Skip to main content
Music Radar MusicRadar The No.1 website for musicians
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
  • Artist news
  • Guitar Amps
  • Guitar Pedals
  • Synths
  • Guitars
  • Drums
  • Keyboards & Pianos
  • Controllers
  • Software & Apps
  • More
    • Recording
    • DJ Gear
    • Acoustic Guitars
    • Bass Guitars
    • Tech
    • Tutorials
    • Reviews
    • Buying Guides
    • About Us
More
  • Plugin Week 2025
  • You Oughta Know
  • Fake AI band
  • 95k+ free music samples
  • Wrecking Crew

Recommended reading

Lars Ulrich on stage, early 1990s
Drummers “He, to me, was a role model”: Which A list metal drummer could Mike Portnoy be talking about?
Roger Taylor and Hank Marvin
Bands "Every one of them said yes": Hank Marvin and Roger Taylor have just remade a classic for charity
Millenium Drums book
Drums Millenium launches new book for drummers of all ages and abilities
Yamaha Stage Custom drum set in a studio with spotlights behind
Drum Kits Best drum sets 2025: Top drum kits for beginner to pro drummers
DW SonicPly
Drum Gear Neil Peart called him 'the Wood Whisperer' and now he's blended metal and timber in DW's new SonicPly shells
Man jams with a guitar player and bass player on an electronic drum kit
Drum Gear These huge drum deals at Sweetwater are about to disappear – here’s your last chance to bag up to 60% off electronic drums, cymbals, sticks and more
Clem Burke, Ancienne Belgique (AB), Brussels, Belgium, November 1998
Drummers "I've analyzed hundreds of players over the years. They're all a part of what I do": Clem Burke's 10 essential drum albums
  1. Artists
  2. Drummers

Drummer's World Cup: The 11 best Metal and Prog Metal drummers of all time

News
By Chris Burke published 28 November 2012

The results are in for the hotly-contested Metal round of the Rhythm Drummer's World Cup!

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

Gavin Harrison

Gavin Harrison

A valiant showing for the British prog legend, but in the end his fantastic work with Porcupine Tree, O5ric and more failed to stop the Jordison juggernaut.

Ultimately though, it's not the winning, it's the taking part, and Gavin - who still managed an impressive 331 votes - can enjoy the fact that his playing is respected the world over.

Page 1 of 11
Page 1 of 11
Dave Lombardo

Dave Lombardo

An early upset was on the cards when thrash metal pioneer Dave Lombardo failed to make it past 9th in the group.

His band Slayer may have set the high-water mark for thrash and extreme metal with albums such as Reign In Blood in the 1980s but it seems influence and experience count for little in the modern game.

He's not alone; other Metal pioneers who performed disappointingly in the group include Black Sabbath's Bill Ward, Igor Cavalera of Sepultura and Vinnie Paul of Pantera.

Page 2 of 11
Page 2 of 11
Dan Searle

Dan Searle

One of the group's pluckiest performances came from relative unknown Dan Searle of UK progressive metallers Architects.

The fast-rising stars of the metal scene owe much to the mighty beats of Searle, and his fans proved their love for him with an initial surge of voting which saw Dan take the lead for much of the first half.

Sadly it was not to be, but Dan can rest assured that in this tournament, he walked with the giants of metal and kept his head high.

Page 3 of 11
Page 3 of 11
Chris Adler

Chris Adler

When Lamb Of God's tremendously bearded sticksman stepped up to take on the other giants of metal, he must surely have been one of the favourites to ultimately take the Cup.

Sadly, it was not to be. The 'Redneck' drummer managed just 1.84% of the votes, losing out to many of his metal rivals in the most hotly voted-on Rhythm poll in over two years.

Page 4 of 11
Page 4 of 11
Lars Ulrich

Lars Ulrich

Looks like there'll be no repeat of the 1992 Euro championships in which Denmark's plucky performance saw them take the crown. (Bear with us).

Yes, Metallica's influential Danish powerhouse failed to really get a foothold in what has been the most fiercely contested group so far. A respectable number of votes were cast in favour of Ulrich, but in the end they won't be enough, and he's on his way home.

Page 5 of 11
Page 5 of 11
Tomas Haake

Tomas Haake

Polyrhythmic drumming genius Tomas Haake of Swedish metallers Meshuggah put in a respectable performance in the qualifying group but may not have enough votes to progress.

Garnering 448 votes would have seen Tomas go through to the last 16 were it not for the huge numbers voting in the Metal and Prog Metal group. Still, he can rest easy in the knowledge that very few people are actually as good at drumming as him.

Page 6 of 11
Page 6 of 11
Neil Peart

Neil Peart

No surprises that the boy Neil done good here. Rush fans ensured the prog rock super-drummer gained a respectable 4.14% of the vote to give him the 'Ghost Of A Chance' for a wildcard passage into the last 16.

But in the end his progress may depend on the mathematics and 'Subdivisions', perhaps he'll need to invoke the 'Spirit Of Radio' to get him there. Okay, that's enough.

