The Foo Fighters drummers ranked by pure ability
Despite starting life as Dave Grohl’s post-Nirvana solo project, Foo Fighters defied all of his expectations in becoming one of the most formidable and beloved rock acts of a generation.
Now over 30 years into their existence, the band has been characterised by its many members past and present, many of whom have managed to carve their own style and personality into their respective roles, rather than allowing Grohl to remain the all-seeing eye who controls all creative decisions.
That being said, because many people had previously associated Grohl with being Nirvana’s drummer before Foo Fighters existed, it came not only as a surprise to learn that he was a skilled all-rounder with other instruments, but that he would rescind his position behind the kit to give other drummers a chance to offer their talents to the project. The only issue with doing this was that the drummer would have to be able to live up to the high bar that Grohl had already set on Nevermind and In Utero, despite being a distinctly different project from the one led by Kurt Cobain.
Initially settling on Sunny Day Real Estate’s William Goldsmith, who came as part of a package deal alongside bassist Nate Mendel, the group would part ways with him after only a couple of years, making way for Taylor Hawkins to become the established figure at the back of the stage for 25 years. Upon his tragic and unexpected passing, Josh Freese, one of the busiest drummers in the business, would assume the role, only to be deposed in recent weeks by Nine Inch Nails’ Ilan Rubin, whom Freese coincidentally traded places with.
Despite having had five different members in the role, all with different styles to offer, who is the best that the band have ever had on the tubs? With a new drummer in the ranks, we’ve analysed the strengths and weaknesses of every different drummer and ranked them from worst to best below.
The Foo Fighters drummers ranked by pure ability:
William Goldsmith
There’s a reason why Dave Grohl recruited Sunny Day Real Estate’s former drummer, William Goldsmith, as the first official drummer for his new project, Foo Fighters, in 1994.
With him joining the group alongside bassist Nate Mendel at the same time, it appeared that the group were set to take shape properly as a live outfit, and would be able to hit the ground running due to the members’ experience of having played with each other, as Grohl and guitarist Pat Smear had done towards the end of Nirvana.
The problem was that Goldsmith’s drumming wasn’t anywhere near as frenetic as what Grohl had in mind for the group, and while his style would’ve suited songs that Grohl played on the first album such as ‘Big Me’, when it came to performing on the early demos for The Color and The Shape, he lacked the same energy that the rest of the band felt the need to inject. It wasn’t for a lack of drumming ability, but Goldsmith certainly wasn’t of the same calibre as Grohl would have liked, and the band eventually settled on Taylor Hawkins to take on the full-time position.
Josh Freese
While Josh Freese’s tenure as drummer with the band may have been short, ending in acrimonious circumstances, there was no denying that he had all the proper credentials to become the perfect replacement for the late Hawkins after his death in 2022.
Having had stints with a number of high-profile acts in the rock world, including Devo, Guns ‘N Roses, and Nine Inch Nails, and having appeared on over 400 albums as a session drummer since the mid-1980s, it’s evident that Freese is a versatile drummer who can play in a variety of styles.
However, his face simply didn’t seem to fit as a full-time member of Foo Fighters, and while he did a commendable job on his first tour with the group when they were promoting But Here We Are, something about his style didn’t seem to fill the Hawkins-shaped hole that had been left.
In order to fit in with the group, there needs to be a certain animalistic approach to playing the drums, and while Freese is definitely a technically adept and versatile drummer, there was always something quite restrained about the way he approached the material – never quite going the extra mile to replicate what Hawkins had done, but also not going far enough to make it his own.
Dave Grohl
As much as Dave Grohl is Foo Fighters, forming the project as a solo vehicle after the disbandment of Nirvana in 1994, there was only so long that he would be able to handle all of the duties on record. On their self-titled debut, Grohl was the vocalist, guitarist, bassist and drummer, among other things, but when the project showed the potential to take off in its own right, he realised that he would need to hire external talent to take some of the weight off his shoulders.
After the death of Hawkins, Grohl would once again become the drummer on But Here We Are, and showed that his talents behind the kit haven’t waned in the interim years, and his performances of two out of three Nirvana records as well as albums by Queens of the Stone Age and countless other bands show that he’s not to be messed with.
However, while he’s certainly a beast with sticks in his hands, the man himself has often claimed that he’s not a drummer, and sometimes, the unorthodox ways in which he’d approach the craft would rear their head, leaving him slightly lower down in the pecking order.
Ilan Rubin
Foo Fighters fans – now’s the time to get excited.
You may have been on board with the appointment of Josh Freese in 2023 and disappointed with his sudden departure before he had a chance to prove his credentials on record, but the drummer role of the band has once again been placed in more than capable hands. If you’re unsure of what new recruit Ilan Rubin has on his CV to demonstrate that he’s the perfect fit, it would almost be quicker to reel off what the man hasn’t achieved in his career rather than what he has done.
Bizarrely, he’s also occupied the drummer role in Nine Inch Nails like the man he’s slated to replace, and during a 16-year tenure with Trent Reznor’s group, he became the youngest-ever inductee into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. His achievements don’t end there, though. He’s worked with rock acts such as Angels & Airwaves and Paramore, composers such as Danny Elfman, and has been the sole member of The New Regime, where he’s flexed his ability as more than just a drummer.
There’s a true elasticity to what Rubin is capable of, and whether it’s tight grooves, punk thrashing or pummelling rock solos, he’s capable of it all. Here’s hoping he’s in it for the long run.
Taylor Hawkins
When Grohl recruited Taylor Hawkins as the replacement for William Goldsmith, he must have been delighted to have found someone capable of not only matching the frenetic energy he desired to have behind the drum kit but exceeding it in every regard.
If Grohl wanted cataclysmic beats inspired by disco grooves, Hawkins could provide for him. If he wanted rapid-fire fills that took the intensity of a track to a higher level, Hawkins had that in his repertoire as well. As far as modern rock drummers go, Hawkins was seemingly the complete package.
Granted, he may not have been able to slide into another band’s lineup quite as easily as other members have demonstrated, but as far as Foo Fighters’ drummers go, there’s nobody better-suited to the role. His presence may be replaceable with someone of a similar calibre, but what he offered to the group is undoubtedly going to be missed in all future incarnations of the band.
Everything he did behind the kit felt like the perfect companion to what the rest of the group was doing, and there was a palpable chemistry between him and the other members that was evident from day one. It may have seemed chaotic, but behind the manic style was a man in complete control of his instrument, able to attack every performance with personality, flair, and a true individualism that nobody else could have brought to the band.
