerous awards we’ve won for this, combined with the sales
SDM: First off, what exactly are drumheads made of?
figures, would justify that claim.
Steve: A combination of Mylar, Aluminum (Hoops), and Epoxy.
SDM: With so many notes being played on the kick drums in
most metal music, kick drum patches are a necessity. What
SDM: What are the differences between one and two ply
does Evans offer and what are the differences?
heads?
Steve: We offer three different types of impact patches. One
Steve: Single ply heads generally produce an “open” sound
with more overtones, and moderate durability. Two ply
generally produce a more “focused” sound with significantly
is made of black Cordura material, one of clear plastic, and
one from Aramid Fiber (AF Patch), which is the actual name
more durability. of Kevlar, which we can’t use due to copyright reasons. The
AF Patch offers the most durability, with accentuated attack.
SDM: You actually have a couple of specially designed heads: The clear plastic offers increased attack and a more “flex-
the EC series, and the new G plus line. Can you talk a bit
about those and what makes them different from the G1 and
ible” feel than the AF patch does, with slightly less durability.
The black Nylon patch offers no accentuation of attack, and
G2s? moderate durability.
Steve: EC Stands for “Edge Control”, and the overtones are
focused rather than eliminated. This is a two ply head similar
SDM: Now a subject that most drummers seem to avoid, and
dread! What is the recommended life of a kick drum head?
in construction to the G2, but with the EC Ring installed. The Given that it doesn’t have a hole in it, and it’s always had an
impact patch, does a kick drum head go flat, so to speak?
G Plus is a 12 mil single ply in clear and coated (an off-white
color): these are designed for the player who needs more du- Bottom tom and snare side heads as well?
rability from a single ply. The G1 is 10 Mil, and our competi-
tors’ single ply heads are usually 10 mil, as well. Steve: This subject is so controversial, because EVERYTHING
to do with a drummer’s gear is SO personal! Generally speak-
SDM: Evans has been an innovator in snare drum heads with ing, if the bass head is not responding like it used to, and
feels like it’s lost its “elasticity” (if you will), then it should be
variety and designs. How does Evans come up with new and
innovative drumheads, and can you tell us about a few of the changed. The same thing with tom and snare heads. A lot of
dents, and a general “pocketing” (essentially a dent where
more popular models?
the stick most often strikes the head) will certainly affect a
Steve: We arrive at new models by listening to endorsee/
consumer feedback, and by trying to target what’s missing in
drumhead’s ability to produce a pleasing sound and tone.
Also, many drummers don’t think about resonant side heads!
These wear out too, even though you don’t strike them! The
our competitors’ offerings. The EC series (with and without
resonant head gets hit with the same force of air that you
power dot) has become particularly popular with rock players,
strike the drum with, and that will most certainly cause the
and the dot version is especially popular with those requir-
ing serious durability. This is essentially a “tuned” head reso heads to wear out over time. The general recommenda-
tion we give for replacing resonant heads, is to replace them
which removes the mid-frequencies that are most commonly
removed when mic’d by a sound engineer. every three or four times that you replace the batter heads.
SDM: Evans has quite an assortment of kick drum heads as
well. With so many models to choose from, let’s focus on the
EQ and EMAD series. What are the differences and what was
the design process? What sound was Evans looking for?
> play ec2 drumhead sound <
Steve: The EQ Series (1, 2, 3, 4) have internal muffling (some
with removable flaps) only, whereas the EMAD (Externally > play G-Plus drumhead sound <
Mounted Adjustable Damping) does exactly what its name
states. With the EMAD and EMAD2, we were looking to make
the fattest, punchiest batter head ever produced, and the
21

we love talking to
bashers from belgium!
SDM: How come there are no original members left in the
band?
Tony: Most of the original members left the band a while
ago, so I don’t know about them. The last one to leave was
Sven, which doesn’t surprise me at all. When you play in two
bands you will always have to make sacrifices to one of them.
Aborted and Leng Tch’e are two bands who need the complete
attention of all of their members, so I guess this was bound to
happen sooner or later.
SDM: Can you explain the origin of the band name “Leng
Tch’e”? Is this something that you have researched?
Tony: Our first singer, Isaac, was big into serial killers and
torture methods, so he came up with it. It also happens to
be an album by John Zorn’s Naked City, which is an instant
excuse to use it as a band name.
SDM: How do you think grindcore fans take the band’s lyrics?
(Written on topics like: family stories, anti-racism, society,
and the metal scene.)
Tony: I haven’t heard anybody complain so far. Honestly, I
don’t think most metal fans care much about the lyrics. In
any case they’re always evolving since we change singers
every two records. Isaac liked to vent about his family
situation, Boris (and Sven) loved to write about the metal
22
Interview By noel smart
scene, and Serge is more interested in society in general. It’s
all part of the continuous evolution of Leng Tch’e.
SDM: Did you find it difficult to learn songs that Sven De
Caluwé (Aborted, In-quest, Whorecore, They:Swarm) origi-
nally created?
