LARZ!!!

[chefdoug]

 I  never really liked Metallica nor was I ever really impressed by Lars as a drummer. Although, I can't deny they have earned ther place in music and metal as trendsetters and pioneers(somewhat). They did have a very unique sound when they first came out. I would like to credit the drummers who i think laid down the foundation for metal drummers, guys like Bill Ward, Ian Paice(no one ever mentions poor Ian), and Bonham.
I'm not really that much into metal(I'm more of a Peart, Palmer, Bruford kinda guy) but I think two of the best metal drummers out there today are Danny Carey and Mike Bordin. I loved Mike Bordin's playing with Faith No More and he does a nice job with Ozzy now. Oh and I have been checking out Mudvayne as of late, that Spug guy is pretty darn good!!

[tainteddrummer]

i will admit that lars isn't that good, but without lars and metallica i would have never started drumming..and the same with i think 3 other drummers in my area,

and 1 thing i don't get.. true metallica changed their style for 2 albums , but they didn't completly sell out.. last time i checked ppl sell out and go to the popular style of music(like no doubt)
 last time i checked, during the release time of load and reload blues inspired metal wasn't the hip new sound everyone was listening to.
and if any of you people heard their 2 newest songs from S&M  no leaf clover and -human you would see that they r back to playing heavy.. not as fast, but it sounds good and is heavy

[Dead Trooper]

I think it's remarcable Lars has made such a career out of a band he formed when he couldn't even play ;D

In all seriousness though, Lars and Metallica established themeselves as standards in the metal world, period. There is no denying in that.

He is probably one of the most influential metal drummers of all time, simply because metallica has been such a huge metal band.

His playing live is all about attitude and showmanship, which makes him sloppy sometimes. Still, a good Lars performance brings Metallica to a level unthought of to other bands.

[BloodMagician]

Hats off to his Drum Tech and the Recording Engineer ..... I seriously doubt it has anything to do with his playing technique.

You're right, Bart. Many of Lars' double bass parts on ....And Justice For All (notably: "Blackened" and "The Shortest Straw") are overdubs. Regardless of what you think of Lars' playing ability (I'm not all that impressed by him, either; I'd always been much more of a Nick Menza fan), there's no arguing that he's probably one of the most influential drummers in the genre.

Speaking of Megadeth, one of my favorite drummers of all time is Nick Menza, son of jazz great Don Menza. Nick's got a very large background in jazz and many other forms of music, and it shows. His work with Megadeth is phenominal, although I don't recommend listening to his solo album......

Again, I'm also going to suggest the works of Richard Christy (currently in Iced Earth, formely in Death, Control Denied.) Again, another well-rounded drummer with not only great feel but killer jazz-inspired chops. His work is -not- overdubs. I've seen him do everything that's on record, live in the front row.

[adam]

I wouldn't consider Lars a "great" drummer, but the thing I like about him, especially on Load, is that he keeps it relatively simple. His beat really drives the songs without showing off. I don't think Lars intends to be one of the great drummers in rock anyways. Once in an interview, when asked how often he practices, he replied "As little as possible." Its his own choice, but I think he is more focused on songwriting rather than improving his ability at this point.

[Johnny]

A propos nothing...
I remember reading once upon a time that Lars Ulrich was president of the US Motorhead fan club before he formed his own band.
PS I have no real opinion on who's the best metal drummer, but this thread brought that useless fact to mind ;D

[Mister Acrolite]

I ask you to consider the following...

When a drumer is obviously very talented or unique it's easy to point out that he is groundbreaking, but how much credit should be given to his SITUATION?  

That's a very valid point. I too have seen Lars come off with a bit of a 'tude, and have not been at all impressed with him live. In his case, I think some of his success - maybe much of it - can be attributed to his situation.

But not all of it.

We both know how integral a drummer is to a band's sound. Lars is part of Metallica - he's part of their unique sound, and thus, part of that "situation." So I gotta give him some credit...  And, sloppy or not, overdubbed or not, I had not heard drumming like that until I heard Metallica. He was not necessarily the first speedmetal drummer, but he was the first one I (and many others) ever heard, and his band - with his drumming a key part of the band's sound - brought that music to the forefront.

I also wonder if maybe he's slacking off a bit. I never saw him live in the early days, but I agree that in the performances I've seen in recent years, he plays pretty badly. The worst is his inablity to play the eighth-note triplets in Sad But True.  :P His playing has definitely changed since the black album.

But I wonder if he's just busy being a rock star, instead of focusing on his drumming. At some point he had to have been pretty focused, to have pulled off all the fast double-bass work that used to be featured on their older albums. Who knows?

[felix]

I don't care if he's a prick.  What he did was very cool at the time.  I still hear it when those old recording come on the radio...Lars played great, very cool and different I thought.

