Martin Lopez

Nitemare

Senior Member
Martin Lopez, drummer of Opeth from 1998-2006, is my favorite drummer of all time. Does anyone know his cymbal setups? He changed endorsements from Zildjian to Sabian halfway through the 9 years. I know about half of his Zildjian setup and two cymbals of his Sabian setup. thanks
 
no idea about his cymbal setup sorry. but I must confirm he is a brilliant drummer.
 
He's my biggest influence. The reason i really wanted drums(used to be a bassist). And oddly, he looks a little like me lol
 
haha that's awesome. i remember seeing them in a tiny place in '05 or something, they were immense! i was really saddened when he left the band, watershed just isn't the same :(
 
It really isnt! I think its due to not only Lopez's leaving, but Lindgren's leaving as well. Axe is a great drummer, and Akkeson is a great guitarist, but they're just not Opeth. Lindgren has played on every album, and Lopez on every album but 2, so of course Watershed is different. it's ok, not the greatest. I dont think any album will ever top Blackwater Park for me.
 
yes blackwater park is absolutely fantastic! I love damnation too, especially windowpane. hell i love all the albums pre-watershed. i used to be a WoW addict back in my younger days and opeths discography was often my soundtrack of choice.
 
Haha nice dude, i agree, I love them all pre-Watershed. I do like Watershed, but when i listen to my Opeth playlist i leave it out. Yeah, Windowpane is amazing, i love playing it. Opeth is usually my soundtrack for walking my dog cuz i walk her in the forest.
 
Have you watched the Making of Deliverance/Damnation DVD? Disk 2 of Lamentations i think? He's featured pretty prominently in it... With pause/slow-motion you may be able to figure out his cymbal setup at that time... I know its all Sabian, but that's all I remember.

Agreed on most other points made... Except that Still Life is still probably my favorite overall (i guess that's obvious tho).

I like Watershed just fine, it definitely has it's moments (Lotus Eater), but overall... ea I guess I see what you guys are saying... But still... "not as good Opeth" is still way better than almost anything else ;) Hopefully the upcoming Heritage album/tour is great.
 
haha yeah "not as good as Opeth" is still pretty good! ;D
 
Yeah Fuo ive seen it, ive managed to get his ride, smallest crash and hats figured out. Watching the Blackwater Park DVD is how i figured out his Zildjian setup. I can't wait for Heritage, Im going to go see them.
 
Hey guys! For all you Lopez fans, ive found his setup!

20" Radia Chinese
14" AA Regular hats
16" El Sabor crash
18" AAX Dark Crash
7" Max Splash
9" Max Splash
11" Max splash
18" HHX Studio Crash
20" HHX Chinese
14" Hand Hammered Mini Chinese
19" AAXplosion Crash
20" HH Jazz Ride or AAX Metal Ride (Deliverance)
 
Well, this was ignored last time I posted, but here goes:

Martin's involved in a bunch of new stuff. He has a new band called Soen, which features non-other than legendary bassist Steve DiGiorgio, and he's also doing some session work for a Lebanese metal band called Anuryzm, and supposedly has reunited with a side project black metal band he had with Mendez called Fifth to Infinity.

http://www.myspace.com/Soenmusic
http://www.myspace.com/fifthtoinfinity
http://www.myspace.com/anuryzm

Ohhh! Thanks for the heads up about Anuryzm, I knew about FtI and Soen.
 
So Soen's album came out a couple weeks ago. I got it a few days ago, I like it a lot so far, but it's really tough to get over the similarities to Tool.
 
Martin Lopez... revisited

Hi all, first time posting here.

I'm not a drummer at all, I'm actually a guitarist. However, I often find myself focusing on (good) drummers when listening to music. This has especially become the case since getting into Opeth a few years ago. I know there are other Martin Lopez threads already on this board, but I wanted to start a new one and hopefully bring this amazing drummer back to the forefront.

His drumming is just mind blowing IMHO. He's not the most technically proficient, nor is he the fastest, but he has impeccable taste and feeling... his sense of groove is second to none. His dynamic control is insane. He can play with fierce aggression, and then just like that, sit back and fall into a groove that's spiked with apparent Latin influence. He is so tasteful, I've literally *never* heard him overplay on a single song. Amazing use of cymbals, and although he often uses a double paradiddle (usually with ghost notes) pattern, it always seems to fit the music perfectly. Honestly, I could go on and on.

I would imagine most 'older' (i.e. my age, mid 30's) drummers aren't aware of him, which is a shame. I can't imagine any drummer not appreciating this guy's skill. I hope this thread serves to pique the interest of those drummers who aren't familiar with him. I would imagine his fluid style will inspire you. And, as if his work with Opeth wasn't already amazing, his most recent work with Soen showcases even more what he can really do, without the death metal sound. I'd be happy to post up some shining examples (as hard as that would be, since all his stuff is so good) if anybody's interested.
 
I loved the honesty in opeth's early stuff but I think the feel was a bit too loose at times... Not bashing Martin because I do really like him and he had an influence on me. But I wouldn't call him a perfectionist. That double paradiddle between the ride and snare in deliverance always kinda stuck out like a sore thumb. But I loved that whole album.

They lost me when they put out Ghost Reveries.
 
I loved the honesty in opeth's early stuff but I think the feel was a bit too loose at times... Not bashing Martin because I do really like him and he had an influence on me. But I wouldn't call him a perfectionist. That double paradiddle between the ride and snare in deliverance always kinda stuck out like a sore thumb. But I loved that whole album.

They lost me when they put out Ghost Reveries.

Wow, see, I'm the exact opposite. I actually think Ghost Reveries was their strongest album, but it's probably worthy to note I'm more a fan of prog metal than death metal, and Ghost Reveries is definitely more the former than earlier albums.

Do you have an approx. time for what you're referring to in Deliverance? I'd like to have another listen as I always felt the drumming in that song was impeccable.
 
There were a couple of cool tracks on the album but to me I felt they had lost their soul to a new producer or something... it sounded perfectly in time, alot more produced and maybe a bit more theatrical as though they were playing up some of their themes that were better when they were subtle.

Still life, Blackwater park, Deliverance and Damnation are where it's at for me.
 
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