Tony: I think most of the songs we play live are created by our
guitar player Jan. The hardest part of learning the songs was
the short time span I had. The setlist consisted of nineteen
songs and since the try out show was in two weeks it all had
to go pretty fast. The actual drum parts are not so hard, and
there are much of the same patterns and fills, so that helped
me quite a lot. Yet the downside to it is that you sometimes
get confused between the songs, because you have the same
drum parts and fills in different songs. On a technical base,
the drum parts of my other band, The Seventh, are much
more challenging. This will be different for the new Leng
Tch’e songs, though. Jan is writing some crazy shit as we
speak.
SDM: Out of all your influences (Napalm Death, Nasum, Blood
Duster, Burnt by the Sun, Converge, Morbid Angel, Hemdale),
which is the most dominant in your drumming? How?
Tony: My first years of drumming, definitely Morbid Angel.
Back then I could spend hours behind my kit, just playing
blast beats and double bass rolls. My only goals were speed
and power. But after a while, I got more into different genres
such as jazz and fusion, and didn’t really focus on speed
anymore. Now my main goal is to be as musical as possible.
Leng Tch’e of course requires a lot of blast beats, but in the
new songs I have some space to open up my playing, and put
more dynamics and feel into the drum parts. A drummer who
I think has an excellent approach to this is Burnt by the Sun
drummer Dave Witte. So at this point I think out of all those
bands it will be Burnt by the Sun that is the most dominant in
my playing.
SDM: How would you describe Leng Tch’e’s sound as a
band? I know you list yourself as death metal, grindcore, and
hardcore. Are there any other elements? Do you think that
maybe you guys have been confused with, or labeled under
the moniker of deathcore?
Tony: I think the sound is very broad. There are a lot of
elements combined in the music. One element not to be
forgotten is rock. It is not always that obvious, but if you
would hear the guitar parts without the drums, many riffs
have a totally different feel. For example, with a blast beat
on top, rock riffs become more death metal or grind riffs.
That’s why it is so hard to specify the sound. If I can’t even
determine what style one riff is, then I am not even going
to try to define the band’s music. So I also wouldn’t call it
deathcore, but I am sure you will find some in the music.
SDM: Tell us more about your split 7” with Fuck the Facts?
Tony: The split is very important to us because of the recent
lineup changes. We had great reactions on the shows, but
of course a recording reaches a lot more people. To clear all
doubts, it was important for us to get this recording as soon
as possible. A full album would have been too soon, so the
7” split was perfect. Because we were going to do a tour in
Canada, and because it is such a great band, Fuck the Facts
was the obvious choice to do the split with.
SDM: How did the Krisiun tour go for you in Canada? Did Max
of Krisiun have an impact on your performance? How?
Tony: The tour went great. We had lots of fun on stage and
afterwards. It was my first tour so I was very exited about
it. To do a tour is mostly one of the main goals you have in
mind when you pick up your first instrument. So being able
to actually do that is great. The other bands were all very
cool guys so it was basically one big party. And the Canadian
crowd was awesome. The only downside were the long drives
in between but the poutine well made up for that. That is
some fine cookin’. Max is, like all of the Krisiun guys, a really
cool guy. We talked drums and stuff, had some laughs. I
can’t say that influenced my performance. It was just cool to
see him rip up those drums. He is an amazing drummer, but I
guess you all know that already.
SDM: What was the response like at the Queens of Metal
- Open Air in Germany? Was this the biggest show of your
career? What was it like playing to all these people in a new
band? Any pressure?
Tony: The response was great, I had a lot of fun on stage. It
was not the biggest fest I played, though. The biggest fest
would be Brutal Assault 2007 in Czech Republic. And that
show had a lot of pressure to it. First of all, it was my first
real show with Leng Tch’e after the try out show we did. At
that time I was in the band for about 3 weeks so all the songs
were new to me. Also, I was used to a crowd in the range of
a hundred people, two hundred max; this was thousands of
people standing in front of the stage. If that wasn’t enough,
former Leng Tch’e drummer Sven, who played next with
Aborted, was standing right next to me watching my every
move. But the show was great. So I think you will find it easy
to understand that all the shows after this one are like a walk
in the park for me concerning pressure. I actually feel most
pressure when playing in Belgium. I don’t know why, maybe
because more people know me so it becomes more personal
or something.
SDM: How is your label support with Relapse Records?
Tony: It’s alright. We’re a small fish in a big pond over there
so they’re doing what they can, I guess. It’s also not easy
being a European band on a US label. But they’re definitely
partly responsible for lifting the band to where we are now.
For sure they are one of the best labels in the world to be on
as a grindcore or death metal band.
SDM: Is your other band, The Seventh, your top priority? How
do you separate the styles of The Seventh, who play melodic
death metal, and Leng Tch’e?
Tony: From the moment I joined Leng Tch’e, it became my
top priority. Otherwise I wouldn’t have joined the band in
the first place. It is a much harder working band than The
Seventh and that was just what I needed. I had much more
musical ambitions than the other The Seventh members.
From the start I devoted a lot of time to the band. I actually
started out as a guitar player. After a while I started playing
drums and also immediately switched to drums in the band.
