Lars Ulrich

rollthedice said:
lars has never been a heavy double bass player, but back in the day can only imagine the double bass speed record would have gone to lombardo
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At that time, there were faster double bass players and Ulrich and Lombardo only played a few parts of continuous double bass this guys did more: Paul Marzurkiewikz (Cannibal Corpse), Steve Asheim (Deicide), Pete Sandoval (Morbid Angel/Terrorizer) Raymond Herrera (Fear Factory) to name a few. All with much faster double bass parts than either Ulrich or Lombardo.
 
doggyd69b said:
At that time, there were faster double bass players and Ulrich and Lombardo only played a few parts of continuous double bass this guys did more: Paul Marzurkiewikz (Cannibal Corpse), Steve Asheim (Deicide), Pete Sandoval (Morbid Angel/Terrorizer) Raymond Herrera (Fear Factory) to name a few. All with much faster double bass parts than either Ulrich or Lombardo.
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can't disagree. meant more out of the big four
 
Xstr8edgtnrdrmrX said:
I personally never hated him, I just did not look at him as a top shelf drummer....esp after hearing Charlie Benante in the same time frame. No one in "thrash era #1" was touching Benante
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Nobody was doing what Lars was doing. There were "better" drummers like Benante, but they were still playing very conventionally and straight forward. Lars' weird crash placements and chokes, playing over the bar, using empty space. It was brilliant. And like I said, he was the only one doing it, (besides Steve Zimmerman of Fates Warning who was doing it on another level entirely).

He influenced millions, and you can hear it in the playing of the best metal drummers who followed.

That's greatness.
 
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bud7h4 said:
Nobody was doing what Lars was doing. There were "better" drummers like Benante, but they were still playing very conventionally and straight forward. Lars' weird crash placements and chokes, playing over the bar, using empty space. He was brilliant. And like I said, he was the only one doing it, (besides Steve Zimmerman of Fates Warning who was doing it on another level entirely).

It influenced millions, and you can hear it in the playing of the best metal drummers who followed.

That's greatness.
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Agree with all the above. (also never hated Lars, just think he should shut his mouth sometimes).
 
toddmc said:
The latest Metallica song is a good example

Hey, I "love the little guy" too but you have to admit his drumming has been on a downward trajectory since the black album (some would say after Justice).
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Just thought of something; maybe he's struggling to play ordinary rock (post Justice) when it's not in his DNA.
 
bud7h4 said:
Just thought of something; maybe he's struggling to play ordinary rock (post Justice) when it's not in his DNA.
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To be fair he struggled playing "prog rock" on Justice too but ironically he said the hardest learning curve was how to slow down and "groove"/ stay in the pocket on the black album.
 
toddmc said:
To be fair he struggled playing "prog rock" on Justice too but ironically he said the hardest learning curve was how to slow down and "groove"/ stay in the pocket on the black album.
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I believe it, judging by how he struggled to play a simple yet effective groove on "Sweet Jane" at the Hall of Fame Anniversary Show:


I'm far from a Lars hater—if anything, I'm definitely more in the defender camp, while being aware of his shortcomings—but I was honestly shocked at how not good he sounded there. Like, pretty much any drummer playing in pretty much any bar this weekend could have done as well or better. (Although I thought he did a better job with "All Day and All of the Night," perhaps because it was quite a bit faster.)
 
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bud7h4 said:
Nobody was doing what Lars was doing. There were "better" drummers like Benante, but they were still playing very conventionally and straight forward. Lars' weird crash placements and chokes, playing over the bar, using empty space. It was brilliant. And like I said, he was the only one doing it, (besides Steve Zimmerman of Fates Warning who was doing it on another level entirely).

He influenced millions, and you can hear it in the playing of the best metal drummers who followed.

That's greatness.
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he influenced millions years after his best playing, I think.

all of my drummer friends - back in 82-84 - were drooling over Benante, Lombardo, Gar Samuelsson and Amery Smith in the "endurance speed" category

Lars (in my circles) was considered more "progressive" at the time a la (but not at the same level) Zimmerman, McBrain, Scott Rockenfield etc...
back then, when I thought "Metallica", I thought brutal guitar riffs and vocal cadence, but not really drums.

they are definitely one of the cornerstones of thrash, along with Megadeth, Anthrax and Slayer. These corner stones were laid in the foundation of Diamond Head, Budgie, Motorhead, etc...
 
Why the hate you ask?

