Lars Ulrich: good drummer or bad?

[Viikkis]

He's a great drummer and was very badass back in the 80s. Nowadays I think the issue is that he got lazy for a while and didn't practice that much so he played sloppy, overused china cymbal and didn't do the double bass parts for a while. There's also been some situations where he's had hard time keeping up tempo.

But I think he's better now than he was few years back.

[Bigbazz]

So he's just too arrogant then to practice

It's just laziness, he's not arrogant. Metallica don't need to hire a new drummer and it wouldn't make business sense for them to do that. If Metallica wanted to sack him for a better drummer they'd have done it decades ago and If Lars wanted to improve he'd not only have to practice but he'd also need lessons, weekly lessons at that and daily practice, a serious time investment.

It's just not gonna happen, the guy is well past his physical prime and his career is mostly behind him, he has no need or motivation to practice and it's clear becoming the best drummer was never the motivation anyway. Maybe like many older bands there comes a time where for health or other reasons he does need to be replaced, but it's not like he needs the money.

[scelero]

This has been a topic of discussion WELL before Napster. Plus, it's sorta his band.

[Moozart]

From what I've read on various forums, it seems there are a lot of people who consider Lars Ulrich to be a terrible drummer. I'm a big Metallica fan and he sounds just fine to me, but I've never studied music so I don't really know what to listen for when it comes to a good drummer vs. a bad drummer.

Do people just like to hate on him because he was the face of the whole Napster controversy? Or is he actually a bad drummer? If so, can you explain why or list a few songs that demonstrate his subpar drumming skills?

Good drummer, shit human

[DingDongKing]

He’s maybe not the most virtuosic drummer on the planet, but by God is he an influential musician. He’s been responsible for the music of Metallica alongside Hetfield and Hammett for 40 years. Along with Mustaine and Burton in the early years. His fingerprints on every song made by the band.

[ONCHEhap]

He's okay in studio (and also had a non-negligible part in a lot of other stuff in the band,being kind of the man behind the music) and kinda bad live.

Don't get me wrong,he's by no mean one of the greats,but a big part of his bad reputation is because he underprepares himself for live shows and then proceeds to fuck up

[Demsi]

It's just laziness, he's not arrogant. Metallica don't need to hire a new drummer and it wouldn't make business sense for them to do that. If Metallica wanted to sack him for a better drummer they'd have done it decades ago and If Lars wanted to improve he'd not only have to practice but he'd also need lessons, weekly lessons at that and daily practice, a serious time investment.

It's just not gonna happen, the guy is well past his physical prime and his career is mostly behind him, he has no need or motivation to practice and it's clear becoming the best drummer was never the motivation anyway. Maybe like many older bands there comes a time where for health or other reasons he does need to be replaced, but it's not like he needs the money.

I'm not arguing that he needs to be sacked or anything like that, i simply said that if you dont practice your ability to play starts to degrade, and that's quite evident in his playing nowadays

[Super Kami Dende]

Good drummer, shit person.

[Beuargh]

If Metallica wanted to sack him for a better drummer they'd have done it decades ago

no....

Lars IS Metallica just as much as James. (re)watch "some kind of monster" and you'll see Lars telling James to get the fuck out if his not happy. nobody's firing Lars from Metallica, not even James.

[RH92]

no....

Lars IS Metallica just as much as James. (re)watch "some kind of monster" and you'll see Lars telling James to get the fuck out if his not happy. nobody's firing Lars from Metallica, not even James.

It is not only this, even when the guy is mediocre drummer at best... He is still huge part of the Metallica sound. It is no wonder that right after singers, drummers are the next component that alters the overall sound of a band and I believe Metallica understands that.

If you don't believe me, go watch that video on Youtube when they played live with Dave Lombardo and Joey Jordison. They sounded way heavier and technical with those two guys and I believe Metallica wouldn't be as commercially successful. It is weird that considering Lars has issues with keeping time, he actually made Metallica sound groovier I guess, at least compared to the two much better drummers.

I personally think it was the best Metallica ever sounded but I definitely know nothing about the appeal with Lars behind the drum kit as I am not fan of the band. With that being said I respect them a lot, they influenced a lot of bands I love.

[Beuargh]

It is not only this, even when the guy is mediocre drummer at best... He is still huge part of the Metallica sound. It is no wonder that right after singers, drummers are the next component that alters the overall sound of a band and I believe Metallica understands that.