This was very hard since I was just a beginner. So I had to
practice several hours each day to get to a certain level in as
little time as possible. Later on I continued devoting much
time on drumming, music, and the band. After a while it
became clear to me that the other band members were not on
the same page as me concerning practicing their instrument,
putting time in the band, tour plans... a lot of things were
discussed and a lot of stuff was planned, but in the end not
much happened. This became more and more frustrating to
me, even to the point where I stopped having fun in the band.
That was the time when I realized that I had to find another
band which had the same goals as me. Living in Belgium,
this was no simple quest. When I heard Leng Tch’e was in
search of a drummer I immediately knew this was it.
The first rehearsal confirmed this: this was a hard working,
much demanding band. So from that point on, I could enjoy
23
 st nd
1
Unsigned Alex Bent
CLICK TO VIEW ALEX’S VIDEO
2Unsigned teemu letru
CLICK TO VIEW TEEMU’S VIDEO

Name: Alex Bent Name: Teemu Letru

Age: 15 Age: 18
The Seventh again. The Seventh’s rehearsals are always SDM: Why do you set your snare tension very tight? Do you Hometown: Escalon, CA Hometown: Nummi-Pusila, Finland
relaxed and a lot of fun. It is also good to play two different think that helps with the blast beat response? Years Playing: 4 Years Playing: 4
types of music. It helps me not to get stuck into one musical Lessons: No Lessons: No
vision. Tony: It was something I discussed with our sound guy. I Band: Valkyrja Band: No
played some shows using a lower tension, some medium Favorite Drummers: Favorite Drummers:
SDM: Why did Once Godlike, who first played death metal, tension, and some higher tension. Afterwards I discussed Tim Yeung & George Kollias Gene Hoglan, Sean Reinert,
decide to go into the metalcore sound? Why did you play the sound with our sound guy and he said he really liked the Richard Christy, George Kollias,
bass in that band and not drums? higher tension and could get a much better sound that way. and Derek Roddy
So when I do gigs or recordings I mostly tighten my snares a
Tony: The first instrument I ever played was guitar. After a bit. For rehearsals and practicing, I loosen them up a little. I
few years I also played bass in a jazz / rock band. When I quit guess it makes sense that in fast blasts every hit comes out

that band, I still wanted to play bass in a band just for fun.
So I joined a local band soon to be named Once Godlike. It
actually was a hardcore band back then, and the thing was
that I didn’t know anything about hardcore music and the
nd
more clearly when the snares are tighter.
st
1 2
SDM: What kind of bass drum pedals are you using, and why?

Luke Dumke signed

other guys didn’t know anything about (death) metal. So
when we were writing songs it was a mixture of hardcore
and death metal riffs. After a while, I could convert most
of the guys to the death metal side, so the music was more
death metal oriented. Just before I left the band, a second
guitar player joined. He came up with more metalcore type
of riffs and when I left, the band got more and more into that
direction.
SDM: What was the recording like with Tue Madsen on The
Seventh’s “Cursed Earth Wasteland”? What did you learn
from him?
Tony: Well, actually, Tue Madsen only did the mastering. We
gave him the mix, he mastered it and gave it back. So I didn’t
learn anything from him. The recording and mixing was done
by Jörg Uken at Soundlodge studio in Germany. This was
a good experience for me, because Jörg is also a drummer.
We discussed things like muffling the kit, mic’ing, trigger
sounds, tuning the drums, and using different effects on the
drums. He was a very relaxed person to work with, willing to
try out things. I don’t like it when people only see their vision
and
24 don’t even want to try something different.
Juan Carlos
Tony: I use the Axis A longboard pedals. I didn’t have the
chance to try them out before I ordered them, they just signed
seemed like good pedals and got good reviews on the net. It
took me a lot of time to get used to them but now that I have, CLICK TO VIEW LUKE’S VIDEO CLICK TO VIEW JUAN’S VIDEO
I think it was a good choice. I used to play two bass drums
but some time ago I switched to a double pedal. I was fed Name: Luke Dumke Name:
up with carrying my eight piece kit to shows, only to find out Age: 19 Juan Carlos Artehaga Mosquera
they only have four mics to mic the entire kit. So I downsized Hometown: Las Cruces, NM Age: 34
and switched to a single bass drum. This was no problem Years Playing: 9 Hometown: Calarca Quindo, Columbia
with the Axis, since I only had to buy the conversion kit. The Lessons: Yes Years Playing: 8
downside of Axis is the price, though. Band: The Informant Lessons: No
Favorite Drummer: Band: Mental Apraxia + Mindly Rotten
SDM: What can we expect from you and Leng Tch’e in 2009? Thomas Pridgen Favorite Drummers:
Geaorge Kollias and Lord Marco
Tony: We are currently working on new material for the next
full album, which will hopefully be recorded and released
in 2009. Besides that we will be playing a lot of shows and
probably do another tour. So basically, it will be a very busy
year for us. Just keep checking the myspace for
dates and updates.
The next Blast Off Drum Competition will be posted in our March 1st issue.
Thanks to all who entered, MetalInjection.net, Axis Percussion & Hudson Music!
