SampleRadar: 252 free heavy metal drum samples

Iron Maiden drummer Nicko McBrain: hits his drums hard.
Iron Maiden drummer Nicko McBrain: hits his drums hard. (Image credit: Markus Cuff/Corbis)

SampleRadar doesn't like to miss out on a celebration, so it should come as no surprise that it's getting involved in the devilish spectacle that is MusicRadar's Metal Week.

Following last year's giveaway of 400 free heavy metal guitar samples, we're supplying you with a varied collection of drum loops in this most brutal of genres.

Both acoustic and electronic beats are included, and they come at a wide range of tempi.

What you need to know

The samples are split into two folders: acoustic and electronic. Each of these contains sub-folders that are labelled by tempo.

All the samples are supplied as 24-bit WAV files so can be imported directly into your DAW or sampler of choice. Because they're royalty-free, you're welcome to use the samples in your music in any way you like - all we ask is that you don't re-distribute them.

The heavy metal drum samples are supplied in a zip file, so you'll need to extract them before you can see them. Enjoy!

Example loops

Acoustic 120bpm

Acoustic 220bpm

Electronic 80bpm

Electronic 180bpm

Heavy metal drum samples: click to download

Heavy metal drum samples (123MB)

These samples originally appeared on Computer Music magazine's cover DVD. Check out the latest issue for many more.

Heavy metal tutorials

How to make heavy metal music

The MusicRadar team

MusicRadar is the number 1 website for music makers of all kinds, be they guitarists, drummers, keyboard players, djs or producers...

GEAR: We help musicians find the best gear with top-ranking gear round-ups and high- quality, authoritative reviews by a wide team of highly experienced experts. TIPS: We also provide tuition, from bite-sized tips to advanced work-outs and guidance from recognised musicians and stars. STARS: We talk to musicians and stars about their creative processes, and the nuts and bolts of their gear and technique. We give fans an insight into the actual craft of music making that no other music website can.