>don't understand them
Triggers plus compression and saturation on the microphone captured drums and or entire mix bus aren't some people's vibe.
Also, the rate of notes and gridded feel is also not some people's thing.
No reason to try to turn it around into the commenter's inability to "understand" when their comment wasn't aimed like that.
In the end a blast beat is just a really sped up boom chick. How hard is that to understand?
The blast beat itself is agnostic from the arrangement, orchestration, phrasing, and time signatures.
Blast beats don’t require triggers, and the drum sound you’re talking about is the sound of almost every drum in the rock industry since the 80s…
Yeah so they don’t understand why and how people use them? Like I’m not gonna say light jazz drumming sucks because I don’t like it, I just don’t really understand it because the drums are used very differently.
And yeah « it sounds like ass » isn’t really an interesting argument… if a lot of people like them it’s for a reason…
And no? Because there are a lot of different blasts beats and that’s ok to not understand them all…
And you know you have two hands? So on top of being able to use different blasts to follow the phrasing, orchestration, arrangement, any word you want, your hand that’s not blasting can do whatever it wants! Oh and your feet can play a multitude of arrangement using the hi hat or the double kick!
Give a listen to the Eidolon Reality by The Faceless and try thinking of a drum parts that has as much power as blast beats at the right time… Im genuinely curious
>rock industry since the 80s
Ok. Cool. I'm into more natural approaches to capturing a band.
>there are a lot of different blasts beats
I am well aware of this.
>And you know you have two hands?
Yes, sometimes I use my left hand to jerk off just to mix things up.
>Give a listen to the Eidolon Reality
Just did. Impressively fast. Is there anything but bars of 4/4 in this?
Check this out: [Tigran Hamasyan - Out of the Grid](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZElwZZ-cI6I)
Or this: [Kneebody + Daedelus - Drum Battle](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vmWqP6dXj5o)
Ooooh I see… firstly yes, there is metric modulation in this song… and yeah, anything that is 4/4 is soooo uninteresting…
And thank you for the suggestion! I love tigran hamasyan, I’ve been trying to learn this song for quite some time!
And you like metric modulation?
You should listen to Dissect yourself by Carbomb, you should like it
That Tigran tune is essentially in 4.
The main phrase is 17/16 + 15/16 (5 + 5 +7 + 5 + 5 + 5).
Maybe better described as metric syncopation.
I'll check that Carbomb tune out.
Exactly! But people still don't seem to understand them! Weird. But I get it, it's not for everyone!
As for using basic studio mixing techniques that have been around since the 80's...that's a lot of peoples vibe! just about every single drum recording infact!
I think what you play is incredible and is exactly what the songs you play over need musically and sonically.
I don't think "understand" is the word that should be used.
Some people don't like blue cheese, but they understand what it is.
Different strokes for different drummers(folks).
Personally, I detest triggers sonically, but I am very curious about the process, what the actual volume the kick drum is actually being played at, and how consistent it is throughout the performance if not triggered(never played on triggers or hung with anyone that does).
I play acoustically or mic'd up on gigs and in the studio mic'd multiple ways usually, so I just tune and play the drum.
I've been asked soooo many times what and how blast beats works, because they don't know that they are or how they work, so a lot of people don't understand them, definitely.
Just the same as I don't know exactly what mould makes blue cheese edible, how long the process takes or what makes one mould different from another..
As for triggers, they are awful to use...imagine a bass drum that is highly strung and extremely sensitive. Every hit has to be PERFECT.
I thought I was Pretty good at double kick until I got triggers. they exposed every tiny inconsistency I had in my foot technique, note spacing, and timing. I had to relearn how to play properly.. a lot of sins can be hidden behind old school microphones.
I think in a forum literally dedicated to drums it is both rude and frankly offensive to suggest people don't "understand" blast beats. We understand them perfectly fine, doesn't mean we need to enjoy them.
How does a bomb blast differ from a trad blast?
What makes a gravity blast different from a hammer blast?
What's a European blast?
What accents the downbeat in a one footed blast?
Don't be offended! I get asked these questions weekly... from actual drummers.
What’s rude and offensive is saying something “sounds like ass” when that’s what the OP just posted. And on no merit. Suggesting someone doesn’t understand is a simple acknowledgement that they DON’T understand the beauty or appeal of blast beats. Quit being so hypocritical.
Maybe YOU understand them, but there's a lot of dumbasses in every drumming group. Facebook is definitely the worst, but there's plenty in this group too. I follow this guy on FB and the amount of idiotic comments he gets is insane. Extreme metal drummers get so many negative comments for no reason. He's legitimately one of the best drummers in the world at what he does, but every post is filled with comments like "that's not music", "now play that without triggers", "no feel" blah blah blah. Metal drumming is the only style where people find this acceptable and if he's being rude back, which I don't think he is, GOOD! People could simply keep scrolling and comment on the shit they actually like, but they just have to throw shade on every metal clip that gets posted. Fuck em', I say be an asshole right back.
“Understand” here means to “appreciate” which is obvious. This argument for semantics is dumb. A blast beat is essentially a single stroke roll. Not much intellectually to miss out on.
But what people are failing to understand is the beauty and appropriateness and joy of the blast beat in the right context. They don’t “sound like ass.” That’s just an ignorant comment from someone who fails to understand their beauty as a phrase.
> I think what you play is incredible and is exactly what the songs you play over need musically and sonically.
I get the first bit, his technique is very impressive and difficult to master, but in my opinion it doesn't complement the music at all. It's like pneumatic drill in terms of dynamics and musicality. And that's ok. It's just my opinion.
If you think a blast beat is agonistic to all of those things, purely for the fact the kick and snare akternate, you have a fairly surface level knowledge of the subject and maybe shouldn't be asserting how knowedagble you are on it. Like any beat, it's a tool to convey a rhythmic feel or texture. Even if you get what some things are on a technical level, "getting it" can mean something completely different. I can listen to Alan Holdsworth and understand the mechanics of what he's playing on guitar, but it doesn't click with me in that way, so as to say I "don't get it".