Keep your eye on Sick Drummer Magazine.com for details on what you can enter to Win Next! 25
 I have been a fan of James Murphy (legendary guitarist
and master of all things music production) for a long time,
having grown up listening to nearly every record that he’s
ever played on. With his time spent in Death, Obituary,
Testament, Cancer, Disincarnate, and his various guest solo
spots on albums by Gorguts, Malevolent Creation, Artension,
Solstice, and Explorer’s Club, not to mention his two brilliant
solo albums Convergence and Feeding The Machine... his
punishing yet beautiful riffs, intelligent songcraft, extremely
melodic and memorable leads, as well as his incredible
phrasing and outstanding vibrato have helped to make him
a giant in the metal scene, as well as one of my favorite
musicians of all time. And in the last several years, his
astonishing production abilities have led to a professional
career as an in-demand producer, engineer, mixer, and
mastering engineer on top of his already flourishing career as
a guitarist.
Needless to say, I was incredibly excited when, back in the
summer of last year, I was asked to record the drums for the
album “The Grand Partition and the Abrogation of Idolatry”,
the Nuclear Blast debut album by the band Success Will Write
Apocalypse Across The Sky for which James was handling
production duties. We became fast friends and share a love
for jazz-fusion music and all things drumming, as well as
having many of the same favorite drummers. His invaluable
experience and expertise in the recording field, along with his
engaging personality, and the incredible list of drummers he’s
worked with, assured me that he was the perfect candidate
for an interview that all drummers can learn from.
Mike: How long have you been producing, engineering,
mixing, and mastering albums, as most of us will likely know
you as a guitarist?
James Murphy: Since 1995. I started working in ‘95, anyway.
Studied, learned, and practiced since ‘89 or ‘90. My interest
was sparked in 1989 when I joined Death and recorded
“Spiritual Healing” with Scott Burns producing; I immedi-
ately started devouring any and all resources I could towards
learning the craft.
Mike: What was it about that particular situation that sparked
your interest?
Interview By mike heller
James Murphy: The exact situation... the first moment... was
we caught up with the legend of probably when Scott first set me up to record my guitars
myself, using a looped auto-punch on the 2” machine. We
production himself recorded that album on 2” 24-track analog tape machines.
Then I really got drawn in by the mixing process. I was pretty
enthralled the whole time, though, by every stage, and by the
studio and gear.
Mike: Are there any upcoming projects that you’re really
excited about, or people you’re excited about working with?
James Murphy: I’m usually excited by every new project I take
on, so it’s a bit hard to answer that one. Certainly I’ve just
finished a few that have been a pleasure to work on... LaZarus
A.D.’s Metal Blade debut, Abigail Williams’s debut LP on
26
Candlelight, and Burning Human’s debut on Koch. Currently,
I’m just entering the mix stage of an album I produced for
Nuclear Blast... the debut LP for the band Success Will Write
Apocalypse Across The Sky (SWWAATS), and I’ve had a blast
with those guys, including you as the session drummer when
we tracked your parts in NY a while back.
Mike: I know you’ve expressed to me your love for drums and
drumming, so who are some of your favorite drummers?
James Murphy: Well, there are many metal drummers I love,
but the pinnacle for me is fusion... drummers like Dennis
Chambers, Kirk Covington, Chad Wackerman, Billy Cobham,
Bill Bruford, Steve Smith, Vinnie Colaiuta, Jeff Sipe, Steve
Gadd, et cetera.
Mike: Who was your favorite drummer to work with as a
producer/engineer in each genre you’ve recorded? Care to
share any stories about working with these individuals?
James Murphy: Well, I like different guys for different
reasons. Dean Castronovo was just incredible to work with
and record... total pro, played flawlessly on every take, hit the
drums very solidly, so it was always a good tone. Steve Smith
was a consummate pro as well, as you’d imagine. Jeremy
Colson was a pleasure to work with; he was very young and
just embarking on his career but already a very accomplished
player. Brian Harris is a great session drummer from Ohio
that I always enjoy tracking. Matt Thompson of King Diamond
was also a total pro and played great... and I had a total blast
tracking Martin Lopez, formerly of Opeth... incredible feel. It
wasn’t too shabby recording you, either, but don’t let it go to
your head!
Mike: (laughs) Thanks.
James Murphy: Oh, and Jason Bittner of Shadows Fall.
Mike: With Burning Human?
James Murphy: Can’t forget him; awesome experience
working with Jason, and he laid the smack down for sure, on
the Death tribute tracks he played on.
Mike: You have also played with many legendary bands,
including Obituary, Testament, Death, Disincarnate, and so
on. As a guitarist, who was your favorite drummer to work
with in a band situation?
James Murphy: I have great memories of several fantastic
drummers I’ve played with as a musician. I had a really good
time with Johnny Tempesta when I joined Testament, and
later working with Jon Dette was good, too. Then, of course,
I finished off my time in Testament with Dave Lombardo on
drums, and that was quite an experience as well... he was a
really nice guy and a great player. I also toured and recorded
with Konkhra with Chris Kontos on drums for the first album
and tour, and Per M. Jensen of The Haunted for the second
album and tour... both were great.
