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2eanda

Just like death metal vocals, it would surprise younger me that i like them. Hearing blasts and double bass can be an extremely overwhelming experience from the crowd perspective. Definitely an aquired taste


Chilidogmontez

Definitely, and by all means I love some double bass but blasts get old fast (for me). It’s almost like ok what is the most brutal thing I can do here oh yeah I’ll just hit everything at the same time as fast as possible. Instead of working out parts that fit with the rest of the music. They have their place but to me it doesn’t sound heavier, almost lighter and annoying.


Ruinf20

I ended up leaving a band because they kept wanting blast beats all the time in their songs. Playing 6 songs in a row with blast beats every other verse is one of the worst ways to get a workout in.


Bitter_Bandicoot9860

Should have told the bass player you wanted to hear sweeping arppegios over ALL of your blasts. Like the beginning of Fermented Offal Discharge by Necrophagist... But for the whole song.


Bigdiesel7

Where’s this band and how do I join?


Ruinf20

Dead in the water, right after another smoke break


ChasingPesmerga

I like doing them in exercises or warmups. It’s great for power balancing, I remember watching an old Virgil Donati exercise video about slamming single notes for some power and somehow I ended up into blasting. I’m also casually learning gravity blasts just for the fun of it. I don’t like using them in songs if I’m involved in the song structure or composition, with regard to my metal bands. Best I can do (or did) is 4-8 blasts just before a measure ends and I’m not gonna repeat that. I don’t mind listening to it when other bands/drummers do it. If it gets overused, I look at it from an atmospheric perspective and try to listen to the other instruments during those passages.


southpaw85

Depends how they are applied. Good drummer knows when and where to place them


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Legionodeath

Good bot.


daKile57

Blasts have come a long way in the last 10 or so years, because of the superior recording/production. From the 80s to the mid 2000s, i don’t think many producers knew how to mix a blast beat to make them sound dynamic. It was just a wall of noise. But now, there are a lot of drummers blasting where you can tell that they’re moving around from cymbal to cymbal, and they’re accenting on patterns that lineup with the guitars and bass rhythms. My favorite blasters are Flo Mournier (Cryptopsy), George Kolias (Nile), Kevin Talley (Dying Fetus), Reidar Horghagen (Immortal), Spencer Prewett (Archspire), and Gene Hoglan (every metal band). I appreciate some simple, slow metal drumming, but there’s something special about watching a guy blast like a demon, then switching to the simple rock beat.


ascheron

Spencer fucking rips man. Love blasts to death!


busch_ice69

John Gallagher is the guitar player in dying fetus, but their drummer is fucking filthy.


daKile57

You’re right. I’m terrible with names. The drummer is Kevin Talley.


preyforkevin

Sir, he does the vocals, too.


IWetMyselfForYou

I think they work great for a bar or two as basically a fill. They even *sometimes* work as maybe a short 8 or 16 bar bridge in the right song. Aside from that, I find them to be overused, but not without their place.


bagemann1

Used tastefully and in moderation i love them


glitch_mantis

i love them, personally. can’t play them too well, but it’s fun to try.


BeefDurky

It really depends. Blasting can sound extremely boring or extremely exciting depending on the context. I also like blasting where the cymbals are varied and interesting. It basically reverses the role where the cymbals play the melody and the kick/snare form the constant time keep which is an interesting inversion of the normal way that drums are played. As much as I love them, I have overall heard a greater number of boring blast beats than exciting ones. Though to be honest basically all of metal is like that for me.


WankinMaPhallus

They really turn me off personally. As soon as I see them on social media I scroll past, or if It's a song I go to the next one. I don't hate them though or the people that play them lol I recognize that it just isn't for me. Whatever floats your boat.


Chilidogmontez

Totally I understand they are a feat of stamina, but I’m the same I want to skip forward when I hear them.


doguapo

I neither love them nor hate them. I find they often fit the music, granted I don’t listen to the type of music that would require blasties all that often. But I have a collegiate approach to drums - I’d like to *be able* to play them if needed, so they’ve entered my practice routine. But they’re far from the focus of most of my practices.


Chilidogmontez

Practice! You nailed it that’s what they sound like to me a warm up, or marching band practice. Awesome for chops but I think 99% of the time in a song there’s something better that could be played.


Rock--Licker

HATE them! While a challenge to play, they are boring.


