John Bonham
The UK's biggest selling drum magazine Rhythm has launched 100 Drum Heroes, a bookazine packed with profiles and interviews of some of the world's greatest drummers. Here are just a few to whet your appetite and where better to start than with...
John Bonham's forceful personality and no-nonsense approach to life both helped shape his drumming philosophy and underpinned his success as a performer. He hit hard and drove his bands with relentless energy.
In an era when drummers were as famous as singers and guitarists, Bonham was rated alongside his peers Ginger Baker, Keith Moon and Mitch Mitchell. His showcase solo 'Moby Dick' was a concert showstopper, while his contribution to Led Zeppelin's recordings underpinned and shaped many of their greatest hits. He combined power with simplicity, emphasised time-keeping and insisted the drums should be loud, forceful and resonant, thereby laying down the law for rock drumming.
Mike Portnoy
The prog-metal superstar shocked the drumming world in 2010 when he left Dream Theater, the band he co-founded and had led for 25 years.
Mike worked with Avenged Sevenfold on their //Nightmare// album, tracking the parts written by their late drummer Jimmy 'The Rev' Sullivan, for whom Mike was a hero.
Since then Mike’s notorious work ethic has not slowed down or changed, and he spent the better part of 2011 recording and performing with a variety of different projects that were stylistically very different from each other, including Flying Colors and Adrenaline Mob.
Neil Peart
After almost 40 years with Rush, prog drumming legend Neil Peart is still one of rock's most phenomenal and revered players. Since he joined the world’s foremost power trio back in 1975, Neil has been the poster boy for prog - disciplined, metronomic and powerful.
Neil's first role model for drumming excellence was Gene Krupa, and at 13 Neil convinced his parents to let him take lessons.Today, Rush are still pushing themselves and breaking new ground.
Dave Grohl
The Foo Fighters frontman is also the man responsible for the iconic drumming on Nirvana's Nevermind, Dave Grohl continues to be one of the world's most exciting, energetic and hard-hitting drummers.
He told “The 'Smells Like Teen Spirit' video came out and people saw what we were doing, we were f**king s**t up and having fun. And I think that's pretty much what every kid in the world wants: to be able to feel like they're f**king something up and getting away with it."
Joey Jordison
The metal drum superstar was voted Greatest Drummer Of The Last 25 Years in a 2010 Rhythm poll. "The most important thing to me is not that it's an acknowledgement of being an incredible player or anything, but it's a demonstration that I have the best fans in the world,” he told Rhythm. “The fact that it was voted for by readers means everything to me, and is a reminder of just how devoted and supportive our fans are."
Joey's a busy man, too, playing not only with Slipknot but his own band Murderdolls and Rob Zombie, sometimes on the same gig, and he continues to be one of the most inspirational and exciting drummers in modern metal.
Gavin Harrison
Gavin built his reputation as a session player in a career that covered the spectrum from Iggy Pop's high energy punk to Lisa Stansfield's smooth soul and all points in between.
Along the way he produced a series of highly influential books and DVDs exploring his conceptsof rhythmic manipulation. In 2002 Gavin answered a call to join Porcupine Tree just as the band was about to record In Absentia, their major label debut for Warner Brothers.
In the 10 years since, Porcupine Tree have played the biggest gigs of their career and Gavin is widely regarded as one of Britain's most exciting and innovative drummers.
100 Drum Heroes
For more Drum Heroes, get yourself a copy of Rhythm Presents 100 Drum Heroeson Apple Newsstand,in the shops, or online right now! It’s got loads of interviews and profiles with a ton of drummers, plus it’s beautifully illustrated with classic and new photographs!