How to Write good metal/deathcore drum parts and breakdowns.

[Christ-Hammer]

Hey everyone my band is starting to take the path of heavy death music and I was curious to figure out how some of you metalheads write your breakdowns and how you structure your songs also when you track record how can you hear the track when you are recording with loud drums even though I have sound cancelling headphones I still have a hard time hearing the mix.

Here is an example of what we are starting to sound like, but not exactly.
This is my friends local band.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MOxHqDVCN4o&feature=PlayList&p=942EAC8C270D9D42&index=0&playnext=1

[Mr. Serpent]

Bring me the Horizon fans?

[Wavelength]

Good drum parts? Aren't they supposed to be evil or at least bad?

[mcbike]

Sound cancelling headphones probably aren't good for recording. The are designed to block out stuff like engine and cabin noise from an airplane.

There are a couple of options that will work. Some in ear monitors... These are like earbuds that seal off your ear and reduce the overall db of your drums.

Another cheap option is to buy some shooting range earmuffs from a gun store and then use iPod style headphones inside them. But they might fall out of your ear with the headphones on.

Another option, probably the best option is to get headphones made for blocking out drum sounds. Something like metrophones.

As for breakdowns obviously you want to slow things down probably put alot of tribal tom beats in. Listen to lots of hardcore bands if you want good breakdown ideas.

[Christ-Hammer]

Cool thanks for the advice

[joshisaces]

Good drum parts? Aren't they supposed to be evil or at least bad?

GTFO! that's the third time I was forced to say that to anyone today, but once again I'm joking.

You do know absolutely nothing about this kind of music ;]


This band is sick man!

Oh, I forgot, I was supposed to give you advise! XD



Well, for creating original breakdowns, just try to think very far out of the box. Create the breakdown with odd timing and polyrythms to make it sound trippy, because after all, that IS the point (Y)

[Wavelength]

You do know absolutely nothing about this kind of music ;]

Ignorance is bliss. ;]

[Christ-Hammer]

Polyrhythms in a breakdown? I have never heard that before, could you give me an example of a band that does it?

[aeonapocalypse]

Breakdowns are gay. You do realize this is a passing trend, no one will be listening to this in five years.

[drummingdunc]

Best advice I can give is listen to the guitar parts. You can either match what they play for a heavy 'in sync' (not N'Sync!) feel, or offset yourself, to accent certain bits. For breakdowns, I would suggest that they are a primal aspect of a song where everything strips back before unleashing hell. I recommend keeping it simple. Polyrhythms are cool but I for one don't think breakdowns are the time or place. Good luck!

[fromyesterday]

So you're basically asking "how do you write metal songs, specifically drums"?

That's hard to answer...

Just play drums with the metal band and try not to over think the whole gig

As for tracking I have the mix in headphones and can hear fine..Sounds like the recording conditions you're in are off...

[joshisaces]

Polyrhythms in a breakdown? I have never heard that before, could you give me an example of a band that does it?

I wouldn't necissarily classify them as metal but the fall of troy... It does sound cool though. Hard to keep up,

[DrewTheShoe]

Ignorance is bliss. ;]

I found this completely hilarious, Wavelength. I also thought your joke was funny. Bahaha.

I know next to nothing about this "brütal" music, so I'm just going to leave now.

[Breadmonkey]

I'm by no means any kind of expert on this style (or anything for that matter) but I'd recommend:


Go into half time
Crash or China with your lead hand
Follow the guitar parts exactly with some grooving, broken-rhythm parts
Make sure you keep the back beat going


AeonApocalypse: Awesome, insightful answer man!

[eddiehimself]

Good metal/deathcore drum parts?

2 words

blast. beating. :p

Seriously though, it's more than just doing that. But it doesn't hurt to put one or 2 in there somewhere :)

[metal overlord]

If theres a guitar part already, just try to match up and add to it and with it.
If not, tell them to write one (lol).

[metal overlord]

Breakdowns are gay. You do realize this is a passing trend, no one will be listening to this in five years.

Well, breakdowns as a whole won't. The grind/deathcore probably will, but 10 years from now bands will be still using some form of a breakdown.
It adds more to a song, but not when theres 3 of them in a song and thats why the bands famous. Your statement is true, in a sense.