27

Mike: You’re doing solos on their new record too, aren’t you?
James Murphy: I did play several solos for the new Konkhra
CD. Should be out in ‘09.
Mike: Do your views on drummers change when you’re in
the role of a producer on a session, as opposed to just being
the guitarist? That is, do you look for different things in a
drummer on a session as opposed to a drummer that you’ll
jam with?
James Murphy: No, I think it’s pretty well integrated, though
obviously when you’re playing live, you need to have a
great familiarity with your drummer, and a certain unspoken
language that develops over time that allows you to really
communicate and gel musically. What I love about fusion
guys, though, is that with the really great players they seem
to have that communication even if they’ve never jammed
together before. It’s an innate ability to feel “pocket”.
Mike: What can you tell us, as drummers, about how to
prepare for a recording, and how is this different for jazz,
metal, power metal, or death metal? Tuning? New heads?
Practicing to a metronome?
James Murphy: Don’t think I can really break it down to
different genres. Jazz guys should drink coffee, and wear
berets, and metal guys should sacrifice a goat to the virgin
whore.
Mike: (laughs)
James Murphy: (laughs) Seriously, though... new heads, but
try to get them on the kit the night before in the room they
will be recorded in, and stretch them a bit. Practice has
hopefully been handled prior to entering the studio; it’s not
really the place to still be figuring out what you’re going to
do unless you are fortunate to have that kind of budget. And
be able to play to a click... practice it, as well as being able to
play across different tempos... not all songs are one tempo.
Also, know what meter you are playing in.
Mike: What are the most important things that you think
drummers need to work on to help make recording go
smoother?
James Murphy: Playing in time, playing with “pocket”,
dynamic control, and that’s about it. Beyond that, setting
up their drums for recording, and being used to playing that
way. For example, raising cymbals up high enough that they
aren’t basically lying on top of their toms, hi-hat not neces-
sarily right on top of their snare... toms on less of an angle.
And getting used to playing with their seat (never call it a
“throne”, it goes to their heads (laughs)) high enough that
gravity is working in their favor with their kick drum pedals.
And finally... learn how to tune and maintain their drums.
28
Mike: Tell us a little about the role of a producer in a recording
situation.
James Murphy: Basically, the producer’s main job after
entering the studio is to help get the best performance out of
each musician. It’s part psychologist, part technician.... we
guide the session, essentially. Prior to entering the studio,
the producer’s role is to help iron out any compositional
issues, e.g. clashing harmonies, weak arrangements, vocal
lines, as well as any performance issues that may need
addressing, such as a weak drummer that’s not ready for
recording.
Mike: What do you do if you are in that type of situation?
James Murphy: You work with the musician in question until
they improve to the point of being able to pull the job off,
or you organize a session player. Not my favorite thing to
have to do, but it’s come up a few times here and there. It’s
why bands/labels hire producers, though; the quality of the
end product becomes your responsibility if you accept the
producer’s mantle... and should you turn in a “less than final”
product, you may well find yourself sitting by a business
phone that never rings. You have to be able to read the
situation well... and know when you’ve reached the point of
diminishing returns when working towards getting a lackadai-
sical or incompetent player in shape. Knowing when to give it
more time/effort/a different approach versus knowing when
to “pull the plug” and bring in a session guy. You have to
develop good judgement for that.
Mike: When you were recording my parts for the SWWAATS
album we only had about two days to record all of the
drums, and I had very little time to learn the songs before
the actual recording. It seems like it would have been a very
nerve-wracking situation, yet I had an amazing time at the
studio. You made absolutely sure that there was a relaxed
atmosphere, and we spent a lot of the time between takes
cracking jokes, and most importantly, we ended up with a
great product. What type of thing do you think contributes to
a great working relationship between artist and producer?
James Murphy: Absolute obedience (laughs).
Mike: (laughs).
James Murphy: Just kidding. Well, yeah, I mean... you have to
be able to not let any pressure get to you; you have to be able
to allow some levity to enter the session; you have to take
the job seriously, but there’s no reason that has to equate to
being uptight. A good producer/artist relationship is key, and
I don’t think I know any formulae for achieving that... you just
have to do your prep work for the session (pre-production) so
you have confidence that you’ll get a good result in the end,
regardless of time pressure or any other negative pressure
that may enter the session. I also think the producer sets the
tone; if he’s relaxed yet focused, fun yet hard working, and
confident but not cocky, then everyone else in the session
will respond to that and follow suit.
Mike: You brought your own microphones in your carry-on
bag from Florida to the studio in New York. What are the
microphones you used on this session and does your micro-
phone choice differ for different sessions?
James Murphy: Yeah, I brought several mics... all Audix: two
D6s, a D4, three D2s, two cardiod SCX-One SDCs [Small
Diaphragm Condensers], and one super-cardiod SCX-One
SDC. I really like the sound of these mics for hard rock and
metal drums. I also love the small profile, which makes it
easy to place them without much concern for them being hit
during recording. I would use a very different set of mics to
record a jazz-fusion trio, and an another set altogether to
record an R&B act.
Mike: How would you suggest that someone get into the
session game?
