Being a drummer myself, I'd have to admit I tend to hone in on his business more so than the rest of the band. It's a well known saying that "the drummer can make or break any band", but there is a lot more to it than hitting things as fast as you can to be amongst the top metal drummers of today. Much consideration went into the following list including: Agility, Diversity, Endurance, Style, Precision, Embellishment, & Showmanship.
Now, I'm not a big fan of "Top 10" lists, I personally feel there is no place for competition in music, but when Rob approached me with the idea of talking about my favorite drummers, how could I decline? I now present my 10 favorites in no particular order. (Give me a break! it was hard enough to narrow a list down to 10.)
Let's face it, Mike Portnoy has become something of a poster boy for instrument outlets around the world. I cant remember a time in the past several years I haven't ran into a life size poster of Mike in any music store , or an add featuring his signature drums, sticks, cymbals, hats, dvd's, cd's and probably cologne coming one of these days. This is certainly not a complaint, in-fact Portnoy and Co. have changed the way I see music forever since the release of "Images and Words" . Aside from his obvious stellar playing that has influenced thousands of musicians around the world, he is also an extremely hands on backbone of his own brand. Everything from video director, producer, lyric writer, music writer, set list organizer, band manager, back up vocalist, and drummer extraordinaire. He is a well trained machine in business, entertainment, and especially drumming. Don't take my word for it… watch this video clip and feel the wrath of his 20' ….. drum set!
