# Why do people like Gene Hoglan?



## cGoEcYk (Jul 2, 2015)

When the subject of Death drummers comes up, I often hear people praising Hoglan ("Hulk" Hoglan) as being the greatest. Personally I enjoy Chrstie on The Sound of Perseverence. I find his style to be a little out of the box and entertaining. I am a fan of Reinert too on his more legacy stuff after Death (Aghora, etc... very "musical" style).

When I listen to Hoglan on say Individual Thought Patterns... I just hear thundering double bass but aside from that it seems pretty straight. What am I missing?


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## vilk (Jul 2, 2015)

Well, I would guess that it has to do with ITP and Symbolic being widely regarded as the 2 best Death albums overall. I mean, when you really like a song it would probably inflict some sort of bias when observing individual instruments.


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## ArtDecade (Jul 2, 2015)

When Gene was playing on those late 80s and early 90s records, no one else played that hard, heavy and fast (besides Lombardo). What you are missing is how fresh it was back then. Now everyone does that stuff, but Gene was one of the first thrash metal drummers with clock-like precision. He influenced all of the current crop. The fact that Gene played on all those albums over the years means that lots of band sought him out for his sound and playing. So many classic albums... so much Gene.


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## vilk (Jul 2, 2015)

^Does Dark Angel really have that extreme of drumming? I had to look up what band he was in in the 80s 

edit: I was thinking of Death Angel. I've never even heard Dark Angel so I dunno what kind of drumming they have.

I kind of think that theory doesn't make much sense considering that Human doesn't have Gene Hoglan, even though I'm sure we'd all agree the drums on Human are hard/heavy/faster than the two records that came after.


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## Sumsar (Jul 2, 2015)

I am not a huge Hoglan fan (or Death fan for that matter although I listen to it from time to time), but I certainly don't have anything against him. Apart from his days in Death he has done a lot of other work and he generally seems to be a very laid back cool guy who is very respected in the metal community, so I just think people generally like him. And like vilk said just being on the right albums can make all the difference in the world.


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## Bloody_Inferno (Jul 2, 2015)

While I liked Symbolic, I actually prefer Hoglan's non Death contributions like Strapping Young Lad and all the thrash stuff he was involved in. Dark Angel may not be high on my favorite thrash list but the drumming is superb. Darkness Descends is arguably if not just as ferocious as Lombardo's best. 

Also after seeing him play night after night during Testament's Dark Roots of Thrash tour 2 years ago, his precision is so impeccable it's amazing. He's also a very nice and approachable dude. Speaking of which... he owes me a Scorpions jam session!


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## DLG (Jul 2, 2015)

Gene is a machine and an incredibly tasteful and powerful player



Christie is sloppy as hell and hits like a sissy




It really isn't close. Hoglan and Reinart are close.


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## ArtDecade (Jul 2, 2015)

vilk said:


> I kind of think that theory doesn't make much sense considering that Human doesn't have Gene Hoglan, even though I'm sure we'd all agree the drums on Human are hard/heavy/faster than the two records that came after.



Sean is great, but much different from Gene. Technically, I would take Gene every time, but if I needed some odd-ball musicality I would prefer Sean's input. For me, Gene is the metal blueprint and Sean is the metal explorer.


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## Fraz666 (Jul 2, 2015)

Gene is a living drum machine.
I'm a fan from the Dark Angel times, but I prefer the Reinert's style


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## asher (Jul 2, 2015)

I never realized it wasn't spelled "Holgan" until this thread


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## Viginez (Jul 2, 2015)

"out of the box" drumming it's not always a good thing. it can ruin many things. i didn't like it on sop, just like the album. some odd wtf-parts and just flows with the music.
hoglan is much more powerful and precise and a more recognizable part itself in deaths music, but it also fit's like a glove at the same time. it's outstanding i'd say. he's the true master.