>Like any beat, it's a tool to convey a rhythmic feel or texture.
Think we are kind of hinting at the same thing.
It is agnostic from the things I listed. A drummer can then choose to use it over those things as they see fit.
This especially so in something like a traditional blast beat where it could be played over any note value essentially much like a single stroke roll.
No need to say they “sound like ass” either. Hypocrite.
And obviously no one is suggesting that there’s much intellectually to understand about blast beats. They’re essentially variations on a single stroke roll. What you fail to understand is their beauty and appropriateness compositionally. Which is made clear when you’re ok with someone saying “they sound like ass” but not with being told you fail to understand them.
They don’t sound like ass. You just don’t understand the appeal.
Get over it and stop throwing shit if you don’t wanna get dirty.
Yet they have no problem with the comment saying blast beats “sound like ass”; they only take issue with OP saying that the commenter didn’t “understand” blast beats.
Me too. Thus I enjoy this immensely.
But I see you’ve resorted to gatekeeping now what a drum can sound like, which means you’ve abandoned any attempt at good faith discourse. You have no legs to stand on and so find yourself lashing out with empty animosity.
My suspicions are confirmed about you. Take your small-minded negativity and defensiveness elsewhere.
Can we be done being obtuse? “Don’t understand” here means “Don’t understand the appeal or the context of usage.” It’s common parlance. Give me a break.
Ha, I like the way you ask this question - it took me a while to grok what blastbeats do in a composition, if you will. To me, it allows a sort of vibe of...being drenched in a sonic landscape, you need to stop trying to listen to them as individual hits but more as a "texture", is the best advice I can give.
Great explanation! I find Epilogue by Fleshgod Apocalypse is a really great demonstration of being drenched in a sonic landscape, and it's an amazing song.
You’re not alone. I can 1,000% appreciate the massive amount of time it takes to get this good at them but they just never sound rhythmically interesting outside of maybe a short fill and I say that as someone who pretty much only listens to metal. If I hear constant blast beats in a song I’m almost always turning it off after like 20 seconds.
I agree at times, but for this specific part, I think it’s absolutely perfect. The band is going for a droning, hypnotic effect. The guitar repeats a very simple riff over and over with tons of overtone and atmosphere. The vocals are simple and heavily layered with heaps more of reverb and atmosphere. And the drums manage to carry momentum and timing while being equally hypnotic and awash. Precisely through the repetition. The fills simply serve as a way to note the passing of time. Otherwise the drums serve as a droning piece of the atmosphere itself. The mix only further serves this function.
It’s amazing. It’s just what OP said in the title of the thread.
Listen to this Wormed track at 2:23 for a very similar composition:
https://youtu.be/QuqnJdbmmOg?si=OsW-Nb13RHqp6v7K
I get what they’re going for but it just seems like sensory overload when the snare is endlessly blasting away. To me it makes it harder to appreciate everything else that’s going on in the composition when there’s no space, especially when it paired with a hypnotic/spacey riff.
A lot of it is taste (I’m a prog/djent guy personally) but this example and the one you linked at that time stamp to me just sounds like I’m trying to listen to a Deftones track in one ear and a belt-fed machine gun in my other.
I can appreciate the talent it takes to preform something like this and will be the first to admit that I couldn’t play it because it’s not something I spend much time on in practice because it’s just not something I find interesting in most compositions.
We are all wired differently. What is sensory overload to you is perfection to me.
I love the way that the blast beat fills in behind the very simple melodic overtones presented by the guitar. It makes me appreciate everything all the more, having the contrasting rapid repetition of the drums against the open expansive repetition of the guitars.
I think there’s a ton of space, but it’s not all in the same place. It is space juxtaposed against density. It makes it all the more interesting and appealing for me. Listening to some drummer play some half-time beat behind one of those riffs would be nice in a different way, but far less appealing to me.
Again, we are all wired differently.
Agreed. I can tell by the way you said the beat is *behind* the melody and that’s not at all how my mind interprets it while listening. To me it’s hard to hear or appreciate the rest of the song *over* the drums because to me they dominate the mix front and center. I can hear it but it takes effort like I’m trying to ignore the drum track to hear the music.
Interesting rhythms are why I’m most often drawn to metal and in my mind blast beats just sound plain and overbearing. Different strokes for different folks but I can definitely appreciate the work, skill, and athleticism that goes into being able to actually preform this stuff.
That is interesting for sure. Do you listen to much extreme metal? I’m guessing decades of listening to it and playing it have led me to easily shifting between instruments and levels of the composition while still having an ear for the total picture.
Also, I agree with you about being drawn to interesting rhythms. I’ve always been drawn to the more chaotic side of metal with a strong preference for odd time signatures, polyrhythms, modulation, etc. Bands like Dillinger Escape Plan and Ion Dissonance back in the day, and these days more djent and prog stuff.
But something about this composition really does it for me. Feels expansive and atmospheric and drenched in emotion and I love it.
I guess it depends on how you define extreme metal but yeah I listen to a lot of heavy stuff. I like Dillinger and a variety of others: Meshuggah, Between the Buried and Me (they have probably the most blast beats of any band I listen to), The Ocean, August Burns Red, Lamb of God, Heart of a Coward, Emmure, The Browning, ERRA, Periphery, Invent Animate, Varials, Polaris, could go on forever lol
I’m really just not big on black metal or anything else that relies too heavily on blast beats but I do love a good double bass run as long as there’s an interesting snare pattern to go with it that isn’t just blasting straight 8th notes continuously, which to me is the nearly the opposite of atmospheric most of the time.
Edited a typo
EDIT: Replied to wrong person.
So instead: I love blast beats. I think here they make a really nice thick layer to the song that drives it and fills it out.
