Skip to main content
Music Radar MusicRadar The No.1 website for musicians
(opens in new tab) (opens in new tab) (opens in new tab) (opens in new tab) (opens in new tab)
  • Guitars
  • Amps
  • Pedals
  • Drums
  • Synths
  • Software
  • Pianos
  • Controllers
  • Recording
  • Buyer’s guides
  • Live
  • DJ
  • Advice
  • Acoustic
  • Bass
  • About us
  • More
    • Reviews
Magazines
  • Computer Music
  • Electronic Musician
  • Future Music
  • Keyboard Magazine
  • Guitarist (opens in new tab)
  • Guitar Techniques (opens in new tab)
  • Total Guitar (opens in new tab)
  • Bass Player (opens in new tab)
More
  • Lennon on Eleanor Rigby
  • Jimmy Page demos classic Led Zep gear
  • Classic rock riffs for beginners
  • Omnichord @ 70
  • SampleRadar: 163 tape loops samples

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

  1. Home
  2. News

The top 20 greatest drum beats of the millennium

By Drum Expo 2013
published 30 July 2013

What did you vote as your favourite groove since 2000?

  • (opens in new tab)
  • (opens in new tab)
  • (opens in new tab)
  • (opens in new tab)
The 20 greatest drum beats of the millennium
You voted in the thousands for the best drum track since 2000
(Image credit: Bob King/Corbis)

The 20 greatest drum beats of the millennium

DRUM EXP0 2013: The results are in! We asked you to vote on what you think is the greatest drum beat since the year 2000, and you answered in your thousands.

A huge variety of modern musical genres were put under Rhythm magazine's special drum microscope to select over 50 candidates for the final poll, and from that, you selected these tracks to form the Top 20.

For those of you who believe nothing good has come of the drums since John Bonham shuffled off this mortal coil, check out the huge drum talent on display here…

Page 1 of 21
Page 1 of 21
Slipknot - Psychosocial
Joey Jordison unleashes his astonishing power and metal chops
(Image credit: Tim Mosenfelder/Corbis)

Slipknot - Psychosocial

Power, precision and aggression are a hallmark of the Slipknot man's drumming, and they're all present and correct here. Straight out of the box, 'Psychosocial' is classic Joey with a funky syncopated double kick groove that marries perfectly with the guitar riff. Then the breakdown section is quite simply jaw-dropping.

The greatest drummer of the last 25 years? It's hard to argue on this evidence.

Page 2 of 21
Page 2 of 21
My Chemical Romance - Welcome To The Black Parade
Bob Bryar's drum corps emo hybrid
(Image credit: Press)

My Chemical Romance - Welcome To The Black Parade

An arguably slightly over-reaching track from the emo teen pin-ups has one fantastic thing going for it - a military cadence courtesy of drummer Bob Bryar.

His drum corps-style snare work fits perfectly with the song's 'Parade' theme, and when he brings in the other parts of the kit, thumping around the toms, it somehow also recalls Roger Taylor's best work with Queen too, before he launches into a more familiar punk beat for the main part of the track.

Page 3 of 21
Page 3 of 21
Muse - Time Is Running Out
Power and chops from Dom Howard on this Muse classic
(Image credit: Amanda Thomas/Rhythm)

Muse - Time Is Running Out

When it comes to kick-ass live bands, it doesn’t get much better than Muse, and Dom Howard’s powerful style is engaging to watch and perfectly suited to Muse’s operatic rock sound.

‘Time Is Running Out’ features Dom doing what he does best, playing grooves and fills that fit the song like a glove while never taking away from the band’s sound. His musical choices masterfully set up and define each section of the tune.

Page 4 of 21
Page 4 of 21
Deftones - Digital Bath
Abe Cunningham provides a hard-rocking but funky groove
(Image credit: Kevin Nixon/Rhythm)

Deftones - Digital Bath

'Digital Bath', from Deftones' third album White Pony just crept into the list with its 2000 release date. It features a seriously funky drum groove from the fantastic Abe Cunningham to set the track apart.

