Dave Lombardo: Metal's Greatest Drummer?

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A true pioneer of the genre. There's little doubt that the guys today wouldn't do half of what they can do if it weren't for guys like Dave who set the bar to begin with.

But as is being displayed currently in the Buddy thread, attempts to prove who's "best" are largely futile. Personally, I'd rather celebrate individual players for what they can do within the context of their own musical endeavours, as opposed to where they may fall short when compared to someone else. There's always someone who can express something in ways you can't.

Suffice it to say, that Dave Lombardo is a giant among men. He has nothing to prove to anyone. His influence on the development of the genre can't be understated and his place in history as "one of the greats of metal" is most definitely secure.
 
What's dave doing now? I heard he quit slayer a while back.
 
Have to agree with Pocket-full-of-gold here. Dave cemented his reputation as a metal monster and a huge influence on thrash and extreme metal drummers on Reign In Blood, South of Heaven, and Seasons In The Abyss alone. When you're at that level, it doesn't matter that some drummers in the genre are more technical, jazz influenced, whatever. His breakdown in Angel of Death, which I had the pleasure to witness live, is legendary in itself.
 
I don't know if he's the greatest, but he's definitely my favorite thrash drummer, along with Igor Cavalera. Slayer is not Slayer without him.
 
I'm a Lombardo fan but metal drummers are getting better every year. With some of these guys you need a calculator to follow along.
 
The biggest thing I will credit to Dave is his double bass technique. He is one of very few of the big name drummers who is able to play at speeds of 200+ BPM and maintain volume. Not that this is in anyway important, however given the majority of metal drummers that rely on triggers for volume at speed, the fact that he only needs mics is saying something.
 
Lombardo's shining hour was without a doubt 'South of Heaven' his playing on that album is phenomenal.....

Personally I rate Chris Adler higher........
 
Lombardo's shining hour was without a doubt 'South of Heaven' his playing on that album is phenomenal.....

Personally I rate Chris Adler higher........

I think Chris Adler so far has an unearned reputation. He might be good but I just do not hear it. I hear lots of triplets and double bass drums. Come on this is meat and drink to people here.

There are a few drummers who I rate highly but not around long enough to say the best but Ray Luzier from Korn has some really nice technique and I love hand technique and there is a lack of it in metal but Jay Weinberg has it in abundance.

Overall best drummer I do really like Dave Lombardo and Slayer will always need him but when it comes to a good grounding in things drums I do like Igor Cavalero but in time I think drummers like Jay Weinberg will surpass them and I would rather listen to him and Ray Luzier than Chris Adler.
 
I bet Dave Lombardo made as many metalheads want to play drums as any other guy back in his heyday with Slayer. Of course, there is no one BEST metal drummer, but if I were to pick one guy, it would be Mario Duplantier of Gojira. He's not only stupid fast, but also very funky and super creative. Not taking a single thing away from Lombardo though.
 
I'll start by saying that defining the best drummer ever or the best drummer in a genre is impossible, however I'm happy to join in an informed discussion and take on board people's opinions. Here are the two Metal moments that I remember 30 years on because of the impact of the drumming.
1. Listening to the opening of the Restless And Wild album by Accept. Fast As A Shark starts with a German folk song played on a scratchy record, the singer screams, the riff strikes up, THEN Stefan Kauffmann erupts with a double drum beat the likes of which I had never heard before. Please note, "the likes of which I had never heard before", I'm not saying this hadn't been done before, I'm not saying it hadn't been done faster or better before or since, I'm saying that I had never heard anything like it and in the context of that song at that time it made a huge mark on me. Stefan Kauffman isn't a candidate for greatest Metal drummer of all time, but for me and people like me at that point in time, his drumming and its placement front and centre in the song raised the bar.
2. In 1987 (iirc) someone loaned me a copy of Slayer's Reign In Blood album. I hadn't been exposed to thrash before, and all the points I've just made stand in this case too. But Slayer and Dave Lombardo changed everything, I maintain that in terms of brutal in your face Thrash, Reign In Blood hasn't been surpassed in nearly 30 years, so best drummer in Metal or not this counts for an awful lot.
 
Glad to provide the undisputable answer. Rolling Stone recently ranked Dave Lombardo 47th among the Best Drummers of All Time. Danny Carey is 26th.

I agree with an earlier poster that Mario DuPlantier of Gojira is my favorite drummer of the moment.
 
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