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## twizza (Jul 2, 2015)

Viginez said:


> "out of the box" drumming it's not always a good thing. it can ruin many things. i didn't like it on sop, just like the album. some odd wtf-parts and just flows with the music.
> hoglan is much more powerful and precise and a more recognizable part itself in deaths music, but it also fit's like a glove at the same time. it's outstanding i'd say. he's the true master.



This.

He always plays for the song not for the ............s/youtube drum cam. Plus his longevity and pioneering within the genre.


Seriously? Guess I have to say "not for the fappings" then. ef me


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## Entropy Prevails (Jul 2, 2015)

I was introduced to Gene Hoglan with Fear Factory´s Mechanize and his drumming made the album for me. When they used a drum machine for the next album you could clearly hear the difference. 
Personally I try not to care about a persons influence or status. I like them mostly for their music and their abilities.


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## bulb (Jul 2, 2015)

Strapping Young Lad


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## Ralyks (Jul 2, 2015)

Dark Angels "Time Does Not Heal". Which, not only has amazing drumming, shows how good of a lyricist he is too.


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## pastanator (Jul 2, 2015)

Dethklok, Strapping Young Lad, Dark Angel, Zimmer's Hole, and Galaktikon. Plus he did backing vocals on Evil Has No Boundaries from the first Slayer album. Not to mention he just seems like a really cool and likeable person.


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## wankerness (Jul 2, 2015)

I remember when SYL was working on Alien they released a video of Gene recording the drums to "Skeksis." Seeing a big fat guy with huge steeltoed boots playing all that unbelievably nimble and precise stuff was really fun. 

I like his drumming on "City" especially, cause it's not at all quantized or anything like that and it's INCREDIBLY ferocious. Like, if you slow the intro to "OMFG" down a whole bunch, the bass drum hits aren't perfectly even or anything like you'd surely get on a modern recording. It adds to the feeling that album had of just being a pure scream of rage that was angry about its inability to fully convey its rage on the recording. It sounds like it's going to explode! Probably my favorite extreme album of all time. It has such character and volatility.


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## twizza (Jul 2, 2015)

wankerness said:


> I like his drumming on "City" especially, cause it's not at all quantized or anything like that and it's INCREDIBLY ferocious. Like, if you slow the intro to "OMFG" down a whole bunch, the bass drum hits aren't perfectly even or anything like you'd surely get on a modern recording.



This is a good point. I think sometimes people get so used to quantized machine gun sound that when they become desensitized a bit.


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## Mwoit (Jul 2, 2015)

I remember watching his tutorial videos years ago and realizing he tapes weights onto his legs to practice.

Gene Hoglan Bass Drum Exercises

What a monster.


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## aesthyrian (Jul 2, 2015)

Cause he's like 7 feet tall and wears heavy boots while drumming. How can you not like a guy like that?

But seriously, like others have said, he totally changed the game back when. You have to keep historical context in mind, and there really were not many guys doing what Gene was doing. He also comes from the long lost era of "real" performances, so he actually played what you hear on the album, weird, I know.


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## MattThePenguin (Jul 2, 2015)

Idk, probably because he's extremely good at playing drums 

He's also really good about learning material in a pinch and filling in, it seems.


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## ArtDecade (Jul 2, 2015)

I guess the question that all of us have for the original poster is this.... *"Do you get it now?" *


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## wankerness (Jul 2, 2015)

I tried to find that Skeksis video cause I hadn't seen it since before the album came out, I remembered it being specifically a drum recording video but I might have been off. This video here definitely has him recording parts of Skeksis (though people are talking over much of it so it's kind of fading in and out of actually showing him). Relevant stuff is from like 5:55 to 9:10. I like his steel-toed galoshes.


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## HeHasTheJazzHands (Jul 2, 2015)

FWIW, I didn't give a .... about drumming until I hear Gene's playing in Fear Factory, SYL, and Dethlok. Something about his playing made it click for me.


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## stevexc (Jul 2, 2015)

I like Gene because he could easily crush me like a bug if I didn't.