The Sacramento alt-rock outfit have always been about groove, due in no small part to Abe's ability to provide a hard-rocking drum presence yet somehow really groove as well.Funky little ghosted notes and subtleties in the verse give way to a big, big sound as the track builds, and it's one of our favourite Deftones tracks of all time.

Page 5 of 21
Page 5 of 21
The Melvins - The Talking Horse
Dale Crover and Coady Willis bring the double-drumming joy
(Image credit: Corbis)

The Melvins - The Talking Horse

Now you might think that using two drummers is kinda cheating when it comes to a contest about greatest drum beat, but the Melvins' drum duo of Dale Crover and Coady Willis between them provide Buzz Osbourne's punky, sludgy outfit with an arsenal of fantastic beats.

'The Talking Horse', from the bands 15th album (A) Senile Animal, is a beast of a groove and for those who don't know it (and plenty of you do, to have voted it into our top 20), we recommend you check it out immediately.

Page 6 of 21
Page 6 of 21
Radiohead - 15 Step
Phil Selway proves his quiet invention
(Image credit: AIM PATRICE/Corbis Sygma)

Radiohead - 15 Step

One of the most successful and rabidly-supported bands ever to come out of the UK's indie scene, Radiohead have continued to impress and astound with recent albums such as In Rainbows and King Of Limbs.

'15 Step' from 2007's self-released 'pay what you want' album In Rainbows shows drummer Phil Selway at his most inventive best, with this odd-time groove that has a light drum'n'bass feel providing the irresistible backbeat to the band's experimental rock.

Page 7 of 21
Page 7 of 21
The White Stripes - Seven Nation Army
Maybe not the greatest technical player, but Meg's beat rocks
(Image credit: Tim Mosenfelder/Corbis)

The White Stripes - Seven Nation Army

The White Stripes drummer has had a lot of stick over the years - mostly from other drummers. Okay, so she's not the best drummer in the world. Okay, she wasn't the best drummer in the White Stripes. But what Meg brought to the White Stripes' punky-blues was an ability to create the kind of infectious beats that have you banging the table top along to them - and that's not just drummers.

'Seven Nation Army's relentless snare and floor tom groove, with that constant hi-hat 'chick', rattled our heads for what seemed like an entire year in 2003. Go and listen to it now, and then try and argue with that beat's inclusion here.

Page 8 of 21
Page 8 of 21
Avenged Sevenfold - Bat Country
Jimmy 'The Rev' Sullivan's finest moment
(Image credit: Markus Cuff/Corbis)

Avenged Sevenfold - Bat Country

On 'Bat Country', from Avenged Sevenfold's 2005 album City Of Evil is one of the best examples of how cool modern metal can sound, due in no small amount to the considerable talents of the late, great Jimmy Sullivan. The Rev brings his love of Vinnie Paul and Mike Portnoy to bear on one of A7X's best moments, with plenty of classic metal licks and double bass drum action. We love it, and it's really hard to play.

Page 9 of 21
Page 9 of 21
Paramore - Misery Business
Zac Farro's tom work anchors the emo hit
(Image credit: David Atlas/Retna Ltd/Corbis)

Paramore - Misery Business

The Farro brothers may have left Hayley Williams’ emo superstars, with no less than Ilan Rubin stepping up to the kit, but original drummer Zac Farro helped the band's musical credibility alongside their bankable pop hooks.

Never content to go for the obvious straightahead punk-pop grooves favoured by so many of their contemporaries, Zac's musical playing and intelligent choices within the tracks – riding on the toms, and adding plenty of fast snare rolls to provide pace and urgency where appropriate – make 'Misery Business' a particularly worthy inclusion here.

Page 10 of 21
Page 10 of 21
Meshuggah - Bleed
Heavy, heavy beats from mathcore metal drumming maestro Tomas Haake
(Image credit: Press)

Meshuggah - Bleed

For two decades since their debut album, Contradictions Collapse, Tomas Haake and Meshuggah have been pushing at the limits of metal, making their densely-crafted music from layers of polyrhythms and unconventional time signatures.

Haake’s talent for navigating his way through the complex arrangements has made him one of the most respected players in extreme metal, and ‘Bleed’, from 2008 album ‘Obzen’ is a particular awe-inspiring Haake drum track.