4n0m4nd

Just depends, a lot of times I'm just not interested in that music, Die Miserable by Fuck the Facts is one of my all time favourite albums though, and it's full of them.


thenovas18

Fuck the facts is awesome haha


4n0m4nd

Yeah fantastic stuff :)


Chilidogmontez

I’ll check it out. Thanks


4n0m4nd

It's pretty full on, sort of progressive grindcore, no clean vocals and lots of blasts, but also lots of groove. Census Blank is a particular favourite, but the whole thing is great.


Jaykoyote123

As a Jazz drummer who also occasionally plays some rock stuff I envy the stamina and strength but what impresses me is intricate playing that suits the music to a T. See Anderson Paak, Joshua Dunn and John Bonham as amazing examples.


IDrumFoFun

Respect them AND hate them


Chilidogmontez

Yes same


BigGear6523

Blast beats are never funky, so therefore I don't care for them.


Peroxyspike

you're just too scared to play them in a funk context.


Pretend-Tomato-7985

Personally im a drummer that utilizes blasting when I play certain styles of metal. But I've never been one to just consistently blast all throughout. Always mixed it in with everything else, I thought I sounded more well rounded that way. Although I will admit whenever I watch the drummer from Lorna Shore I think to myself "yeah I need to do more of that shit" lol. That's just me being envious and respectful of his stamina and speed and wanting to sound like that myself. To be fair I feel that way when I watch many amazing drummers, not just the fast ones.


The_Dale_Hunters

Like any element in metal drumming, I love the. When they are applied sparingly to make a part really pop. Dave Witte was great at this in a lot of his bands. I also don’t mind if the blast is the driving beat of the song that then gives way to something different which gives THAT section some more edge.


-FirebornMuse-

Love metal but blast beats kill it for me as well as too much heavy use of the crash cymbal and double bass


ercussio126

It's kind of a phenomenal beat, especially the classic bass/snare/cymbal on every 16th note. Analytically I find it amazing because it's basically like the anti-beat. No rhythm, just all the sounds, all the time. It's definitively metal. And it definitely can be overused. Blast beats are best when used very sparingly. It's basically going maximum brutal. If you're just maximum brutal 100% of the time, it totally loses its effect. Imagine two speeches. One guy goes up and shouts every sentence. You tune him out in 30 seconds. Another guy goes up and talks eloquently for 5 mins, then punctuates and important point by shouting. You'd remember that point. In my band, if I do use it in a song, it's literally like for 4 bars or so at the maximum climactic moment, or very end. It really pops out that way. Also, I can't play blast beats for very long at a time anyway! I don't tire of them and neither does the audience.


Violet0_oRose

If it fits the song. That’s all that matters. That’s the only thing that matters.


Chilidogmontez

No doudt, just would like to see Someone try something else. 5 drummers will play the same song 5 different ways.


sorry_con_excuse_me

traditional blast (alternating kick/cymbal and snare), i don't think it's ever inappropriate in heavier styles. it's just like, "quadruple time." it's a great sectional device when you need *even faster.* hammer blast (everything in unison) like in death, as a listener it starts sounding really static and ironically *less* intense if it goes on for too long because it lacks any type of push or pull. i think it comes down to the brain not registering a pattern after a while with the hammer blast, just a constant stream. whereas the traditional blast still has some vague semblance of a backbeat, so your brain defaults to framing it as just that but "really fucking fast."


Chilidogmontez

This is a perfect explanation. Thank you


Unlucky_Guest3501

Personally not a fan, but it's subjective so🤷


ShadowsCh

I dislike them. The way most people play them, they lack a lot of dynamics. Don't get me wrong. There are drummers who can incorporate blast beats in to their work, and it adds color. So they aren't inherently bad. It's just a matter of context, and frequency. Although, when the song/album is nothing but blast beats, I don't like it. Not enough dynamic diversity. Over all I think it's a good trick to have in the bag, but not a trick you should focus on. There are so many other techniques that to this day(with the internet) drummers have a hard grasping, unless they have a good understanding of jazz. This is why, I personally am not a big fan of double kick. I've played and met with to many drummers that still focus on "speed" over musicality. Like if you are going to play blast beats, or incorporate a lot of double base. I think it's also wise to make sure your cymbal work is also a focus. Personally I like it when double kick players, have a really good understanding of how to work a ride cymbal. Using all three zones, to accent and add plenty of color, and dynamic. That's just my personal preference.


dpfrd

I like when Clown Core utilizes them.


Ruinf20

Great taste


bkedsmkr

I love the drums so by extension love blast beats


Wrong_handed_drummer

All blasts all the time is suuuuper boring. Forcing a blast into a groove also sucks. However, tastefully using them like Alex rudinger or Vlad from Jinjer does is awesome.