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## Blasphemer (Jul 2, 2015)

This. This is why.


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## lemeker (Jul 2, 2015)

His work on Individual Thought Patterns is what really got me. I had a few chances to see him live with SYL. Just a killer drummer.


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## Sofos (Jul 2, 2015)

pastanator said:


> he just seems like a really cool and likeable person.



I can vouch for this. Met him 3 times (Forbidden, Dethklok and Testament) and he was the nicest dude. And he remembered me from when I first met him with Forbidden haha (and that was a couple years before)


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## Ralyks (Jul 2, 2015)

MattThePenguin said:


> He's also really good about learning material in a pinch and filling in, it seems.



This. Didn't he fill in for Unearth on tour on, like, literally 24 hours notice?


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## wankerness (Jul 2, 2015)

He filled in for Opeth too! And that stuff isn't exactly easy to memorize.


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## oneblackened (Jul 2, 2015)

wankerness said:


> He filled in for Opeth too! And that stuff isn't exactly easy to memorize.



Half of Ghost Reveries is Hoglan.


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## MattThePenguin (Jul 2, 2015)

oneblackened said:


> Half of Ghost Reveries is Hoglan.



No it's not. Martin finished the album but I believe he couldn't tour, that's where Gene stepped in.


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## gunch (Jul 2, 2015)

asher said:


> I never realized it wasn't spelled "Holgan" until this thread



Same


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## Millul (Jul 3, 2015)

Saw him last month with Testament.

A beast on records, a beast live - this is all.


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## Louis Cypher (Jul 3, 2015)

He is also on some tracks on the Meldrum album Blowin' up the Machine as he was close friends with Michelle Meldrum (formely of shred-tastic band Phanthom Blue)

Good album and worth checkign out for Gene playing on more tradtional metal


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## Rizzo (Jul 3, 2015)

Why do I like Hoglan?
He's pounding, surgically precise, fast, always keeping tasty grooves, precise, a perfectionist (always refusing to be approximative, nailing 100% of it or nothing) and above all he's always precisely in the pocket.
Wait, did I mention his accuracy? 

Jokes apart, I don't think there are many drummers like the man himself.
He earned the nicknames "atomic clock" and "human drum machine" for a reason.
As some users have said already, he's been the pioneer of extreme drumming.
Also, look at his endurance\stamina. I didn't ever see the man break a sweat.
Every single album with him behind the kit gains that extra "to 11" amount of punch and heaviness.

There aren't many things I ask from a metal drummer: hard hitting, technique, intensity, and taste.
Gene has them all, taste especially. I think he's one of my favourite metal drummers together with Vinnie Paul, Sean Reinert and others.
I mean it's not easy to be heavy _and_ grooving.

The ones who are all about speed, continuous blasting and 1000 BPM linear fills as for instance Kollias never spoke much to me.
It's music, you still have to be musical.

Regarding Death, I'm a big fan and I used to worship ITP like crazy.
Then I got into drums a bit and at the time I got back to Death I realized his drum lines in there feel sometimes "inconclusive" to me.
But still more imaginative and less linear that those of Reinert. IMHO. Or at least that's what I remember from the experience.

I never appreciated Christy, ok he's good but also sloppy on fills and is always overplaying without adding much to the music.
He never impressioned me, musically speaking. Again, personal opinion.

To each his own


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## OmegaSlayer (Jul 3, 2015)

I like him because he's fluffy and cute and adorable and looks like Barbouille


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## Edika (Jul 3, 2015)

One of the first extreme metal albums I listened to was Symbolic. The compositions were quite melodic and straight forward for me to get into but the drumming was outstanding. It gave a whole new dimensn to the songs. When I heard the rest of Death's discography I thought how much better of a record Spiritual Healing would be with Hoglan on drums.


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## OmegaSlayer (Jul 3, 2015)

Also...man...he's one of the members of Dethklok


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## Dana (Jul 3, 2015)

Why do people like pizza?
Seriously, if you have to ask.... You'll never understand.