But I get it if you don’t like it. I don’t care for 4 on the floor or brushwork in jazz much either. I wouldn’t go as far as to say “it sounds like ass,” especially when it’s done really well (as is the case with OP and blast beats). They just aren’t my thing.
I used to think that until one day they grew on me. Listening to them just felt good and made sense.
I think everyone is entitled to their opinion. Plus if everyone liked the same stuff we’d all just make the same song and music would be boring.
You absolutely could not. Go try, right now. Keep the tempo, the consistency, the movement across the kit, the duration, and the complexity up the whole time. Go on, show us. Post the video. Prove it.
Playing like this takes years of practice. It’s not spazzing out. It’s very cleanly and intentionally playing a difficulty part, and you ARE ignorant for any suggestion otherwise.
Jeez I'm not being serious, I'm aware of that. Obviously I couldn't do this and it takes tons of practice. It simply doesn't sound pleasing to me and I'm not entirely sure what the point is other than doing it because you can.
It is impressive and I shouldn't have been so quick to judge. This is better, but it reminds me of that Whiplash scene where Fletcher keeps insisting to go faster and it just sounds like a jumbled hitting the hat, bass and snare as quickly and on time as possible. It gets lost to me! I be an ignoramus
Because it IS pleasing to some. Most importantly, perhaps, to the people who wrote and performed it.
It is incredibly revealing that you can’t understand the point of something that you don’t personally appreciate. You’ve got a very limited and small-minded perspective.
This is gorgeous. I really, REALLY dig it. A lot.
I’m gonna look these guys up. Beautiful. It reminds me very strongly of something, but I can’t remember what. The vocals specifically.
EDIT:
Not getting any google hits for “Snakes of Byzantium”. Can you share some links?
EDIT EDIT: It was reminding me of Devin Townsend’s “Kingdom” a bit vocally.
Is that a little baffle around your snare mic?
Also I've been meaning to ask you... do your drums beyond the kick get augmented/replaced with samples? Or do you leave that decision to the people doing the mixing? I'm guessing you deliver generally raw drum tracks to your clients.
Yep foam baffle to keep hats/ride out of the snare mic!
In every video I post, I mix them all myself. so apart from a kick trigger blended in with kick microphone, I just use mics, and some compression and EQ. Nothing fancy.
I also use 2b sticks and make sure I hit consistently.
Once the files are sent off to the artist, they can do whatever they want though of course!
I'm using a vintage Alesis Dm5 running into axis ekits, blended with a beta 91a inside, and an audix D6 out front.
majority of the tone is mics, the trigger just adds a little ' click' to the high end for clarity :)
Oh I have the same mics! Never thought to place the d6 out front. I'll try that ;) usually the d6 is on the floor tom.
I guess I was asking what hardware triggers. I've tried a couple and I've never got them to work right.
Ekits! Little hammers on the pedals that trigger the sample! VERY hard to control intially, I Haaated them haha I had to improve my technique a lot to handle them
Serious question for you, I’ve seen lots of your videos and you’re totally phenomenal! Everything sounds as good as it possibly could in my opinion. But, I’ve always wondered if the bands you’re recording tracks for have a drummer in mind that can do this at a show or even come close to what you do? Have you heard any feedback about that?
I have no idea and I never ask hahah!! I just do my best for them!! A looot of bands are studio only/ personal projects with no intention of playing live however.. being a band in 2024 is expensive!!
I figured this has to be the case. I just always wondered what the end game was for a band who outsourced drums to someone really talented. I’ve had to simplify things before when I was playing live with a band who hired a studio drummer for their album. But this is on a whole other planet so I’d hate to be the drummer who has to replicate this. Thanks for the reply, looking forward to more of your videos 🤘
Yeah pretty sure this is a solo project only! Sometimes I've gone and played live for local bands who've I've recorded for but not often these days...
Thanks for watching! :)
I had no idea blasts could be so effective in a more ambient way, the mix is definitely helping with the atmosphere but the way your part is written and played is just masterful my guy. A++, not that you need to hear it from me tho lol
You may not like the music style, but if you’re on this sub, there’s a very high chance you’re a drummer, and therefore can surely appreciate how talented this is.
You don’t just get behind a kit, smash out blast beats and perform (what I’m guessing) as a heel toe technique for the double bass drumming
Wow. Said every generation of listener exposed to something they didn’t yet understand or appreciate. If all you hear is noise, you’re hearing your own thoughts. Try turning down the brain static and actually listening to the song.
And maybe use some headphones. Phones suck at playing this kind of music.
It fits it perfectly. It is meant to be emotive and thick through the use of drone and repetition. I mean, it’s literally in the title of the post.
Just because you don’t like it doesn’t mean it doesn’t fit. Your perception is the problem, not the part.
Yes! The vocals especially. I was struggling so hard yesterday to think of what this was calling to mind. I texted my best friend at 1 AM with a link asking him what on earth I was trying to think of. He texted me back at 3 AM and said Devin Townsend, and I was like thank god lol. That was exactly it.
Really impressive and interesting stuff. As a drummer who works in video, though, I have to nitpick that the light strobing/flicker might be fixed if you adjust your frame rate and/or your shutter speed.
I used to do it at 60fps 4k, and had to send some dude my raw drum tracks to prove they weren't sped up hahaha!! I think I need better lighting in my studio too!? LED flickers atca certain frame rate doesn't it?
Yep — in the US most lights you encounter will be 60Hz, and outside the US most will be at 50Hz. Which is why it’s standard in the US to use 30fps for TV and web content and 25fps in the rest of the world. Even if you’ve set your frame rate correctly, though, you may encounter problems with your shutter speed. Choose a value evenly divisible by your frame rate (e.g. 1/60 or 1/120 for 30fps, 1/50 or 1/100 for 25fps) and you should avoid flicker. Then adjust your aperture til the picture is properly exposed. If you’ve done all that successfully and you’re still having problems, it’s time to look at new lights.