Page 7 of 11
Page 7 of 11
Mike Portnoy

Mike Portnoy

A close fourth only for prog metal's greatest ambassador. The Dream Theater man with the sweet right foot (and left, and his hands are pretty amazing too) secured a sizeable percentage of the votes (7.59%) to give him a good chance of still progressing to the last 16.

Mike will now be watching the other group games closely to see if some of the other big guns of drumming in the following rounds can cause an upset, or if his huge number of votes already is enough to secure his passage.

Page 8 of 11
Page 8 of 11
Matt Halpern

Matt Halpern

Periphery's Matt Halpern started as an outsider, considering the top names in this particular group. His massive popularity and awesome skills for tech metallers Periphery however saw him nip at the heels of the group winners.

Gaining a massive 2,115 votes (almost 10% of votes cast) puts Matt in a very good position to progress to the next round on the 'next most votes count' rule. Unless there's a major upset in the remaining groups, and fans of modern rock, reggae, funk, jazz, pop and gospel get voting in the kind of numbers we've seen for the Metal poll, Matt looks very likely indeed to be in the last 16.

Page 9 of 11
Page 9 of 11
The Rev

The Rev

Once the Avenged faithful got wind of Jimmy 'The Rev' Sullivan's entry in the competition, they got behind their hero, who sadly passed away in 2009

In his time with A7X, The Rev's contribution not just to albums such as Avenged Sevenfold and City Of Evil, but to modern metal as a whole, cannot be understated.

A worthy runner-up with more than 3,000 votes, Jimmy progresses to the next round automatically.

Page 10 of 11
Page 10 of 11
Joey Jordison

Joey Jordison

Sweeping all aside with brutal efficiency, no other metal drummer proved a match for Joey Jordison once the Slipknot faithful got behind their masked hero.

Joey gained 48.4% of the votes which, get this, was 10,379 votes. But anything can happen in loosely linked sport/music tournaments. Joey may be through to the next round, but he can expect tough competition all the way.

Page 11 of 11
Page 11 of 11
Categories
Drums
Chris Burke
Read more
Lars Ulrich on stage, early 1990s
“He, to me, was a role model”: Which A list metal drummer could Mike Portnoy be talking about?
Roger Taylor and Hank Marvin
"Every one of them said yes": Hank Marvin and Roger Taylor have just remade a classic for charity
Millenium Drums book
Millenium launches new book for drummers of all ages and abilities
Yamaha Stage Custom drum set in a studio with spotlights behind
Best drum sets 2025: Top drum kits for beginner to pro drummers
DW SonicPly
Neil Peart called him 'the Wood Whisperer' and now he's blended metal and timber in DW's new SonicPly shells
Man jams with a guitar player and bass player on an electronic drum kit
These huge drum deals at Sweetwater are about to disappear – here’s your last chance to bag up to 60% off electronic drums, cymbals, sticks and more
Latest in Drummers
Zak Starkey
"I dropped some beats apparently. I’ve looked and I can’t find them!": Zak Starkey on Who sacking and more
Lars Ulrich on stage, early 1990s
“He, to me, was a role model”: Which A list metal drummer could Mike Portnoy be talking about?
The Who
“I have to be careful what I say": Pete Townshend on Zak Starkey’s protracted dismissal from The Who
The Who
“I got it right and Roger got it wrong”: Zak Starkey provides more details about his sacking from The Who
Liam Gallagher, Sharna Liguz, Nicole Appleton and Zak Starkey attend the launch party of Liam Gallagher's new store Pretty Green on July 29, 2010
“I’ll cry... I’d have done that gig for nothing” Zak Starkey on why he'll miss the Oasis gigs
Sleep Token drummer II Drumeo
“I’ve taken inspiration from the UK dance music scene": Mixwave put Sleep Token’s drummer in a plugin
Latest in News
Money
“This shows just how important live music is": New report shows immense contribution of music tourism to UK economy
Olivia Rodrigo and Robert Smith
Olivia Rodrigo surprises fans during her headline Glastonbury set by duetting with The Cure’s Robert Smith
Brent Hinds and Bill Kelliher of Mastodon perform at Riot Fest 2024
“I won’t miss being in a sh** band with horrible humans”: Mastodon guitarist slams his ex-bandmates
Black Sabbath get the freedom of Birmingham
“We’re all proud Birmingham people and we love this city”: Black Sabbath have been awarded the freedom of Brum
Van Halen
“Eddie told me, ‘Roth is driving me nuts'": When Eddie Van Halen asked to join Kiss — and they turned him down!
Charli XCX
"The most boring take ever”: Charli XCX addresses "boomer vibe" criticism of her Glastonbury performance

MusicRadar is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

  • About Us
  • Contact Future's experts
  • Terms and conditions
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Advertise with us
  • Accessibility Statement
  • Careers

© Future Publishing Limited Quay House, The Ambury, Bath BA1 1UA. All rights reserved. England and Wales company registration number 2008885.

Please login or signup to comment

Please wait...