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## thrsher (Jul 3, 2015)

hoglan killed it in old mans child and fear factory


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## stevexc (Jul 3, 2015)

I don't quite understand why this thread is still open, "Why do people like x" threads usually get shut down pretty quick.

The answer is invariably "because different people like different things".


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## wankerness (Jul 3, 2015)

stevexc said:


> I don't quite understand why this thread is still open, "Why do people like x" threads usually get shut down pretty quick.
> 
> The answer is invariably "because different people like different things".



There's nothing wrong with this thread, the OP was asking for reasons why people like him in an open-minded, coherent way instead of saying "HE SUCKS LOL" like the threads that get locked. With all the responses, it's basically a Gene Hoglan appreciation thread.


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## Rizzo (Jul 3, 2015)

^Agreed.

We're on a forum folks. Alright, maybe the opening question is a bit misleading, but hey. Debate is debate.
Let's talk Gene, why not eh?


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## sevenstringj (Jul 3, 2015)

I don't get why folks like Hoglan either. He's no Joey Jordinson.












































































And I bet he can't play Dyers Eve live.


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## TheHandOfStone (Jul 4, 2015)

Man I love Hoglan, but this thread is making me feel alone on liking Christy on SoP.


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## wankerness (Jul 4, 2015)

TheHandOfStone said:


> Man I love Hoglan, but this thread is making me feel alone on liking Christy on SoP.



He's good too, of course, but it's not that distinctive, it sometimes sounds like a guy who had too much caffeine (ex the drum intros on scavenger of human sorrows & to forgive is to suffer sound like he's actually messing up the bass drum hits by having too many of them here and there). I do remember the first time I heard the speed-up double bass part 2:00 into Scavenger of Human Sorrow back when I was a kiddie I was like  though. 

I'm no huge fan of the drumming on either Symbolic or SOP, to be honest, it all seems rather utilitarian, they're much more guitar albums. ITP has much splashier and in-your-face drumming I think. I haven't listened to either album in years, though, so I might be totally wrong. I should listen to symbolic. Back in high school I used to have tabs printed out of that whole album and I'd badly attempt to play along with the whole thing.


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## oompa (Jul 4, 2015)

ArtDecade and DLG got it right, Gene had a very distinct style back then, that's where his rep comes from. He was great, plenty of drummers took after him but he was quite highly regarded in metal for a while for his style. Both his work with Death and SYL is great for its time.


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## Veldar (Jul 5, 2015)

Because he invented "modern" metal drumming.


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## Vhyle (Jul 5, 2015)

How in the world does he play his toms like that? They're like skyscrapers against his snare!


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## Rizzo (Jul 6, 2015)

Vhyle said:


> How in the world does he play his toms like that? They're like skyscrapers against his snare!


IMHO that's just a super regular kit setup, Vhyle 
You need to have your mid toms possibly as straight as your floor tom to replicate the wrist motion, the same that you have for the snare.
AKA all the drums need to be as "perpendicular" to your hitting motion as possible.
I see lots of beginners having their tom skins almost facing their body, tending to be "parallel" to the hitting stick. That might _feel_ easier to hit clean at high speeds but it's actually "wrong" for your technique development and will most likely make your fills sloppy and inconsistent in the long run. IMHO.

Source: Semi-pro drummmer friend advice, plus I've been there too, in my yet small drumming experience


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## VBCheeseGrater (Jul 6, 2015)

cGoEcYk said:


> Personally I enjoy Chrstie on The Sound of Perseverence.



I only dabble in listening to Death, but i find the drumming on Perseverance often off-time (not in a good way) and sloppy. He does do some interesting stuff, but overall the sense of timing on that album is pretty lousy, mainly due to the drums.