If you ment metal is a passing fad, thats what people said in the 70's, 80's, and 90's.
Metal never was a fad, in a sense. Most of the time it's an underground with diehard fans.

[sloppyjmama]

Most of the time it's an underground with diehard fans.

Exactly, none of the bands I listen to are well known what so ever. They seem like it because I hang out with kids that listen to those bands, but you ask a random stranger who August Burns Red is, I can almost garuntee they haven't heard of them. It's not a fad.

Speaking of August Burns Red, they are a great example of poly-rythm riffs.

[aeonapocalypse]

Metal isn't a fad. Deathcore is. August Burns Red are not underground.

[what the funk of it]

Good old breakdowns, gotta love 'em!

Listen in at 0:50, 1:30 and 2:50 for the all-time greatest breakdown known to man:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JohoUZ1U91A&feature=related


Sick band by the way...

[freebirdgdw]

Good old breakdowns, gotta love 'em!

Listen in at 0:50, 1:30 and 2:50 for the all-time greatest breakdown known to man:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JohoUZ1U91A&feature=related


Sick band by the way...

...





(taking up space)

[metal overlord]

Exactly, none of the bands I listen to are well known what so ever. They seem like it because I hang out with kids that listen to those bands, but you ask a random stranger who August Burns Red is, I can almost garuntee they haven't heard of them. It's not a fad.

Speaking of August Burns Red, they are a great example of poly-rythm riffs.

When I say Municipal Waste or Gama Bomb, almost everyone will say "Who?".
Even old bands like Rigor Mortis, been around forever and no one has ever heard of them.

[mydreamsmyanchor]

Yo man, you were asking for an example of a band that uses polyrythms etc. in breakdowns, you shuold check out some of these bands... they might not be your style of music, but the drummers play some rad breakdowns/grooves that will make you think outside the box.

first and foremost, check out Botch. That is a perfect example of polyrythms in heavy music. Also bands like Deadguy, Coalesce, Burnt by the Sun all have awesome drummers using creative stuff in their songs. A lot of metalcore bands like that have stuff everyone could learn from. Hope this helps

[Daphfz]

For deathcore drumming i can say probably 3-4 words....

DOUBLE BASS CONSTANTLY THROUGHOUT

As long as you do this and keep it going for the entire song, you'll be fine, but yea try and learn blast beats :P or do some really fast slayer drumming....(slayer drumming is the same in 95% of their songs)

[Construct]

Doesn't Meshuggah use polyrhythmic breakdowns sometimes?

[inflames]

Work with your bassist. Many of the songs i have heard ahve the double kick in time with the bass parts (Into the Battle by Ensiferum is a good example, just skip along to the 3 minute mark and listen from there).

[Dedworx]

Hey everyone my band is starting to take the path of heavy death music and I was curious to figure out how some of you metalheads write your breakdowns and how you structure your songs also when you track record how can you hear the track when you are recording with loud drums even though I have sound cancelling headphones I still have a hard time hearing the mix.

Here is an example of what we are starting to sound like, but not exactly.
This is my friends local band.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MOxHqDVCN4o&feature=PlayList&p=942EAC8C270D9D42&index=0&playnext=1

if your bands going that way in style, it would probably help a great deal to spend time just listening to that style of music(if you're not already). and because you're trying to work on breakdowns you could always fast forward/rewind to those kind of sections and try to work out by ear what they're doing.

even if you're not dead on with the exacts, you will pick up a vibe for their choices in those moments and with a lot of listening your own ideas will form under those guide lines.

personally i'm not familar with that style of music, but the post below by breadmonkey i think sounded good. or even trying to breakdown what you're hearing in a similar list so you develope your ideas within that kind of structure.

also live videos with shots of the drummer, or people on youtube covering tunes can perhaps demystify some of the parts you can't pick up by ear.

[JOX]

Im a pretty big metal head, and my breakdowns usually come from the music I listen to. It depends on the kind of breakdowns your interested in. If you want fast/complex thats one thing, but when alot of people say breakdown, they think of slowing it down in a sense and proving a kind of "boom" head banging thing. Lol I don't know how to explain, but here check out some of these bands/songs.

Veil of Maya - Wounds/We Bow in Its Aura/It's not Safe to Swim Today
Born of Osiris - New Reign Album (Abstract Art)
Emmure - Not really into this band too much, but drummer does some cool stuff.
Whitechapel - Love them
Suicide Silence - Way too many blasts, but still cool =]
Winds of Plague does some tight stuff...
August Burns Red drummer does some intense stuff...