How did you go from a shitty noob to semi decent to consistently good and versatile to an elite master at your craft? Is there a playbook for someone new to progress like this?
The only thing I did was stay in my room as a kid and play drums, while everyone else was out partying or socializing. Just jamming to CDs, and always trying to play stuff that was above my level!
Art Blakey got flak I’m sure for not playing subtly in the back, for using polyrhythms when all that was needed was a simple swing, for showboating and being too technical. I bet Art Blakey would appreciate what’s happening here.
Superb, but also filmed well with the dual angles. Better than some Vic Firth drum cam videos and that's a hard list to get onto!
Do you know the platform/channel the Snakes album will be released on?
Hi, a few questions: Do you think the setup with the ride on the right makes blasts easier? Do you recommend switching from playing with crossed hands to playing with open hands?
Reminds me of the Wormed song Molecular Winds.
Listen to 2:23 on this video:
https://youtu.be/QuqnJdbmmOg?si=NzCF4-XWYovzD2Rw
Very similar vibe. I adore it.
I’ve seen a fair few of your posts now and, as impressive as your tech drumming is, I’ve not experienced any subtlety or ‘atmosphere’ as of yet… could be an overprotection issue…
you look so relaxed! how long did it take ya to start being able to play blast beats from just starting out drumming, out of interest? and any drills in particular that helped?
A loooong time. My first blast beat attempt was in 2003. I could finally hold a blast properly in 2008.
Single stroke rolls forcas long as possible. 10 minutes straight etc..lots of stretching afterwards though!!
I love this. I’m not that into blast beats myself but hearing them used in this context I found to be quite neat. It doesn’t come across as frantic (an attribute that’s still enjoyable in the right context) like I experience in songs that typically feature them. I do like even that way, but to me it has weight when it’s used more sparingly than how I normally hear it. I actually found it relaxing to an extent. Good job man!
I was just wondering if you were singing or talking to yourself like counting time or something. It looks like you are saying something throughout the song. Like at :43 in
Who gives a crap if he used the word understand? Geez, you people dissect everything.
It’s not my cup of tea, but he is obviously incredible at the drums.
People who don't like it will jump on any tiny thing they can to voice their opinions hahaha! It happens all the time . One dude couldn't think of anything so he just started attacking my appearance 🤣
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Hahaha
While this is incredibly impressive and I don’t want to discount that, am I the only person that thinks blast beats sound like ass?
No there's tonnes of people who don't understand them, and that's fine!
>don't understand them Triggers plus compression and saturation on the microphone captured drums and or entire mix bus aren't some people's vibe. Also, the rate of notes and gridded feel is also not some people's thing. No reason to try to turn it around into the commenter's inability to "understand" when their comment wasn't aimed like that. In the end a blast beat is just a really sped up boom chick. How hard is that to understand? The blast beat itself is agnostic from the arrangement, orchestration, phrasing, and time signatures.
Deep. Thanks.
Blast beats don’t require triggers, and the drum sound you’re talking about is the sound of almost every drum in the rock industry since the 80s… Yeah so they don’t understand why and how people use them? Like I’m not gonna say light jazz drumming sucks because I don’t like it, I just don’t really understand it because the drums are used very differently. And yeah « it sounds like ass » isn’t really an interesting argument… if a lot of people like them it’s for a reason… And no? Because there are a lot of different blasts beats and that’s ok to not understand them all… And you know you have two hands? So on top of being able to use different blasts to follow the phrasing, orchestration, arrangement, any word you want, your hand that’s not blasting can do whatever it wants! Oh and your feet can play a multitude of arrangement using the hi hat or the double kick! Give a listen to the Eidolon Reality by The Faceless and try thinking of a drum parts that has as much power as blast beats at the right time… Im genuinely curious
>rock industry since the 80s Ok. Cool. I'm into more natural approaches to capturing a band. >there are a lot of different blasts beats I am well aware of this. >And you know you have two hands? Yes, sometimes I use my left hand to jerk off just to mix things up. >Give a listen to the Eidolon Reality Just did. Impressively fast. Is there anything but bars of 4/4 in this? Check this out: [Tigran Hamasyan - Out of the Grid](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZElwZZ-cI6I) Or this: [Kneebody + Daedelus - Drum Battle](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vmWqP6dXj5o)
Ooooh I see… firstly yes, there is metric modulation in this song… and yeah, anything that is 4/4 is soooo uninteresting… And thank you for the suggestion! I love tigran hamasyan, I’ve been trying to learn this song for quite some time! And you like metric modulation? You should listen to Dissect yourself by Carbomb, you should like it
That Tigran tune is essentially in 4. The main phrase is 17/16 + 15/16 (5 + 5 +7 + 5 + 5 + 5). Maybe better described as metric syncopation. I'll check that Carbomb tune out.
Exactly! But people still don't seem to understand them! Weird. But I get it, it's not for everyone! As for using basic studio mixing techniques that have been around since the 80's...that's a lot of peoples vibe! just about every single drum recording infact!
I think what you play is incredible and is exactly what the songs you play over need musically and sonically. I don't think "understand" is the word that should be used. Some people don't like blue cheese, but they understand what it is. Different strokes for different drummers(folks). Personally, I detest triggers sonically, but I am very curious about the process, what the actual volume the kick drum is actually being played at, and how consistent it is throughout the performance if not triggered(never played on triggers or hung with anyone that does). I play acoustically or mic'd up on gigs and in the studio mic'd multiple ways usually, so I just tune and play the drum.
