Bill Ward’s favourite metal drummers of all time
Bill Ward is a delight behind the drums. The Black Sabbath pioneer knows just how to balance restraint and precision with a complete ape-shit thrash session, even throwing in some jazz inflexions that you need to listen closely to hear.
Save for Beatles legend Ringo Starr, Ward is probably one of the most well-known drummers of his era, and he had no shortage of fans and wannabe drummers looking up to him, trying to emulate that furious systolic cadence. But even your favourite drummer has a favourite drummer; Ward has eyes and ears of his own, and has taken stock of his top five metal drummers of all time.
Speaking on his Halloween 2015 podcast, the musician calmly, clearly delineated his list of all-time favourites. That list started with Charlie Benante, drummer and songwriter for the thrash metal band Anthrax. Ward said of Benante: “I love the sound he gets from his snare drum.”
He added, “It’s solid drumming, precise and accurate. I love the way he crashes… Just his entire performance as a drummer is something to really behold.”
Next up in the coveted list was Lars Ulrich, drummer and, of course, a founding member of American metal band Metallica, who are still causing earthquakes with their foot-stomping, ground-shaking music. Speaking about Ulrich, Ward looked back at when their self-titled 1991 black album came out, and reminisced, “I can remember sighing under my breath and saying, ‘My God, thank you’.”
Ward stated matter-of-factly, arms crossed stoically, that “Lars is just a great drummer. He’s got good legs, good bass drums, slams like heck… I’ve seen the guy play on multiple occasions, and when he lays in, he lays in; he’s a really tough drummer.”
Third up, he praised a “very close friend of mine”, Dave Lombardo of metal band Slayer. On stage, Ward said, Lombardo “explodes.” Excited, Ward added, “I’ve been four or five feet away from Dave sometimes at the shows where I’ve listened to him play, and he’s a blur. I can’t see what he’s doing… what the fuck is he playing?” After a ramble full of praise, Ward deemed him “dynamite”, but acknowledged he couldn’t spend the entire podcast gushing about just one of his favourites.
Gene Hoglan, who has “one of the longest record bios” ever due to the fact that he moves around loads of different bands, was up next. Hoglan is “proficient” in Ward’s words, and “excellent in execution of rudiments… his speed is just phenomenal.” He added, “one of the most wonderful modern drummers.”
Ward rounded out the list with another good friend of his, Johnny Kelly, drummer of the gothic metal band Type: “He’s a great drummer and hard hitter.” He went on, “He’s intricate, and when he performs his rudiments […] they roll out, and they’re very tight and effective. He’s great to watch.” Thank you, Bill Ward. Knowledge is wealth. Now get the tunes on and get thrashing.