Hope this helps.

[Tutin]

Doesn't Meshuggah use polyrhythmic breakdowns sometimes?

I think you mean, "Doesn't Meshuggah use 4/4 breakdowns sometimes?" lol. Meshuggah are nearly always in Polyrhythms. In I they have a big 4/4 "breakdown", but other than that there's a handful of songs that are in straight 4/4. Also check out Tesseract, cause they're pretty good and they're similar.

I hate people talking about breakdowns, because it's become such a staple part of Metalcore and stuff like that. It's like bands feel they always need breakdowns, and that annoys me. When used sparingly, they're brilliant but metalcore and all that stuff is ruining it with these rubbishy open note slow things. That's not to say they're all bad, just grossly overpopulated.

And that brings me to my peice of advice: Don't use them all over the place! And if you feel it's absolutely necessary, at least try and work at it until you get a really cool pattern going.

PEACE.

T

[PQleyR]

When I say Municipal Waste or Gama Bomb, almost everyone will say "Who?".

I just saw Municipal Waste at Bloodstock in August. Did they get that crowd-surfing record they were going for in the end?

[metal overlord]

I just saw Municipal Waste at Bloodstock in August. Did they get that crowd-surfing record they were going for in the end?

I'm not entirely sure, but sure as hell 428 in a 2-minute song isn't shabby.

[DJ Waffles]

Hey everyone my band is starting to take the path of heavy death music and I was curious to figure out how some of you metalheads write your breakdowns and how you structure your songs also when you track record how can you hear the track when you are recording with loud drums even though I have sound cancelling headphones I still have a hard time hearing the mix.

Here is an example of what we are starting to sound like, but not exactly.
This is my friends local band.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MOxHqDVCN4o&feature=PlayList&p=942EAC8C270D9D42&index=0&playnext=1

You can turn up the volume with the headphones (but i'm sure you have already tried that). You should really record the drums to a click track and then record the rest on top of them.

As for the writing, if you post a demo of the guitar work, I;m sure we can better understand what type of breakdown you are going for. Hell, if you post one someone can help you write one with midi drums.

[Frost]

Dillinger Escape Plan do it as well, they play around with advanced math for rhythm and break down into normality. I appreciate it, I don't enjoy listening to it.

I think you mean, "Doesn't Meshuggah use 4/4 breakdowns sometimes?" lol. Meshuggah are nearly always in Polyrhythms. In I they have a big 4/4 "breakdown", but other than that there's a handful of songs that are in straight 4/4. Also check out Tesseract, cause they're pretty good and they're similar.

I hate people talking about breakdowns, because it's become such a staple part of Metalcore and stuff like that. It's like bands feel they always need breakdowns, and that annoys me. When used sparingly, they're brilliant but metalcore and all that stuff is ruining it with these rubbishy open note slow things. That's not to say they're all bad, just grossly overpopulated.

And that brings me to my peice of advice: Don't use them all over the place! And if you feel it's absolutely necessary, at least try and work at it until you get a really cool pattern going.

PEACE.

T

[MisterMixelpix]

You could always break the slavish clinging to "breakdowns" and just worry about what works within a given song's framework...

[Frost]

In death core breakdown is the only real variation in the music, I think it adds depth to it. A lot of people listen to death core because it's aggressive, fast and catchy (in a rhythmic sense it is), varying up break downs helps give the music a bit more diversity, if your playing unmelodious music at the same speed all song every song you're making it very repetitive

Oceano are a young band who write some interesting breakdowns (without clean vocals).

You could always break the slavish clinging to "breakdowns" and just worry about what works within a given song's framework...

[MisterMixelpix]

Sure, but it's gotten to the point that every song is expected to have a breakdown. Great death metal bands over the years USED breakdowns, but they didn't throw them into every song multiple times, y'know? Songs can have three or four parts without the typical mosh pit slam dance section, IMO.

[Scorched]

Breakdowns are not the only variation in deathcore, and although I love them(when done right) they are used a crutch a lot of the times.

Animosity are a good deathcore band who can write songs.

[GRUNTERSDAD]

I'm not entirely sure, but sure as hell 428 in a 2-minute song isn't shabby.

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