I think he can be an easy target in comparison to drummers in the same genre who are well endowed with endless chops and technicality.

He has possibly changed in terms in that he is not the same drummer as he used to be years ago.......possibly from a lack or desire to grow and advance himself with his vocabulary.

But he was the toast of the town in his heyday and fostered admiration and passion for drums in a lot of kids back in the day.

He was a real champion and still is.

He's done a lot of hard work, he can sit back and chillax now.
 
Benthedrummer said:
He has possibly changed in terms in that he is not the same drummer as he used to be years ago.......possibly from a lack or desire to grow and advance himself with his vocabulary.
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for my group of friends, this was the biggest thing....the idea that you were going to do less work and expect more money etc. I guess that is sort of the American Way in some aspects....it is all over politics and buisness

the whole band let us down as they sold out and became the embodiment of everything that they said they would never do. And it was that stuff that launched them. The F-you attitude and middle-finger to the demographic that they were eventually told to embrace by the powers that be.
 
Xstr8edgtnrdrmrX said:
for my group of friends, this was the biggest thing....the idea that you were going to do less work and expect more money etc. I guess that is sort of the American Way in some aspects....it is all over politics and buisness

the whole band let us down as they sold out and became the embodiment of everything that they said they would never do. And it was that stuff that launched them. The F-you attitude and middle-finger to the demographic that they were eventually told to embrace by the powers that be.
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You say “selling out” like it’s a bad thing. I wish I had the opportunity to sell out! Not that I think they did it. I think they just played what they wanted and it happened to sell big. Also, selling out is no guarantee that you will have hits.
 
Leftie117 said:
Okay, here we go internet. How and why is Lars a "terrible" drummer? What could he do differently that would make him better? I just keep reading comments on drum videos, and every top-rated comment is "Betar then thtat **** Ulrich!!!". I am curious on whether he actually deserves so much hate, or if the internet is just being, well, the internet.
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I like Lars as a drummer, but even HE knows he's not great. He has repeatedly said he was no Match for Charlie Benante and Dave Lombardo back in the Day. He is perfect for the band he's in. Nobody ever Rips Phil Rudd or Simon Kirke, and they aren't amazing drummers, but perfect for their bands. And he has $350 million reasons to not care what anybody thinks.
 
Xstr8edgtnrdrmrX said:
back then, when I thought "Metallica", I thought brutal guitar riffs and vocal cadence, but not really drums.
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See that's part of the brilliance of what he was doing on drums. Those amazing riffs would have sounded a lot more like everyone else without the interesting stuff Lars was playing. It really wasn't about his speed, it was his phrasing. Entirely, uniquely Metallica.

When Anthrax lays down an ultra heavy groove, it sounds that way because of Scott Ian's guitar. That massive crushing groove in Metallica comes from Lars. Just my opinion of course but that's the way it sounds to me.

Playing all over the bar:


The crash accents here . . . . pure Lars Ulrich:


The heaviest cymbal choke ever . . . . . 5:14

 
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JimmyM said:
You say “selling out” like it’s a bad thing. I wish I had the opportunity to sell out! Not that I think they did it. I think they just played what they wanted and it happened to sell big. Also, selling out is no guarantee that you will have hits.
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when you are a teenage kid looking for something to latch on to, selling out is a bad thing. When your "heroes" forsake you, that is a bad thing. My friends were not mad that they were getting hits, but that they went away from being what we thought they were. It is/was petty, but it is/was a big thing. Like when your favorite player leaves your team for another one....same kind of thing

and I am wired different in that I do not look at gaining money as a sign of success. I will always have a different perspective on things like this because of that reason.
 

sounding as good as he ever has!
Never a big fan of Metallica but all the stuff he deserved to get about his prior playing is moot
 
He gets the job done. Plenty of other drummers out there if you want showy chops.

Besides, I guarantee you that Lars wouldn't receive even a quarter of the hate that he gets if it weren't for the whole Napster thing. That thrust them into the spotlight even more and gave people an excuse to bash them.

But, he did something that most people are too scared to do - he stood up for what he believed in, and was shouted down for it. Funnily enough, when Taylor Swift did it years later with Spotify, she was applauded.
 
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There are a handful of drummers who are common targets for contentious naysayers. Lars is obviously one. If you join a conversation on this forum just to say how much you don't like the subject of the conversation, you are contributing in bad faith and creating unnecessary work for the mods. Please just don't.
 
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