James Murphy: Have the following: serious chops, but an
ability to use restraint and play appropriately; ability to play
to a click; read charts in some cases, though it’s not a strict
requirement by any means; good networking skills, person-
able nature, and have a variety of styles under your belt.
Then just get to know the local producers in your area, which
goes to networking, and make yourself available. If you’re
called, cancel other plans, if necessary. In other words,
don’t turn down a session because you had plans to go see
Transporter 3.
Mike: (laughs).
James Murphy: Show up on time, prepared, sober, and
attentive.
Mike: And bring peanut butter cups!
James Murphy: (laughs) That’s the studio’s job to supply.
Mike: How do you feel about the rise in project/home studios?
James Murphy: Well, I think they have their purpose. Mainly
songwriting, pre-production, experimentation, et cetera.
Unfortunately, too many people throw together such home
setups and start advertising themselves as a commercial
facility, despite having little to no experience or actual skill.
Learning a software package and reading some manuals
and recording your own band’s demos does not equate to
becoming a qualified recording engineer... ultimately, there’s
no real threat to legitimate studios or experienced recording
engineers. I think your average home recording gear has
its place, and despite any confusion that may be caused
by the overabundance of personal studios advertised as
commercial rooms, the cream will always rise to the top, while
the dregs will sink to the bottom. It’s great, though, when
musicians have this gear and use it the right way: for honing
their music and song-writing. Of course, it’s really all about
the individual using the gear. Give me a pro in a bedroom
using a consumer level rig over an amateur in a multi-million
dollar commercial facility any day. Fortunately, I don’t have
to make such choices. No one does, really; there are enough
great rooms that any professional, good engineer can make
the right choices for any given band. In many cases, various
stages of an album can be done at home studios... and I mean
your “average” home studio. It’s a given that some “home”
studios are actually pro facilities and are quite well designed
and outfitted, but you’ll always need somebody who’s good
at what they do to get a good end result.
Mike: What’s your take on people downloading music?
James Murphy: There’s no doubt that illegal downloading is
hurting the music business, and it’s mostly hurting smaller
bands. I notice that many people that do this are under the
misconception that going to the band’s shows makes up for
not buying their album and just illegally downloading it. It
doesn’t. The bands that are being hurt by downloading
do NOT pay for their albums with tour income. In fact, the
proceeds from live shows, both guarantees and merchandise,
usually barely cover the expense of touring. Bottom line, if
you like a band and want them to continue to be able to make
good albums, then buy their current CDs. It’s simple math.
I also notice another excuse that’s along the lines that they
want to help the bands but don’t care about the label... that’s
all well and good, but the band chose the label, and have an
arrangement with them, whereby the label pays all expenses
up front for producing the band’s CDs, so don’t fool yourself.
Labels still provide a very important service, and thus have a
crucial role to play in the production of great music. Support
the bands you like by buying their CDs, because it’s crucial
to them being able to make more. And, it’s crucial to YOU, as
drummers, for getting paying gigs.
Mike: When can we expect some new music from you?
James Murphy: Within the next year. Meanwhile, I’m guesting
on a number of current and upcoming albums, including
Warrel Dane’s “Praises To The War Machine”, the new
Konhkra, Abigail Williams’s “In The Shadow Of A Thousand
Suns”, Burning Human’s “Resurrection Through Fire”, and I
can be seen performing live and I’m interviewed on the soon
to be released “Roadrunner United - The Concert” DVD.
Mike: What does the future hold for James Murphy?
James Murphy: Well, I’m just going to focus on building my
production career, while playing as much as I can, and before
long I’ll have new music in the form a new Disincarnate CD
and a new solo CD. And have fun and make friends along the
way.
Mike: Well James, I want to thank you for taking the time
to answer these questions, and for giving such honest and
informative answers. Is there anything you would like to say
to the readers of Sick Drummer Magazine?
James Murphy: Try to broaden your horizons, keep your mind
open, and never become bitter. A music career is a journey,
not a destination. Trite but true.
29

i n g S e ries s
rr m
A Recucording drudaath
on re the man of
from
Over the next few columns I’ll be asking
some basic questions that you should be
able to answer right off the bat.
If not, reprioritize and get these issues
resolved. Here goes. This question is
very, very important:
Can I play all the parts to a click? If not, then it’s high time
to get started. Here’s a simple way to go about this. Go to
Google and type in “Drummer Metronome”. Find something
that fits your budget; just make sure that it can handle tempo
changes within a song. Then type in “Drummer Head-
phones”. Vic Firth’s tend to be the most popular, but browse
for what makes the most sense. Once you have your setup,
get to programming. Figure out your tempos and practice
your songs to that click. Now here’s the trick: don’t just play
to a click. It needs to feel as though the click isn’t even there.
If you are struggling against it then you’re not nailing it. If it’s
too fast, slow it down to a tempo where you’re comfortable,
and build from there. Just make sure that you are grooving to
the click. Remember, the click is your friend. Here are some
simple exercises which will help you lock in to that groove.
1 – Find the tempo/tempos at which you can play through the
entire song comfortably. Don’t find the tempo at which you
30
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would like the song to be, find where you are comfortable.