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## Vhyle (Jul 6, 2015)

Rizzo said:


> IMHO that's just a super regular kit setup, Vhyle
> You need to have your mid toms possibly as straight as your floor tom to replicate the wrist motion, the same that you have for the snare.
> AKA all the drums need to be as "perpendicular" to your hitting motion as possible.
> I see lots of beginners having their tom skins almost facing their body, tending to be "parallel" to the hitting stick. That might _feel_ easier to hit clean at high speeds but it's actually "wrong" for your technique development and will most likely make your fills sloppy and inconsistent in the long run. IMHO.
> ...



You didn't understand what I was saying.

I've been drumming for almost 20 years now, by the way.

What i was pointing out is the height difference of the heads, between his snare and his toms. He has to travel a lot from the snare to his tom heads, to make up for the height. Most metal drummers have their heads as close and level as possible, typically. It's just bizarre to see Gene's setup in a metal context.


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## Rizzo (Jul 6, 2015)

Vhyle said:


> You didn't understand what I was saying.
> 
> I've been drumming for almost 20 years now, by the way.
> 
> What i was pointing out is the height difference of the heads, between his snare and his toms. He has to travel a lot from the snare to his tom heads, to make up for the height. Most metal drummers have their heads as close and level as possible, typically. It's just bizarre to see Gene's setup in a metal context.


Misunderstanding then, sorry 
I don't think I'm getting what you're stating 100%, in retrospect that's also why I jumped to that comment above.
Well he could lower the toms a tiny bit in height but there's almost no more room for that I see, so that would be more or less the situation...isn't it?
The distance between snare and toms doesn't seem exagerrated to me. Maybe he likes his snare that low...

If I'm not on track yet, mind expanding your point?


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## thrsher (Jul 6, 2015)

INTERVIEW: GENE HOGLAN On New DARK ANGEL, TESTAMENT Album, FEAR FACTORY Gig & Programmed Drums ~ Metal Wani


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## wankerness (Jul 6, 2015)

thrsher said:


> INTERVIEW: GENE HOGLAN On New DARK ANGEL, TESTAMENT Album, FEAR FACTORY Gig & Programmed Drums ~ Metal Wani



Argh, I hate it when they don't have a transcript of a long interview.  I'm at work, I want to be able to waste time without anyone else knowing about it!


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## Kwert (Jul 6, 2015)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BtRDX9gBeRc


I wasn't around back then (born a year later than it was released), but imagine hearing this back in 1986. Faster and heavier than Slayer with an almost unmatched intensity - a thrash masterpiece that wouldn'tve been the same without Gene.


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## Seventhwave (Jul 6, 2015)

How can anyone NOT like Gene?  That's a better question IMO.


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## ArtDecade (Jul 7, 2015)

The OP opened this thread and never returned.


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## DLG (Jul 7, 2015)

wankerness said:


> He filled in for Opeth too! And that stuff isn't exactly easy to memorize.



everything is easy to memorize after Time Does Not Heal


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## fps (Jul 7, 2015)

wankerness said:


> He's good too, of course, but it's not that distinctive, it sometimes sounds like a guy who had too much caffeine (ex the drum intros on scavenger of human sorrows & to forgive is to suffer sound like he's actually messing up the bass drum hits by having too many of them here and there). I do remember the first time I heard the speed-up double bass part 2:00 into Scavenger of Human Sorrow back when I was a kiddie I was like  though.
> 
> I'm no huge fan of the drumming on either Symbolic or SOP, to be honest, it all seems rather utilitarian, they're much more guitar albums. ITP has much splashier and in-your-face drumming I think. I haven't listened to either album in years, though, so I might be totally wrong. I should listen to symbolic. Back in high school I used to have tabs printed out of that whole album and I'd badly attempt to play along with the whole thing.



Christie's performance on SOP is one of the most distinctive drumming performances I've heard. There are bits on the record where beats are just cut off, it's bonkers. It gives a shifting, jazzy feel to things.


