67 Best Metal Drummers

Aquiles Priester

There’s quite a big metal music scene in Brazil, and Aquiles Priester is another Brazilian drummer to mention for this list.

He’s played with several big metal bands over the years, including DragonForce, Hangar, Midas Fate, and Noturnall.

He’s also a highly accomplished studio musician who regularly gets hired to track metal drum parts for various projects.

Brooks Wackerman

Brooks Wackerman comes from a big family of drummers, with all of them playing various music styles for different artists.

While Avenged Sevenfold struggled to replace The Rev after he died, Brooks Wackerman joined the band in 2015, and he’s remained a solid member of the band since then.

He’s a fantastic rock and metal drummer, and his drumming style perfectly fits all the tunes that Avenged Sevenfold play.

Vinny Appice

Vinny often doesn’t get as much credit as his older brother, Carmine. However, I firmly believe that Vinny Appice is a massively influential drummer, and he made a big impact on the metal scene in the 70s and 80s.

He was a vital member of Dio, Black Sabbath, and Heaven & Hell. Black Sabbath was one of my favorite bands growing up, so I’ve listened to plenty of Vinny Appice drum tracks over the years.

Dave Witte

Dave Witte is undoubtedly one of the faster drummers on this list, and that’s really saying something considering that I’ve only mentioned metal drummers.

He’s a valuable part of the underground metal scene, playing with multiple extreme metal bands.

He’s a fantastic session drummer, often playing with live acts when they need someone behind the kit for various gigs.

Scott Travis

Scott Travis is the drummer for Judas Priest, which is a band that regularly gets thrown into the best metal bands of all time debate. He’s also played drums for Thin Lizzy and Elegant Weapons.

I didn’t know it at the time, but I listened to dozens of Scott Travis drum parts on repeat when I was younger. The powerful drum solo intro to Painkiller by Judas Priest is one of the most memorable song parts for so many drummers.

Tommy Lee

Being one of the founding members of Motley Crue, Tommy Lee quickly became one of the biggest music stars in the world in the 80s.

While he’s not nearly as technically proficient as most of the drummers on this list, he’s definitely one of the most influential. A lot of drummers started playing because of Tommy Lee, so he shares that kind of status with drummers like Lars Ulrich and Neil Peart.

He’s still playing with the band today, but he’s also been part of a few hip-hop projects.

One of the best things about Tommy Lee is the drum solos that he pulls out at big arena shows. There have been quite a few where he plays drums upside down.

Matt Garstka

Matt Garstka is arguably my favorite drummer on this list. He started his career as a jazz drummer graduating from Berklee’s College of Music, but he quickly inserted himself into the progressive metal world when he joined Animals as Leaders.

Not many people will argue with the statement that Garstka is one of the best drummers in the world at the moment. You just can’t watch him play without your jaw dropping at some point.

Over the last 100 years, there have been drummers who have pioneered certain ways of playing the drums. Their impact has changed how people approach the instrument. Most of them were jazz guys from the early 20^th century, but I strongly think that Matt Garstka fits into that mold.

If you want to see some seriously technical, creative, and brilliant progressive metal drumming, watch a few videos of Garstka playing live with Animals as Leaders. You’ll definitely want to practice after that.

Matt Halpern

Matt Halpern is another amazing progressive metal drummer who has been playing with the band Periphery for years.

Compared to Garstka, I think he has a much more open and musical way of playing the drums. He’s also a really hard hitter, yet he somehow fits countless ghost notes into his drumming that always look and sound effortless.

Halpern has a signature snare drum with Pearl, which is one of my favorite snares available at the moment.

Jay Weinberg

Jay Weinberg had big shoes to fill when he replaced Joey Jordison as the drummer for Slipknot in 2014. Since then, he’s become a household name in the metal world, and his drumming with Slipknot has been immense.

His dad is Max Weinberg, who is Bruce Springsteen’s drummer. So, drumming was always on the cards for him. However, he decided to take the route into playing much heavier music, and it ended up with him becoming an incredible metal drummer.

Flo Mournier

Flo Mournier is a metal drummer based in Canada, and he’s an integral member of the band Cryptopsy. He’s a household name in the Canadian metal scene, but he’s toured the world numerous times with several metal bands.

I’m a big fan of Flo’s educational skills. He’s a great teacher, and he’s definitely someone to check out if you’re looking to learn how to play metal drums.

Aaron Kitcher

Aaron Kitcher is the drummer and one of the founding members of Infant Annihilator. His drumming style is quite extreme with all the quick and vibrant grooves and fills he plays.

Infant Annihilator is quite an eclectic band, but his drumming style fits perfectly, and I definitely think Kitcher is a worthy name to mention on this list.