Play the song to the click at this tempo until the parts become
second nature. For some people, this means playing the song
ten times, for some it means a hundred times. It doesn’t mat-
ter how long this takes, MAKE SURE YOU CAN ROCK THE FUCK
OUT OF YOUR SONG TO THE CLICK!
2 – Switch the metronome so that you can only hear it on
beats 2 and 4. If your metronome can’t do this, just cut the
tempo in half (that is, 250 BPM becomes 125 BPM). You are
about to be forced to hear 1 and 3 in your head. Now I want
you to play the song like this until it’s second nature. Notice
how much your feel improves by doing this. Again, do not
even think about moving on until you are comfortable with
7^\\Zg! WdaYZg! Wg^\]iZgÅ djg
this!
cZl 7GI bdYZah VgZ ÆhjeZg"
h^oZYÇ id ^cXgZVhZ i]Z edlZg VcY
3 – Switch the metronome so that you can only hear the 1. egd_ZXi^dcd[VcneaVnZgÉh`^iVcY
Repeat the process above. If you can nail this in the pocket gZXdbbZcYZY [dg gdX` VcY bZiVa
by only hearing the 1 on the click, then you can truly play your YgjbbZgh l]d `cdl ndj ]VkZ id
song with good timing. Now the fun part. eaVnW^\ida^kZaVg\Z#
4 – Bump up the click by five BPM. Go back to number 1. :mXajh^kZCdgi]6bZg^XVcY^hig^Wjidg/
9^gZXiBjh^XHjeean
hVaZh5Y^gZXibjh^Xhjeean#Xdb
Repeat this process until you are at your desired tempo. This -%%#-'-#&+%&
may sound tedious, but just give it a shot. The rewards will
be great. Also, you will find that once you’ve been through
this process with a few tunes, you will pummel through learn-
ing newer material the right way.
Ndjc\Ijg`h#
Okay. Hope that helps. Till next time.
Cheers, Eyal Levi igmXnbWVah#Xdb
31

c h s u p reme:b!
drumtfeamous mike
the in
Interview By craig sternberg
SDM: Can you tell us about your history with drums and how
you got into the drum tech gig?
Mike: I started playing drums at a young age and was quickly
guided by my father to keep pursuing the instrument through
the following years of my life. I received my first real drum set
at approximately the tender age of eight, and it was purchased
for one hundred dollars. I continued to play drums for the next
few years, taking lessons playing in marching band, orches-
tra, concert band, local bands; also, playing at nursing homes,
churches, homeless shelters, and just about any musical situ-
ation I could get into. I got started doing the drum tech aspect
of things much later after meeting my good friend Matt Byrne
(Hatebreed). We were on tour together playing in bands and I
helped him with some of his drum problems: letting him bor-
row my double bass pedal, replacing a front bass drum head,
and giving him some of my cracked cymbals. A few years later
I saw Matt at a Hatebreed show at the Electric Factory in Phila-
delphia, PA. It was at this show where I asked Matt if he ever
needed a drum tech that I am his guy! The rest is history.
32
SDM: Over the course of your career you have worked with
bands like: Lamb of God, Meshuggah, Danzig, Hatebreed,
Mastodon, Overkill, Bullet for my Valentine, Type O Negative,
Soilwork, and others. Who have you done the most tours with
and which was your favorite tour? Why?
Mike: The most touring I think I have done would have to have
been with the band Hatebreed. I have a done quite a few tours
with the boys in that band. Those guys are amazing people,
and great instrumentalists, great at what they do. I don’t know
another band that tours as hard as Hatebreed. My favorite tour
was with the band Meshuggah as direct support for a Tool tour
back in 2002. The Tool guys were amazing because they actu-
ally care about the perception of the band in all its forms. They
have utmost of integrity and vision for their band never com-
promising in the process of artistic expression.
SDM: Which drummer has been the easiest/hardest to set up
and how?
Mike: The easiest has been Type O Negative/Danzig for the
drummer Johnny Kelly. Johnny has a five piece kit that goes up
pretty quickly because it is only a few pieces of gear (drum ris-
er, drums, hardware, cymbals; electronics with Danzig only).
Johnny’s set-up time is an hour and a half. The hardest is Lamb
of God because Chris has a bit more to his setup. He has a
seven piece kit with a few extras (drum riser, drum rack, more
drums, more cymbals, laptop, rack with electronics). Chris’s
setup is a six hour process from start to finish if it is done from
scratch. Once setup on the riser, I’m all set, because it rides in
the truck completely built and ready to go.
SDM: What piece(s) of equipment or gear in general have been
the most reliable? And on the other side, what has caused the
most problems? How?
Mike: The most reliable drum equipment I have used has been
Tama Hardware. I know it sounds crazy, but... Tama is inex-
pensive and gets the job done right the first time. I had done
over 300 shows with Hatebreed in a years time and nothing
was ever broken or malfunctioned. Not mentioning any names
but clearly one brand of hardware on the market has been
very unsatisfactory. I have had quite a few problems with
this brand of hardware. This hardware is great when it works,
but lately I notice they have these black hard plastic/rubbery
sleeves where the pipes meet to mend a stand at its connect-
ing point, and when those sleeves slip out of place they are
almost impossible to slip back in place, and are very difficult
to fix! “Have fun taking it back to Guitar Center.”