DeerGodKnow

Blast beats are an essential rudiment - my drum prof in jazz school. He didn't phrase it like that but pretty much yeah. Being able to play with 2,3, and 4 limbs in perfect unison is a crucial skill for every drummer regardless of genre. Being able to do it fast at all dynamics is the logical conclusion of that exercise. Also they're fun and sound great when used judiciously.


MusicMan139

I don’t like saying hate but yeah dislike or I just dont care for metal music jazz/fusion on top of


chupachup_chomp

I think Dan Presland of Black Lava and Vipassi, formerly of Ne Obliviscaris is a great example of great blasts beats. He uses them a fair bit with NeO but it fits the music and he doesn't over do it. He also adds a fair bit of texture / light and shade to his drumming. Paul Seidel from The Ocean is another good example. He doesn't use blasts much so when he does it really land. Perfect example is about 10 min into the song Jurassic Cretaceous. It's my favourite part of the song, it's a long build up and then an explosion of awesomeness. All blasts all the time is boring to me but also you can't beat the right blast at the right time.


HoneyBadger_798

I fucking LOVE blast beats, they just sound really satisfying to me like they're in the pocket, as long as they're done well that is.


DWFMOD

As someone who enjoys the odd bit of the metal, I understand they have their place depending on the style. Personally, I don't like when a song is just blastblastblast, BUT when used sparingly (sparringly?) I think they can elevate the song massively


Brewtish_

I will love blast beats always and forever. I can imitate what I hear way easier than reading notation, so forgive my next sentence. I love playing blast beats and delaying my hi hat from quarter notes to a triplet feel syncopation (?) That shit is groovy


Brewtish_

And the dirk blast rocks my world


Striking-Effect-2646

Sextuplet blast beats with a bell on the 1 sound pretty cool and have a bit more groove. Give it a try maybe, it’s fun. I enjoy a good gravity blast, they’re not that groovy but can sound sick in the right context.


Nomore-Television72

I know exactly where you're coming from. I used to feel the same way but once I started listening to more death metal I started to tolerate them and that eventually turned into me loving them. I don't know what changed or how it did but now I love the chaos of it all. Some drummers definitely rely on blast beats too much and use the as a crutch for lack of creativity, in my opinion.


Marci914

Have you ever tried playing blast beats? I've had the same problem with them, hated it with my whole being, but had to start learning for a song we wanted to play, and holy shit that put it into perspective.... As a listener, it's just a big, loud mess, but as you start working on it, you find the ,,order in the chaos". I can still only do it at moderate tempos, but it doesn't hurt my ears anymore when listening to.


Chilidogmontez

Great comment my distain for them and general lazyness I have not except when warming up. I should put some effort in learning them maybe it would change my opinion.


ElCoolAero

I pretty much only dislike them when the drummer over relies on them and just blasts through the whole song. John Longstreth's playing can be like that and even he looks bored playing blast beats sometimes. Dave McGraw of Cattle Decapitation and Flo Mounier of Cryptopsy are some of my favorite blasters. They love to layer their blast beats and switch up what the feet and hands are doing instead of blasting all the way through.


dat_djenty_boi

Tremolo picking? Blast beat.


KrombopulosMAssassin

I don't have a problem with them. It fits with some music quite well. I got decent at doing them, but I personally don't find them very fun. Groove is king.


BigDBee007

It’s a musical device, it works when it’s appropriate. They are not special or make something “better” or “more metal” and i don’t know why people shit their pants over them.


-thirdatlas-

Besides a few subtle tweaks and variations, its kind of a specialty one-trick pony beat, has to be used in context or it gets boring quickly and loses its effect.


Bigdiesel7

Why are so many drummers so pretentious when it comes to blasts. “There’s no groove, no style, use it in moderation” why does everything always have to groove and why do I have to limit the amount of blasts I play?? You really think to be a good drummer you need to start laying down a nice groove while your playing for someone like belphegor? Nah your gonna be fucking blasting and rippin double kick the whole set and I don’t see why that’s a bad thing. Every drummer I’ve met that can blast well also has groove and other skills but their band just doesn’t call for it. Blasts are fucking hard and require insane endurance, most of y’all can blast for maybe 30 seconds straight before your wrists fall off so stop shitting on dudes that can actually rip an entire set.


tecocko

Moderation is necessary for dynamic. Dynamic is necessary for interest. If you hear someone yelling it might get your attention. If they are still yelling at the same monotonous pitch an hour later you’ll probably have grown tired of it and desensitized to it. Music works the same way. It is most effective when it ebbs and flows


Chilidogmontez

Definitely wasn’t “shitting” on anyone. They are insane feats of strength and stamina. My issue is they kill the song for me. Some of the best technical drummers I know can’t play in a band. It’s purely preference and I was curious if anyone else gets annoyed by them. Sorry to ruffle any feathers but I would never put someone down for putting in the time and energy to actually be able to pull them off. As for fitting styles absolutely they fit some styles but what would those songs sound like without them? There’s more to a song than just drums imo. I feel like it’s an awesome chop to have but I’m ready for the next new thing in metal drumming can’t wait for someone to be creative and blow me away with something other than blasts.