Hey, if I had his money, I wouldn't be practicing drums either.  I'd be out banging supermodels and driving ferraris.  Let the hot shot producers and hi buck engineers fix his playing- that's what they are paid for.

[Mister Acrolite]

Hey, if I had his money, I wouldn't be practicing drums either.  I'd be out banging supermodels and driving ferraris.  

LOL!

Felix, I love you, man! You tell it like it is!

[Ratamatatt]

The only thing I know about Larz is that his old man, Torben Ulrich, was a well known Davis Cupper for Denmark, made the Wimbledon draw for more years than just about anybody, and was the first man on the pro tour to wear a pony tail and long hippie beard.  The guy was still on the pro tour into his late 40's.  

He was a true renaissance man: musician, poet, actor, athlete.  The guy was an amazingly talanted and diverse individual who has lived a life most of us only dream about.

Here's a link to his curriculum vitae: http://www.play-the-game.org/cv/torben_ulrich.html

Ratamatatt

[felix]

Yeah, those scandinavian people really know how to live in general.  Pretty cool.  I'd like to get out that way some time.  They totally have a different view of life than americans.  Everything here is work work work.

[Hummada]

Wow,fortunately this is a great forum with mostly intelligent people!  This forum just proved that it's argument worthy.  The word "Lars" can crash an underwater basket weaving forum! :o

Anyway,  I agree with ol Acrolite.  Lars has his own sound.  There are very few drummers who have obtained this, no matter if they are ten times more talented.  I respect what he has brought to the table of music even if he can't play a paradiddle. :P

[Louis Russell]

Everything here is work work work.

Ain't it the truth, but I did work once.   ;D

[Ratamatatt]

Everything here is work work work.

Ain't it the truth, but I did work once.   ;D

Louis, stop.  Yer killin me.  LOL.   :D

Ratamatatt

[rhythmsavant]

I think it's remarcable Lars has made such a career out of a band he formed when he couldn't even play ;D

This is why i like Lars...he gives me hope...

seriously though, when i first heard Metallica i didnt know a snare drum from a whole in the ground, so i didnt know lars "sucked" i just liked the music ,One blew me away when it came out...

over time ive seen things about him on TV and in interviews and the whole napster deal really turned me off of him personally, but i still listen to the tunes,  and there are still songs i try to"suck like lars", as far as technique...ill need a few years to comment on that...

[Gadda]

Yeah, those scandinavian people really know how to live in general.  Pretty cool.  I'd like to get out that way some time.  They totally have a different view of life than americans.  Everything here is work work work.

its a lot of work here too  :) and the rest is just rumours, we scandinavians are really boring  :(

[DrumGun]

Hummada and Acrolite, I agree with both of you.  My hope was to get younger or less experienced drummers to take a look at the bigger picture ( IE- musical situation ) before they get into discussions on who's "better".   To all here:  "better", I assure you, is a useless term when discussing anything artistic.  Heart Surgeon?  Yup, you better find out who's better, but drummer?  -wasted time.  Lars absolutely HAS (as I stated in my earlier post) made a place for himself and opened up dorrs for other drummers in our community, so it really isn't worth list how he compares to others.  It DOES, to me, matter whether or not someone actually does their job well in regards to whether or not i'll bother listening to them.  I'm not a purist by any means, and adore finding that quirky drummer in that unknown band that is doing his own thing, so please only take my comment s on Lars as my opinion of just him, with comparison to no one.  I don't consider him a good drummer. I do consider him a good showman.

I will also give him some credit, in addition to his situation, for his success, because obviously, you have to make a style for it to be copied.  Most drummers today have more technical facility then Ringo, but you gotta give him the permanent dap for what he created.  This applies to Lars as well.  That being said, when I listen to "For whom the Bell Tolls", etc., I hear the unique wonder that was early Metallica, when I see clips of him actually playing live, I think "wow, that's a pretty crappy drummer, I bet his Ferrari''s pretty fast, and he's banging a hot little blonde..."  so maybe if you guys got together and got me a hot little blonde in a Ferrari, I'd LOVE Lars...

[Andrew]

The only thing I know about Larz is that his old man, Torben Ulrich, was a well known Davis Cupper for Denmark, made the Wimbledon draw for more years than just about anybody, and was the first man on the pro tour to wear a pony tail and long hippie beard.  The guy was still on the pro tour into his late 40's.

Ah. This would explain why all those celebrity tennis tournaments they used to report on MTV usually came down to matches between Dustin Hoffman and Lars Ulrich.

[ChinaCymbol]

If Lars didn't make his name in music why does this thread have 4 pages of replys.  I mean it's true.  I don't really like what he does with his style, a lot of people don't, but we all know his style.

[macman10]

The only thing I DON'T like about this forum is the "Snobbieness" is some of the replies.
Some people in here act like they're best thing that happened to percussion insturments.
Any top 40 drummers in here???