Page 11 of 21
Page 11 of 21
Arctic Monkeys - Brianstorm
(Image credit: Steven C. Mitchell/epa/Corbis)

Arctic Monkeys - Brianstorm

“The other lads had guitars, so I thought I’d get some drums and we’d start a band,” he told Rhythm of his start on the drums for Sheffield megastars Arctic Monkeys. ‘Brianstorm’ was the first single from the band‘s second album and remains one of the Monkeys’ best loved tunes, featuring a frantic, Surfaris-inspired 16th-note feel and tribal tom groove.

With a new album out this year, Helders’ drumming continues to go from strength to strength – just check out the drum feature ‘R U Mine?’ for more proof of his fantastic ability.

Page 12 of 21
Page 12 of 21
Tool - Jambi
Danny Carey brings tribal energy to metal
(Image credit: Robert Downs/Rhythm)

Tool - Jambi

With his highly-lauded alt-metal band Tool, Danny Carey has been a poster-boy for modern progressive drumming for some years. His awesome chops and way with a tribal groove are in evidence in this track from the band's fourth album 10,000 days.

It's a great little odd-time workout - another of Danny Carey's trademarks - in 9/8 and 6/4. Yet it still provides the track with a meaty, driving backbone, something that makes Danny's ability even more enviable.

Page 13 of 21
Page 13 of 21
Foo FIghters - Rope
Taylor Hawkins proves his worth in Dave Grohl's band
(Image credit: Corbis)

Foo FIghters - Rope

Foo Fighters tracks regularly feature interesting rhythmic ideas, though none more deceptive than ‘Rope’s guitar intro with Taylor Hawkins smashing out the unison 16th-note snare drum figure into the main groove with everything landing on the ‘&’ of beat ‘1’.

With some tasty work on the ride cymbal bell and a couple of fantastic drum breaks, it’s one of Foo Fighters finest beats.

Page 14 of 21
Page 14 of 21
Porcupine Tree - Bonnie The Cat
Gavin Harrison's exercise in prog-rock drumming perfection
(Image credit: Robb D Cohen/Retna Ltd/Corbis)

Porcupine Tree - Bonnie The Cat

When it comes to modern prog rock drummers, Gavin Harrison is right up there and you lot voted his 'Bonnie The Cat' groove from Porcupine Tree's album The Incident as one of your favourite tracks. And it's easy to see why, with Gavin's kit dexterity and polyrhythmic mastery lending the track's heavy riffs and metal breakouts some serious percussive magic.

Page 15 of 21
Page 15 of 21
Rush - Little Victory
Neil Peart's still delivering in the 21st Century
(Image credit: Corbis)

Rush - Little Victory

'One Little Victory', from Rush's magnificent Vapor Trails album is one of Neil Peart's finest and most rocking beats. Beginning with a drum cadence, Peart proceeds to cover all bases throughout the driving pace of the track, following Geddy Lee's insistent bassline and matching the track's changes of pace with a fresh approach each time. His undeniable kit dexterity, time-keeping and invention are all on show once again, yet, crucially, he doesn't forget to rock out.

Page 16 of 21
Page 16 of 21
Blink-182 - Feeling This
Travis's groove is classic punk-pop drumming
(Image credit: Tom Pidgeon/epa/Corbis)

Blink-182 - Feeling This

Bonham hand/foot triplet combinations and 'Rock And Roll'-esque eighth notes in the intro set Travis's stall out, while drum’n’bass breaks in the middle lift the track way above your standard pop-punk drumming and prove just why Travis is regarded as a modern master of punk rock drumming.

Page 17 of 21
Page 17 of 21
No Doubt - Underneath It All
Adrian Young brings the reggae feel
(Image credit: Alex Solca)

No Doubt - Underneath It All

One of ska-punk rockers No Doubt's finest track is given a perfect reggae groove by sticksman Adrian Young, who proves that loud and hard is not always what rock bands are about.

Tight yet subtly busy, his reggae groove prove his mastery of the one-drop feel that has always been at the heart of the band's sound. You voted 'Underneath It All' in at Number Four, and we reckon that shows pretty good taste.