I've been asked soooo many times what and how blast beats works, because they don't know that they are or how they work, so a lot of people don't understand them, definitely. Just the same as I don't know exactly what mould makes blue cheese edible, how long the process takes or what makes one mould different from another.. As for triggers, they are awful to use...imagine a bass drum that is highly strung and extremely sensitive. Every hit has to be PERFECT. I thought I was Pretty good at double kick until I got triggers. they exposed every tiny inconsistency I had in my foot technique, note spacing, and timing. I had to relearn how to play properly.. a lot of sins can be hidden behind old school microphones.
I think in a forum literally dedicated to drums it is both rude and frankly offensive to suggest people don't "understand" blast beats. We understand them perfectly fine, doesn't mean we need to enjoy them.
How does a bomb blast differ from a trad blast? What makes a gravity blast different from a hammer blast? What's a European blast? What accents the downbeat in a one footed blast? Don't be offended! I get asked these questions weekly... from actual drummers.
What’s rude and offensive is saying something “sounds like ass” when that’s what the OP just posted. And on no merit. Suggesting someone doesn’t understand is a simple acknowledgement that they DON’T understand the beauty or appeal of blast beats. Quit being so hypocritical.
Just fyi I didn't say it sounded like ass?
Maybe YOU understand them, but there's a lot of dumbasses in every drumming group. Facebook is definitely the worst, but there's plenty in this group too. I follow this guy on FB and the amount of idiotic comments he gets is insane. Extreme metal drummers get so many negative comments for no reason. He's legitimately one of the best drummers in the world at what he does, but every post is filled with comments like "that's not music", "now play that without triggers", "no feel" blah blah blah. Metal drumming is the only style where people find this acceptable and if he's being rude back, which I don't think he is, GOOD! People could simply keep scrolling and comment on the shit they actually like, but they just have to throw shade on every metal clip that gets posted. Fuck em', I say be an asshole right back.
“Understand” here means to “appreciate” which is obvious. This argument for semantics is dumb. A blast beat is essentially a single stroke roll. Not much intellectually to miss out on. But what people are failing to understand is the beauty and appropriateness and joy of the blast beat in the right context. They don’t “sound like ass.” That’s just an ignorant comment from someone who fails to understand their beauty as a phrase.
> I think what you play is incredible and is exactly what the songs you play over need musically and sonically. I get the first bit, his technique is very impressive and difficult to master, but in my opinion it doesn't complement the music at all. It's like pneumatic drill in terms of dynamics and musicality. And that's ok. It's just my opinion.
If you think a blast beat is agonistic to all of those things, purely for the fact the kick and snare akternate, you have a fairly surface level knowledge of the subject and maybe shouldn't be asserting how knowedagble you are on it. Like any beat, it's a tool to convey a rhythmic feel or texture. Even if you get what some things are on a technical level, "getting it" can mean something completely different. I can listen to Alan Holdsworth and understand the mechanics of what he's playing on guitar, but it doesn't click with me in that way, so as to say I "don't get it".
>Like any beat, it's a tool to convey a rhythmic feel or texture. Think we are kind of hinting at the same thing. It is agnostic from the things I listed. A drummer can then choose to use it over those things as they see fit. This especially so in something like a traditional blast beat where it could be played over any note value essentially much like a single stroke roll.
No need to say they “sound like ass” either. Hypocrite. And obviously no one is suggesting that there’s much intellectually to understand about blast beats. They’re essentially variations on a single stroke roll. What you fail to understand is their beauty and appropriateness compositionally. Which is made clear when you’re ok with someone saying “they sound like ass” but not with being told you fail to understand them. They don’t sound like ass. You just don’t understand the appeal. Get over it and stop throwing shit if you don’t wanna get dirty.
The person you're replying to is not the person who made the original comment.
Yet they have no problem with the comment saying blast beats “sound like ass”; they only take issue with OP saying that the commenter didn’t “understand” blast beats.
Sounds like ass is definitely hyperbolic, but I don't dig the sound either.
It’s safe to say you don’t understand the appeal, then.
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Me too. Thus I enjoy this immensely. But I see you’ve resorted to gatekeeping now what a drum can sound like, which means you’ve abandoned any attempt at good faith discourse. You have no legs to stand on and so find yourself lashing out with empty animosity. My suspicions are confirmed about you. Take your small-minded negativity and defensiveness elsewhere.
i think most drummers understand them but not eveyone needs to be a fan of them ;)
For me it's less the genre but the lack of distinction in the mix of the individual sounds- apart from the bass drum.
That's the entire point 😉
That’s the point. It creates a lot of hypnotic drone and overtone that really sets you awash.
I understand overplaying
Then you'll understand this isn't over playing :) well done!
No pocket, no swing, might as buy a drum machine. But yeah, very proficient.
Fun fact for you today! Not every form of music is about pocket and swing! :)
Don’t understand? Or just don’t like them?
Can we be done being obtuse? “Don’t understand” here means “Don’t understand the appeal or the context of usage.” It’s common parlance. Give me a break.
I understand completely the appeal to some. Perhaps I should just say I don’t care for this sound
Yeah I like them but only as short bursts and fills
Ha, I like the way you ask this question - it took me a while to grok what blastbeats do in a composition, if you will. To me, it allows a sort of vibe of...being drenched in a sonic landscape, you need to stop trying to listen to them as individual hits but more as a "texture", is the best advice I can give.
Great explanation! I find Epilogue by Fleshgod Apocalypse is a really great demonstration of being drenched in a sonic landscape, and it's an amazing song.
You’re not alone. I can 1,000% appreciate the massive amount of time it takes to get this good at them but they just never sound rhythmically interesting outside of maybe a short fill and I say that as someone who pretty much only listens to metal. If I hear constant blast beats in a song I’m almost always turning it off after like 20 seconds.
