Being a drummer myself, I'd have to admit I tend to hone in on his business more so than the rest of the band. It's a well known saying that "the drummer can make or break any band", but there is a lot more to it than hitting things as fast as you can to be amongst the top metal drummers of today. Much consideration went into the following list including: Agility, Diversity, Endurance, Style, Precision, Embellishment, & Showmanship.
Now, I'm not a big fan of "Top 10" lists, I personally feel there is no place for competition in music, but when Rob approached me with the idea of talking about my favorite drummers, how could I decline? I now present my 10 favorites in no particular order. (Give me a break! it was hard enough to narrow a list down to 10.)
Opeth has always been one of my favorite bands in the world, I've truly never heard such a unique group capable of writing compositions that defy the laws of metal music. Moving through the lightest of folk and the heaviest of metal within a single song is no easy task, likewise a drummer capable of keeping this essence together requires tons of skill, precision, soft hands, strong limbs, and comprehension of music composition in whole. Martin Lopez has always provided us with incredible phrasing we cant help but tap along and bang our heads to. He knows exactly when to rock, and when to keep it cool and has proven himself over the span of 7 Opeth LP's in the past 10 years. Apparently now working with a project called Fifth to Infinity, I cant wait to see Lopez behind a set once again in the future.