Page 18 of 21
Page 18 of 21
Queens Of The Stone Age - No One Knows
Dave Grohl on QOTSA's Songs For The Deaf
(Image credit: Rick Nederstigt/Corbis)

Queens Of The Stone Age - No One Knows

Dave Grohl stepped up to the kit for Queens Of The Stone Age's 2002 album Songs For The Deaf, and their lead-off single 'No One Knows' contains one of the most memorable drum tracks of all.

The opening and closing of the hi-hat on the main groove fills in the holes left by the rhythm guitar, while the snare hit just before the fourth beat in bar four helps give the primarily quarter-note groove a real swing feel. Then there are the fantastic triplet-based licks showcasing Dave's fantastic single-stroke control and power.

In a word, it's an awesome rock drum beat.

Page 19 of 21
Page 19 of 21
Clutch - Electric Worry
Jean Paul Gaster's swinging blues-rock feel
(Image credit: Kevin Nixon/Rhythm)

Clutch - Electric Worry

Maryland blues rock giants Clutch have been on the radar since the early ’90s, but it’s on this millennium's output – including the albums Blast Tyrant, FromBeale Street To Oblivion and 2013's Earth Rocker that the strength of the band’s rhythm section, solidified by Jean-Paul Gaster’s unbelievable grasp of foot-tapping tempo, has really impressed.

On 'Electric Worry', JP provides a sublime shuffle beat to the track, with its Southern Rock vibe and New Orleans-esque funky feel. And he even gets to do a bit of a solo at the end, too. You voted the track into second place with 5.23% of the vote.

Page 20 of 21
Page 20 of 21
Green Day - American Idiot
Punk-pop genius from Tre Cool
(Image credit: Bob King/Corbis)

Green Day - American Idiot

The title track from Green Day's 2004 album pretty much sums up Tre Cool's playing. The insistent four-on-the-floor tom beat during the first half of each verse turnaround gives the beat its signature, while all of Tre's other trademarks are also thrown in the mixfast single stroke rolls, syncopated, swinging kick drum and riding on the floor toms in the breakdown, and crashing like a maniac in the chorus.

He might not have quite the technical finesse of Neil Peart et al, but Tre's hard-hitting yet musical playing has powered the punk trio to mega-success. A worthy winner, we reckon, with a massive 31.8% of the vote.

Page 21 of 21
Page 21 of 21
  • (opens in new tab)
  • (opens in new tab)
  • (opens in new tab)
  • (opens in new tab)
Drum Expo 2013
Social Links Navigation
  1. Paul McCartney and John Lennon in 1966
    1
    John Lennon on completing Eleanor Rigby's lyrics for Paul McCartney: "It's his first verse, and the rest of the verses are basically mine"
  2. 2
    Watch Jimmy Page demo some of the most iconic guitars and amps in Led Zeppelin history
  3. 3
    Producer uses AI to make his vocals sound like Kanye West: "The results will blow your mind. Utterly incredible"
  4. 4
    “I do not hate the EDM community,” confirms M83, but says he wishes DJs would ask permission before using his music
  5. 5
    You can no longer buy Waves plugins individually, as company goes 100% subscription
  1. Paul McCartney and John Lennon in 1966
    1
    John Lennon on completing Eleanor Rigby's lyrics for Paul McCartney: "It's his first verse, and the rest of the verses are basically mine"
  2. 2
    Watch Jimmy Page demo some of the most iconic guitars and amps in Led Zeppelin history
  3. 3
    How to optimize your PC for music production
  4. 4
    Producer uses AI to make his vocals sound like Kanye West: "The results will blow your mind. Utterly incredible"
  5. 5
    Peter Gabriel on music and AI: “I think you do better if you work with a powerful new tool than just grumble or pretend it doesn’t exist”

MusicRadar is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site (opens in new tab).

  • About Us (opens in new tab)
  • Contact Future's experts (opens in new tab)
  • Terms and conditions (opens in new tab)
  • Privacy policy (opens in new tab)
  • Cookies policy (opens in new tab)
  • Accessibility Statement
  • Careers (opens in new tab)

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