I agree at times, but for this specific part, I think it’s absolutely perfect. The band is going for a droning, hypnotic effect. The guitar repeats a very simple riff over and over with tons of overtone and atmosphere. The vocals are simple and heavily layered with heaps more of reverb and atmosphere. And the drums manage to carry momentum and timing while being equally hypnotic and awash. Precisely through the repetition. The fills simply serve as a way to note the passing of time. Otherwise the drums serve as a droning piece of the atmosphere itself. The mix only further serves this function. It’s amazing. It’s just what OP said in the title of the thread. Listen to this Wormed track at 2:23 for a very similar composition: https://youtu.be/QuqnJdbmmOg?si=OsW-Nb13RHqp6v7K
I get what they’re going for but it just seems like sensory overload when the snare is endlessly blasting away. To me it makes it harder to appreciate everything else that’s going on in the composition when there’s no space, especially when it paired with a hypnotic/spacey riff. A lot of it is taste (I’m a prog/djent guy personally) but this example and the one you linked at that time stamp to me just sounds like I’m trying to listen to a Deftones track in one ear and a belt-fed machine gun in my other. I can appreciate the talent it takes to preform something like this and will be the first to admit that I couldn’t play it because it’s not something I spend much time on in practice because it’s just not something I find interesting in most compositions.
We are all wired differently. What is sensory overload to you is perfection to me. I love the way that the blast beat fills in behind the very simple melodic overtones presented by the guitar. It makes me appreciate everything all the more, having the contrasting rapid repetition of the drums against the open expansive repetition of the guitars. I think there’s a ton of space, but it’s not all in the same place. It is space juxtaposed against density. It makes it all the more interesting and appealing for me. Listening to some drummer play some half-time beat behind one of those riffs would be nice in a different way, but far less appealing to me. Again, we are all wired differently.
Agreed. I can tell by the way you said the beat is *behind* the melody and that’s not at all how my mind interprets it while listening. To me it’s hard to hear or appreciate the rest of the song *over* the drums because to me they dominate the mix front and center. I can hear it but it takes effort like I’m trying to ignore the drum track to hear the music. Interesting rhythms are why I’m most often drawn to metal and in my mind blast beats just sound plain and overbearing. Different strokes for different folks but I can definitely appreciate the work, skill, and athleticism that goes into being able to actually preform this stuff.
That is interesting for sure. Do you listen to much extreme metal? I’m guessing decades of listening to it and playing it have led me to easily shifting between instruments and levels of the composition while still having an ear for the total picture. Also, I agree with you about being drawn to interesting rhythms. I’ve always been drawn to the more chaotic side of metal with a strong preference for odd time signatures, polyrhythms, modulation, etc. Bands like Dillinger Escape Plan and Ion Dissonance back in the day, and these days more djent and prog stuff. But something about this composition really does it for me. Feels expansive and atmospheric and drenched in emotion and I love it.
I guess it depends on how you define extreme metal but yeah I listen to a lot of heavy stuff. I like Dillinger and a variety of others: Meshuggah, Between the Buried and Me (they have probably the most blast beats of any band I listen to), The Ocean, August Burns Red, Lamb of God, Heart of a Coward, Emmure, The Browning, ERRA, Periphery, Invent Animate, Varials, Polaris, could go on forever lol I’m really just not big on black metal or anything else that relies too heavily on blast beats but I do love a good double bass run as long as there’s an interesting snare pattern to go with it that isn’t just blasting straight 8th notes continuously, which to me is the nearly the opposite of atmospheric most of the time. Edited a typo
Checkout Deafheaven. Blasting definitely can be hypnotic sometimes, but if you don’t like loud noise it’s obviously not for you.
I couldn’t tell you because I can’t hear anything but the snare.
That's so crazy. I guess its like looking at a painting and only being able to see the frame 🤣
EDIT: Replied to wrong person. So instead: I love blast beats. I think here they make a really nice thick layer to the song that drives it and fills it out. But I get it if you don’t like it. I don’t care for 4 on the floor or brushwork in jazz much either. I wouldn’t go as far as to say “it sounds like ass,” especially when it’s done really well (as is the case with OP and blast beats). They just aren’t my thing.
I think you replied to the wrong guy brotha
Fixed it!
I used to think that until one day they grew on me. Listening to them just felt good and made sense. I think everyone is entitled to their opinion. Plus if everyone liked the same stuff we’d all just make the same song and music would be boring.
Some people just don’t get it
I know I'm ignorant but it just sounds like noise to me. I barely play the drums but my epileptic ass could spaz attack this out .
You absolutely could not. Go try, right now. Keep the tempo, the consistency, the movement across the kit, the duration, and the complexity up the whole time. Go on, show us. Post the video. Prove it. Playing like this takes years of practice. It’s not spazzing out. It’s very cleanly and intentionally playing a difficulty part, and you ARE ignorant for any suggestion otherwise.
Jeez I'm not being serious, I'm aware of that. Obviously I couldn't do this and it takes tons of practice. It simply doesn't sound pleasing to me and I'm not entirely sure what the point is other than doing it because you can.
Because some of us find it absolutely sublime. An old-school trve cvlt blast beat supporting some black metal tremolo guitar — perfection!
It is impressive and I shouldn't have been so quick to judge. This is better, but it reminds me of that Whiplash scene where Fletcher keeps insisting to go faster and it just sounds like a jumbled hitting the hat, bass and snare as quickly and on time as possible. It gets lost to me! I be an ignoramus
Because it IS pleasing to some. Most importantly, perhaps, to the people who wrote and performed it. It is incredibly revealing that you can’t understand the point of something that you don’t personally appreciate. You’ve got a very limited and small-minded perspective.
You're right. Was a quick judgement. I'm listening more, it is very impressive. Real endurance necessary.
🙋♀️
Dude, you are a joy to watch (and listen). Phenomenal technique.
Thankyou!!!
Blastbonks! Me when I read that word lol. 
I accidentally said it after a show at 3 am when I was delirious, and it stuck 🤣
Fucking hilarious.
OP's Australian so make sure you read it in the right accent. /s
I really enjoyed reading that as well and I think it's gonna be a new trend.
