The 10 best drummers in the history of prog

Progressive is a complex genre. It is deliberately so, because it is in complexity that it finds its maximum expression. Drummers know this well, and they have the obligation to knowing how to orient yourself in the jungle of polyrhythms. In a hypothetical ranking of the best drummers in the history of prog, therefore, technical ability is undoubtedly a fundamental criterion of judgment… but not the only one. Here are our ten favorite time lords.

10. Marco Minnemann

Where you put it, it stays. And it amazes you. Thirty years of career alongside huge names: Alex Lifeson, Steven Wilson, Nick Beggs, Tony Levin, Roine Stolt, Jonas Reingold and Joe Satriani. Plus a brief militancy in the death metal group (!) Necrophagist to testify to his versatility. Marco Minnemann manages to be eclectic and recognizable at the same time, to blend jazz, metal and funk and has absolute control of time and body. His works with the Aristocrats are to be studied in school.

9. Phil Collins

A name that cannot be missing from this list and that needs no introduction. The drummer who marked the golden age of Genesis, from the speed and technique of “Nursery Cryme” to the synth-pop of the Eighties. Saying “drums in the 80s” is like saying Phil Collins. It is to him that we owe the “gated reverb”, that artificial, almost spatial sound typical of the period and particularly evident in his “In the Air Tonight”.

8. Nick D’Virgilio

He made his name with Spock’s Beard, the great prog group founded by brothers Neal & Alan Morse: ten years of balance between emotion and technique. Versatile and with a great sense of melody (he can also sing and compose), Nick D’Virgilio now works magic with Big Big Train, one of the most popular contemporary prog groups. The most skeptics will find his almost 18-minute performance below that will change their minds.

7. Mike Portnoy

How can you not include it in the ranking? Mike Portnoy is one of the cornerstones of prog metal. Distinctive features on the identity card? The precision and ability to go from odd tempos to blast beats in an instant. Addressing the double pedal is his specialty. And beware of underestimating his compositional vision, between metal, jazz and classic prog. The “Dance of Eternity” with Dream Theater should be a cult object for anyone who loves holding drumsticks.

6. Gavin Harrison

Gavin Harrison represents the modern evolution of progressive drums. His approach is based on extreme precision (you don’t play with Porcupine Tree, King Crimson and Pineapple Thief if you’re not a precision freak), polyrhythms and impeccable sound control. In Porcupine he brought the drums to an absolute level of refinement, blending technical rigor and sensitivity; in Crimson he continued the work of Bill Bruford and Pat Mastelotto, creating complex and fluid rhythmic dialogues. Harrison is also a great rhythm theorist and educator, author of books and educational videos essential for understanding the art of contemporary drumming. Master.

5. Nick Mason

Often underrated like Ringo Starr, Nick Mason’s only fault is that he isn’t as hyper-technical as most prog drummers. Mason has always favored essentiality. His parts never try to dominate the song, but to support it in balance between precision and atmosphere. Its strength is in its dynamics, in its volume control and in the way it lets each beat “breathe”, contributing to the sonic hypnosis typical of Pink Floyd. His is psychedelic drumming, which uses slow patterns, soft rolls and a soft touch. In recent years, with the Saucerful of Secrets project, he has recovered the experimental spirit of his early days, confirming his role as an “atmospheric” drummer. And the atmosphere he created in Pompeii in 1971, especially in “Set The Controls For The Heart Of The Sun”, is a magic that cannot be learned: you have to have it inside.

4. Carl Palmer

Cream set a precedent: when great musicians from different bands join forces, those forces of nature that are supergroups are born. Like Clapton-Baker-Bruce in rock, the power trio composed of Emerson, Lake & Palmer made prog history. Carl Palmer brought classical virtuosity to progressive rock. His overwhelming technique, the speed of his hands and his taste for spectacularity made ELP concerts legendary. Palmer fused the energy of rock with the discipline of symphonic music, often playing with timpani, gongs and orchestra-sized drums. His style is direct but at the same time extremely articulate, capable of moving from military marches to jazzy passages.

3. Bill Bruford

Bill Bruford is the intellectual drummer par excellence of progressive rock. Trained on a jazz basis, he brought a sense of irregularity to rock music that broke the mold of the time. In Yes he created crystalline rhythmic architectures, while in King Crimson he explored more experimental territories, even improvising. Bruford was also a pioneer in the use of electronic percussion and the fusion of jazz and rock, especially in his solo projects and with Earthworks. Under his sticks, the drums become a thinking brain.

2. Danny Carey

Danny Carey isn’t a drummer: he’s an engineer. But a spiritual engineer: mathematical calculations and symbolism, polyrhythms and ethnic influences coexist in his grooves. With Tool he builds real rhythmic labyrinths, playing with irregular tempos and metric modulations. His drums often become the backbone of the songs, supporting the group’s complex structures. Carey uses a vast arsenal of percussion, synthesizers and custom instruments that combine technology and tradition. He is a drummer as technical as he is philosophical, a symbol of the most mystical and introspective prog. Mike Portnoy, number six on our list, took nearly three hours to decipher (and try to replicate) Carey’s score in “Pneuma.” Because Carey’s are not scores: they are theories of pure mathematics. A visionary.

1. Neil Peart

He is universally considered – rightly so – one of the greatest drummers in the history of rock. Equipped with impeccable technique and a compositional mind, Neil Peart has built his fame by orchestrating the drums as a collection of melodic instruments. Each Rush piece bears its own imprint, made up of intricate patterns, polyrhythms and perfectly balanced tempo changes. In addition to the technical aspect, Peart was also a conceptual artist, author of the band’s lyrics, often inspired by philosophy, science fiction and individualism. His influence on prog and metal drumming is incalculable.

Special mentions: Terry Bozzio and Pat Mastelotto. Terry Bozzio he is one of the most virtuosic and theatrical drummers in the history of rock and prog. He started with Frank Zappa in the 70s, learning to read and play complex rhythmic scores and in absurd tempos (after all, to keep up with Zappa’s genius, you need another genius). His style is on the border between orchestral percussion and solo performance, between extreme polyrhythms and spectacular gestures in front of gigantic drum sets. A myth. Pat Mastelotto he is a silent innovator, capable of combining rock, electronics and experimentation in a unique language: his “hybrid” approach combines acoustic drums, triggers, samples and loops. From Robert Fripp’s Crimson to Tony Levin’s Stick Men, Mastelotto always knows how to leave his mark.