SDM: How often do you change drum heads on tour, how long
does it take you, and can you explain your tuning methods?
Mike: I necessarily change heads when I feel it is time to do so.
Once every three shows or once a week depending how hard
the drummer hits or how well the heads hold up. Depending on
how much abuse the drum head received during its use when
being played. I typically do this after I inspect the head for
damage (dings, dents, wrinkles). I then use a heat gun (may be
purchased at any department store) to restore the head back
to its almost original look and sound. This is performed by
taking out the damage done to the head. NOTE: When using a
heat gun, just be careful you don’t touch the head and melt the
plastic. After I use a heat gun a few times and the head is vir-
tually non tunable, I then simply discard it and replace it with
a brand new head. It generally takes just me a few minutes to
change a head.
My tuning methods include: 1) A tap test: While holding it in
one hand and tapping on top of the head with a finger on the
other hand, to hear if the head has a live resonating capabil-
ity. This is how you distinguish a live head from a dead one (a
live head resonates, a dead head does not). 2) Cracking the
glue: (optional) Hold the head in both hands and vertically up
and down while rotating it clockwise. Start pinching the edge
of the head on the elbow curve from the rim, crunching it and
breaking the glue seal. 3) Seating the head: Place the head
evenly on the drum shell, making sure it is sitting on the shell
properly. If the head is uneven you will have an inconsistent
sound when striking the head after you have tightened it into
place. So make sure it is seated properly, being even on all
sides! 4) Stretching the heads: Once the heads are put on,
I typically like to have the heads stretch naturally while the
drummer is playing. If I start having issues with the sound of
the head resonating improperly, I will pull the drums off the kit,
place the drum on the floor on a towel, and put my knee into
the top of the head applying pressure while holding the rim. If
necessary (out of the box), I will also stretch a head right away
because sometimes it is essential in achieving good results
during the tuning process.
SDM: Who gave the best live performance you have ever
watched, and what made it so?
Mike: I have seen many drummers play and put on amazing
performances, but the most amazing individual and instru-
mentalist I have seen perform in my time was Buddy Rich.
Buddy was clearly a natural. He had some amazing tricks up
his sleeve. Nobody played like Buddy, and nobody ever will.
He was an explosive drummer with attitude, speed, absolute
power, and total control. R.I.P. BUDDY RICH.
SDM: For the up and coming drummer with little touring ex-
perience, what can you offer as advice to be prepared for the
road?
Mike: Attitude Not Aptitude: I would have to say you really need
to learn how to create compatibility and be able to get along
with everyone. I don’t care how great of a musician you are...
if you can’t get along with the people you are on tour with, you
can forget being able to tour.
SDM: What country has been the hardest to find replacement
gear in?
Mike: Spain.
SDM: If the drummer you are working with is not headlining,
how fast can you set up and tear down the kit?
Mike: It really depends on how much equipment the drummer
is carrying on the tour. It also depends how much time the
stage manager has allotted you to get your equipment off the
stage. I would say anywhere from setup 5 to 15 minutes, and
tear down 15 to 30 minutes tops.
SDM: Do you have any strange/funny stories about any par-
ticular drummer that you can share with us?
Mike: Well... once upon a time, there was this drummer named
Tomas Haake who plays with Meshuggah, and he was feeling
kinda sluggish on a tour we were doing with the band Ministry.
Tomas was experiencing difficulties playing and wanting to go
to sleep because he was taking sleeping pills before hitting
the stage. Now the thing is... Tomas is not a drug addict! He
simply thought he was taking Ibuprofen, but didn’t know he
was taking Tylenol P.M., a sleeping aid pill. He thought they
were just pain pills, and in the process didn’t read the label.
Oops! When he realized he was taking these silly lil’ sleep aid
pills we all had a good laugh!
SDM: For someone looking to become a road tech, what can
they do to break into the scene and get constant work?
Mike: Hmmm... I would have to say: go hang out at the back
door of your local venue, and try to meet some of the road crew
or band members on the tour at the show, or venue employees,
to either get a job at the venue or get on a national tour with a
national act touring band. Now, when meeting people of this
sort, just be yourself and try not to be annoying. I’m sure if
you’re cool, they will gladly be cool. Also, keep in mind, these
people are working, and you wouldn’t want somebody bugging
you at work. Good luck!
SDM: Who is your favorite drummer?
Mike: Too many favorite drummers to mention, but I will say I
really enjoy touring with all the drummers I have worked with.
They have all been very kind, and treated me with a real sense
of respect and integrity.
33
 Tomas Haake!
meshuggah feature
Dirk VERBEUREN!
soilwork
peter wildoer
darkane’s stickman
andy taylor
drummer for diskreet
luke dumke
of the informant
alex bent
interview
cory pierce - god forbid
ray herrera - fear factory
and much more...
34
 OBC
Same as issue 1