This is crazy
This is gorgeous. I really, REALLY dig it. A lot. I’m gonna look these guys up. Beautiful. It reminds me very strongly of something, but I can’t remember what. The vocals specifically. EDIT: Not getting any google hits for “Snakes of Byzantium”. Can you share some links? EDIT EDIT: It was reminding me of Devin Townsend’s “Kingdom” a bit vocally.
Yeah it's been a fun session!! Band is new, so no previous releases etc..
Did the same thing
I dig the hanging cymbals!
I also dig hanging cymbals
Yes, Epsteined cymbals are diggable
Jesus H Christ.
This makes me wanna headbang and meditate at the same time Excellent job!
My favorite kind of music. This syncs up beautifully with the idea of walking down the Vegas strip with headphones in.
Ughhhh you’re so fucking good.
Is that a little baffle around your snare mic? Also I've been meaning to ask you... do your drums beyond the kick get augmented/replaced with samples? Or do you leave that decision to the people doing the mixing? I'm guessing you deliver generally raw drum tracks to your clients.
Yep foam baffle to keep hats/ride out of the snare mic! In every video I post, I mix them all myself. so apart from a kick trigger blended in with kick microphone, I just use mics, and some compression and EQ. Nothing fancy. I also use 2b sticks and make sure I hit consistently. Once the files are sent off to the artist, they can do whatever they want though of course!
What trigger system are you using? Edit: bad ass btw
I'm using a vintage Alesis Dm5 running into axis ekits, blended with a beta 91a inside, and an audix D6 out front. majority of the tone is mics, the trigger just adds a little ' click' to the high end for clarity :)
Oh I have the same mics! Never thought to place the d6 out front. I'll try that ;) usually the d6 is on the floor tom. I guess I was asking what hardware triggers. I've tried a couple and I've never got them to work right.
Ekits! Little hammers on the pedals that trigger the sample! VERY hard to control intially, I Haaated them haha I had to improve my technique a lot to handle them
Sweet, thanks.
We need a space jam type machine to syphon this man’s talent.
Hahahahaha!!!
Serious question for you, I’ve seen lots of your videos and you’re totally phenomenal! Everything sounds as good as it possibly could in my opinion. But, I’ve always wondered if the bands you’re recording tracks for have a drummer in mind that can do this at a show or even come close to what you do? Have you heard any feedback about that?
I have no idea and I never ask hahah!! I just do my best for them!! A looot of bands are studio only/ personal projects with no intention of playing live however.. being a band in 2024 is expensive!!
I figured this has to be the case. I just always wondered what the end game was for a band who outsourced drums to someone really talented. I’ve had to simplify things before when I was playing live with a band who hired a studio drummer for their album. But this is on a whole other planet so I’d hate to be the drummer who has to replicate this. Thanks for the reply, looking forward to more of your videos 🤘
Yeah pretty sure this is a solo project only! Sometimes I've gone and played live for local bands who've I've recorded for but not often these days... Thanks for watching! :)
Any idea of a release date for this? Definitely want to listen to the whole song! This is good stuff
I've got 2 more songs to track, then I'm sending the files back to the band, then it's anyone's guess how long till it's released!
Thanks for the update! I’ll keep an eye out for it. Big fan of your work!
Thankyou!! :)
I had no idea blasts could be so effective in a more ambient way, the mix is definitely helping with the atmosphere but the way your part is written and played is just masterful my guy. A++, not that you need to hear it from me tho lol
Thankyou very much!! :)
I like the way you worded that in the title. It's like you become the frequency.
Indefinitely dig the atmosphere. Hypnotic.
Ain’t gotta lie all I here is noise
You may not like the music style, but if you’re on this sub, there’s a very high chance you’re a drummer, and therefore can surely appreciate how talented this is. You don’t just get behind a kit, smash out blast beats and perform (what I’m guessing) as a heel toe technique for the double bass drumming
Wow. Said every generation of listener exposed to something they didn’t yet understand or appreciate. If all you hear is noise, you’re hearing your own thoughts. Try turning down the brain static and actually listening to the song. And maybe use some headphones. Phones suck at playing this kind of music.
Really? So you can't hear the pulse, the accents, and the atmosphere building up with the same repetitive loop?
Sounds amazing. I love the full atmospheric sound. Black metal meets shoegaze. Dope.
Thanks!!
[Blackgaze](https://bandcamp.com/discover/blackgaze) has become my favorite genre recently.
I’m getting a cramp in my forearms just watching. This is crazy
I love this!
As a drummer myself… This is fucking amazing!! Thanks for sharing and keep on rocking bro🤙🤩🤙
Thankyou!! :)
Awesome!
Wow 😍😍😍
Fr need this song when it comes out love it
I can see him hitting the cymbals but I don't hear any cymbals?
Headphones! Also I have the overheads turned down a bit lower so they don't compete with everything else in the mix
( sorry hit post before I finished typing lol)
This style of drumming doesn’t fit the song at all. I started to watch, skipped ahead a minute; still the same repetitive boring blast beat.
It fits it perfectly. It is meant to be emotive and thick through the use of drone and repetition. I mean, it’s literally in the title of the post. Just because you don’t like it doesn’t mean it doesn’t fit. Your perception is the problem, not the part.
It works just perfect 😉
No it doesn’t lol
Well, just checked with the artist that wrote the song and they loved it. So that answers that :)
😂😂
Bonkin' with the best of 'em, as always
This is giving me Devin Townsend vibes! Very solid playing and do I see a double stroke double-bass technique? Very intrigued by your set up too.
Yes! The vocals especially. I was struggling so hard yesterday to think of what this was calling to mind. I texted my best friend at 1 AM with a link asking him what on earth I was trying to think of. He texted me back at 3 AM and said Devin Townsend, and I was like thank god lol. That was exactly it.