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## RevDrucifer (Jul 7, 2015)

fps said:


> Christie's performance on SOP is one of the most distinctive drumming performances I've heard. There are bits on the record where beats are just cut off, it's bonkers. It gives a shifting, jazzy feel to things.



Let us not forget Christy's comedic contribution to the world via the Howard Stern Show. I've spent the last 10 years laughing my ass off every time that dude does something on the show. There's been a few times he's played his own music on the air and they did a drum special with him once for Howard TV:

https://youtu.be/Odj7JeNpvS4

It's funny watching him beat the .... out of drums and then watch him get his balls waxed or him licking some dude's balls....

I hadn't even realized it until a couple weeks ago, but there's a few Christy catch phrases I use all the time, but you'd have to be a Stern show fan to get it.....

That's my faaaavorite.


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## fps (Jul 8, 2015)

RevDrucifer said:


> Let us not forget Christy's comedic contribution to the world via the Howard Stern Show. I've spent the last 10 years laughing my ass off every time that dude does something on the show. There's been a few times he's played his own music on the air and they did a drum special with him once for Howard TV:
> 
> https://youtu.be/Odj7JeNpvS4
> 
> ...



Had no idea about any of this!


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## Dana (Jul 8, 2015)

TheHandOfStone said:


> Man I love Hoglan, but this thread is making me feel alone on liking Christy on SoP.



Oh dude... Sop is the greatest thing Death ever put out.
Don't get me wrong... I love the classic albums, but sop is an absolute masterpiece of an album. Chuck left us with something I'm pretty sure could never have been topped by Death.


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## MaxOfMetal (Jul 8, 2015)

Dana said:


> Oh dude... Sop is the greatest thing Death ever put out.
> Don't get me wrong... I love the classic albums, but sop is an absolute masterpiece of an album. Chuck left us with something I'm pretty sure could never have been topped by Death.



Having heard the post Death material, I happen to agree. Don't get me wrong, I like Control Denied, a lot of the Death-magic is there, but SOP was a perfect ending to the Death legacy. All in my opinion of course.


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## DslDwg (Jul 8, 2015)

Had the pleasure of seeing him a few years back with Forbidden. Guy plays his ass off. 

Probably most well know at this point for his metronome like timing. Great metal drummer!


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## Dana (Jul 8, 2015)

MaxOfMetal said:


> Having heard the post Death material, I happen to agree. Don't get me wrong, I like Control Denied, a lot of the Death-magic is there, but SOP was a perfect ending to the Death legacy. All in my opinion of course.



Yup!
Songs like Flesh and The Power It Holds just give me goosebumps. Brilliant brilliant work. And chucks vocals sound better than ever on sop imo. 
But this thread is about Hoglans drumming, and I'm positive Hoglan approves of Christies work on that album. It's exactly where it needed to be. Not overdone nor under played.


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## RevDrucifer (Jul 8, 2015)

fps said:


> Had no idea about any of this!



He's been on the show for quite some time now. You seriously won't look at him the same way again after watching some of that ..... I've seen that guys balls more than my best friend's that I grew up with.


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## Vhyle (Jul 8, 2015)

Rizzo said:


> If I'm not on track yet, mind expanding your point?



What I mean is,

The distance of the tom rims from the snare rim is pretty huge. He has to travel extensively just to reach his toms, and that is pretty difficult during blazing fast fills. It just seems really inefficient. Obviously it's not, for him, but visually speaking it looks really awkward and uncomfortable. There's no right or wrong way to set up a kit to your liking, though.

Most other setups have the tom rims much closer to the snare rims. Mine included.

But hey, it's the drumming world. It's very freestyle - limitless options for every player when it comes to drum positioning.


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## Richie666 (Jul 8, 2015)

I think he has a very unique and tasteful style for death metal which is hard to find. Just listen to Strapping Young Lad's Alien.


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## mrjones_ass (Jul 8, 2015)

My brain must have farted, clicked this thread POSSITIVE that it was going to be about that wrestler dude, Hulk Hogan. lol


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