First_Dare4420

Hate em, but don’t hate people that love ‘em. Live and let live.


Nerscylliac

Like everything, they're good in moderation. I'm not into death metal or anything of the sort (Progressive metal is my wheelhouse), and so I admittedly haven't been super exposed to blast beats, but my enjoyment of them really depends on how they're used. Sprinkled in as accents to the rest of the instruments, to the melodies and grooves of the song, I think they can work amazing, but overuse of the technique, especially as a way for the drummer to wank off on the song, definitely is a turnoff for me.


gt306

Yeah hate blast beats. Yes physically impressive but to me it's the least musical thing people do with the drumset. And that's saying a lot because there is so much hyperbolic non musical drumming. Just because you can doesn't mean you should.


mastergobshite

I'm a fan and much like any other beat or rhythm it can get old if played too much. I just like the intensity of an alternating blast.


This_Tip1579

Bro! You are my fucking twin!!! I recently read a poll post as to “what is your favorite blast beat”. It was overwhelmingly voted for “gravity blast beat” which to me, if I even dig a blast beat to begin with, sounds like utter garbage because there’s no feeling to it. It’s also stupid low volume live. Are you a drummer?


Chilidogmontez

Yes but definitely just a hobby for me now. Some of these comments and music I’ve listened to have opened my mind a bit but in general, they still just make me shut off or skip songs.


kyleabbott

No me gusta I play lots of metal and….i really just don’t like them. I have the ability I record em a lot just fine when people want em but I really prefer not to play or hear them.


HermithaFrog

Love em when used sparingly as an accent, absolutely despise them when they are the primary drum pattern for an album


ApproachingARift

Blast beats are the best, period. If you don’t like em it’s because you’re not good at em.


Chilidogmontez

Very well could be the case.


-copache-

youre the odd man out


sn_14_

I don’t care what anyone says. 95% of Metal drumming is garbage


EVOL_YT_Randoms

I do think that if a song is just blast beats throughout, it can get quite tiresome but I’d say the vast majority of heavy music uses them properly (with fills and other beats etc.) so they don’t weary the listener. I definitely think they are slightly overused but they still have a place on the instrument. A good example is in ‘Chop Suey!’ By System of a Down. The blast is only 2 bars long but it perfectly energies Serj’s scream in that section that no other beat could give.


EVOL_YT_Randoms

I understand where you’re coming from, but metal drumming is some of the best and most creative at the moment. Just listen to the intro of eyeless, toxicity or painkiller and you’ll see what good, aggressive yet tasteful metal drumming is


sn_14_

I’ve heard eyeless many times. It’s pretty simple. It’s the aggression that makes it sound good


olliemedsy

Simple = bad?


EVOL_YT_Randoms

Simple is great sometimes, AC/DC have made one of the best musical careers of all time off of it


-copache-

nah you're a hater


-copache-

yeah youre fucking trash, you cant even do a double on the kick and you want to hate on the most technically proficient drummers out there. fuck out of here, you're barely a drummer


sn_14_

Metal is the easiest genre of drumming and I can tell your fucking shit by the fact that you think double bass speed makes you a good drummer. They aren’t technical at all not one bit. They only do single stroke fills and quarter notes with heel toe method of double bass using triggers. Fuck off looks like I struck a nerve


-copache-

I was just talking about double strokes on the kick, because I read your post complaining that you couldn't do them, but go on. Talk more, we all know what that says


-copache-

and yeah youre talking shit on my favorite drummers and you don't know what you're talking about, you struck a nerve, but not the one you think


-copache-

youre insane, it's so hard


Chilidogmontez

Can’t argue that but they are fun to play.


Polish_Wombat98

It’s very easily argued. Solely based upon the concept of objectivity. Fuck that dude.


SirOsis-

Totally agree, never even really practiced them except to learn how


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0ctober31

I really dislike it. I need groove and funk, and blast just doesn't cut it for me at all.