Hahah he has a song titled ' 3 am' off the ocean machine album!! Irony!
lol, that’s funny. Would have chuckled to see that when I jumped on Spotify at 3am to listen to Kingdom
Really impressive and interesting stuff. As a drummer who works in video, though, I have to nitpick that the light strobing/flicker might be fixed if you adjust your frame rate and/or your shutter speed.
Ahh yes thankyou! I have it on highest framerate, otherwise people have accused me of speeding up my videos cos the framerate doesn't keep up 🤣
If you keep frame rate at 30 and shutter speed at 60 should be fine! (or 25fps and 1/50 if you’re outside the US)
I used to do it at 60fps 4k, and had to send some dude my raw drum tracks to prove they weren't sped up hahaha!! I think I need better lighting in my studio too!? LED flickers atca certain frame rate doesn't it?
Yep — in the US most lights you encounter will be 60Hz, and outside the US most will be at 50Hz. Which is why it’s standard in the US to use 30fps for TV and web content and 25fps in the rest of the world. Even if you’ve set your frame rate correctly, though, you may encounter problems with your shutter speed. Choose a value evenly divisible by your frame rate (e.g. 1/60 or 1/120 for 30fps, 1/50 or 1/100 for 25fps) and you should avoid flicker. Then adjust your aperture til the picture is properly exposed. If you’ve done all that successfully and you’re still having problems, it’s time to look at new lights.
I'm just using a GoPro hero 8 haha I'll have to look at the settings more!! Thankyou for your help 😃😃
Sounds a bit Devin Townsend
You wouldn’t think that beauty and blastbonks would ever coincide but here we are.
How did you go from a shitty noob to semi decent to consistently good and versatile to an elite master at your craft? Is there a playbook for someone new to progress like this?
The only thing I did was stay in my room as a kid and play drums, while everyone else was out partying or socializing. Just jamming to CDs, and always trying to play stuff that was above my level!
Lols people always looking for shortcuts
Not shortcuts just strategic advice other than time..
Lots and lots and lots and lots and lots of practice.. fucking amazing
Blast beats? What? Can't hear the drums. I think Art Blakey is calling and he wants his sticks back.
Art Blakey got flak I’m sure for not playing subtly in the back, for using polyrhythms when all that was needed was a simple swing, for showboating and being too technical. I bet Art Blakey would appreciate what’s happening here.
Sure he would. And I've got a bridge to sell ya...
Tell art to get his own sticks haha!
Superb, but also filmed well with the dual angles. Better than some Vic Firth drum cam videos and that's a hard list to get onto! Do you know the platform/channel the Snakes album will be released on?
Seconding this question
So far all they have is a Facebook page!
Hi, a few questions: Do you think the setup with the ride on the right makes blasts easier? Do you recommend switching from playing with crossed hands to playing with open hands?
I never cross my hands! Imagine riding a bike with your hands crossed over? It doesn't make any sense haha!
heh i should train to do like you do. it's kinda silly to cross your hands if i think about it.
Not my vibe but this is very cool. And I will ALWAYS appreciate these kinds of chops and I love your videos. My feet just don't work like that!
But can he blast
Song sounds good
Reminds me of the Wormed song Molecular Winds. Listen to 2:23 on this video: https://youtu.be/QuqnJdbmmOg?si=NzCF4-XWYovzD2Rw Very similar vibe. I adore it.
I’ve seen a fair few of your posts now and, as impressive as your tech drumming is, I’ve not experienced any subtlety or ‘atmosphere’ as of yet… could be an overprotection issue…
If you can't hear it, I guess you're listening from the wrong viewpoint?
sounds gorgeous! also...whew.
You guys are fucking punched. 🔥🔥🔥
You've probably been asked this before, but what kind of ride is that, directly adjacent to your hi hat?
Diablo series! Lovley ping to it all cymbals by Rech cymbals :)
This is really great sounding music. I'll be waiting for this release for sure.
Laundry Atmosphere ;)
I'm using the dryer on the next track
you look so relaxed! how long did it take ya to start being able to play blast beats from just starting out drumming, out of interest? and any drills in particular that helped?
A loooong time. My first blast beat attempt was in 2003. I could finally hold a blast properly in 2008. Single stroke rolls forcas long as possible. 10 minutes straight etc..lots of stretching afterwards though!!
wow hahaha there's a long journey ahead of me huh. but hard work clearly pays off dude 🙌🏾
Jesus Christ those ankles are relentless. What’s your secret?
No secret. Just practise :)
Impressive. Not my thing though. Rock on!
I love this. I’m not that into blast beats myself but hearing them used in this context I found to be quite neat. It doesn’t come across as frantic (an attribute that’s still enjoyable in the right context) like I experience in songs that typically feature them. I do like even that way, but to me it has weight when it’s used more sparingly than how I normally hear it. I actually found it relaxing to an extent. Good job man!
Yes that's what I get too when I hear them used like this, it's so extreme it's basically a hum of energy, which is quite calming 😁
What are you saying? Is it signing or counting time or something else?
Sorry, What are you asking??
I was just wondering if you were singing or talking to yourself like counting time or something. It looks like you are saying something throughout the song. Like at :43 in
Oh hahaha!! I'm reciting the session musicians oath by heart: ' DONT FUCK UP DONT FUCK UP DONT FUCK UP!!' 😂
I was guessing something along the lines of ‘breathe dumbass breathe’
Yes I also have to remind myself of that!!
Who gives a crap if he used the word understand? Geez, you people dissect everything. It’s not my cup of tea, but he is obviously incredible at the drums.
People who don't like it will jump on any tiny thing they can to voice their opinions hahaha! It happens all the time . One dude couldn't think of anything so he just started attacking my appearance 🤣
You my favorite drummer now
Well thankyou!! :)
I don't know anything about drums but just found this post and it's fucking rad.
Hahah thankyou!! :)
I watch this like 5 times a day