If you don't believe me, go watch that video on Youtube when they played live with Dave Lombardo and Joey Jordison. They sounded way heavier and technical with those two guys and I believe Metallica wouldn't be as commercially successful. It is weird that considering Lars has issues with keeping time, he actually made Metallica sound groovier I guess, at least compared to the two much better drummers.

I personally think it was the best Metallica ever sounded but I definitely know nothing about the appeal with Lars behind the drum kit as I am not fan of the band. With that being said I respect them a lot, they influenced a lot of bands I love.

Lars is solid on record (or heavily edited..). the problem is live, and I can't call that "groovy", it's sloppy. Jordison and Lombardo are (or were) just very solid live drummers, so it sounded as heavy and technical as it should, closer to the record than Lars. this was how good the other members of the band can sound when they have a solid drummer playing with them.

[RH92]

Lars is solid on record (or heavily edited..). the problem is live, and I can't call that "groovy", it's sloppy. Jordison and Lombardo are (or were) just very solid live drummers, so it sounded as heavy and technical as it should, closer to the record than Lars. this was how good the other members of the band can sound when they have a solid drummer playing with them.

Look, I don't like Lars myself and honestly, as a drummer myself, I think he sucks. However I can't deny the fact his sound is instantly recognizable just from the way he hits the drums, that's what I think makes him great despite being technically weak player.

They sounded like a different band without the Lars' lumberjack hits and honestly I find it fits their overall sound because I don't think other Metallica members are as proficient players as people like to believe. I mean, yeah, they are obviously good but I think Slayer and Megadeth have stronger players just out of the big four. Which is not exactly bad, what I am trying to say is it made them more accessible.

For example I am a Slipknot fan and even though I find Jay Weinberg actually a better drummer than Joey Jordison, the guy just doesn't write cool and memorable grooves. Being a better drummer doesn't make you exactly a better songwriter which is way more important in the end and that's what made Joey so good - not only did he write drum beats, he also wrote some of the more memorable guitar riffs such as Duality.

[Egomaniac]

It's just laziness, he's not arrogant.

He's very arrogant. He's also lazy.

[Rennadrel]

His style is pretty repetitive but I also think it goes in part with how the music is written. His snare parts always sound like they are just playing in time with the guitars and playing the same riff which is fine but it's nothing mind blowing. The limitations are more on the style, as metal tends to be linear in terms of song construction. It's not like say a prog rock tune where the drums can fill an entire section as their own thing and be musical.

[Xarathan]

these kind of discussions always kind of bewilder me. to me what makes a musician is if they can make good music, just because some other drummer tries to feel good about themselves for having some wacky trick that sounds like garbage doesnt make them a better drummer.

the quality of the musician is in the music they make not in some whacky techniques or in covering the music of others.

[MoanaLisa]

these kind of discussions always kind of bewilder me. to me what makes a musician is if they can make good music, just because some other drummer tries to feel good about themselves for having some wacky trick that sounds like garbage doesnt make them a better drummer.

the quality of the musician is in the music they make not in some whacky techniques or in covering the music of others.

He's a good fit with the rest of the band. 3+1 can equal a lot more than 4 in bands.

[Rennadrel]

You’re not very good at reading between the lines, are you?

I’ll spell it out for you:

Lars is an institution. He is the living, breathing backbone of, arguably, the most successful metal band in the planet.

Does he hold that position because of his virtuoso ability? No, of course not. He wouldn’t make most people’s top 100 list.

He holds that position because he, along with Hetfield & Hammett, have recorded some of the most popular music of the last 40 years, or whatever it is since they’ve been going.

And, no, you’re completely wrong - he doesn’t practice. Don’t just take my word for it, it’s well-documented.

Should he practice? That’s a different question.

Would Hetfield & Hammett ever kick him out because he doesn’t practice and as a result brings down the quality of their live shows? Lulz

It’s not all about Mike Portnoy, you know.

Metallica is successful commercially, but that doesn't really say much. Among peers, Portnoy is lightyears more respected both as a drummer and as a creator of music. Different approaches to their playing of course.

And all the best drummers do practice, and they care about their craft because it is an important part of who they are. John Bonham and Neil Peart both used to practice a lot, because it mattered to the quality of their music, but also because it was demanded of them to be able to play their parts perfectly on stage because that's what people expect. It's called being a perfectionist. A lot of the best musicians practice constantly. Touring one can argue is a form of practice since you get out there almost every night and play for 2-3 hours, but some guys play a lot more than that per day.

[willtron]

Lars is a shit drummer when it comes to the upper echelons of music, he's just a founding member. There are a plethora of better drummers than him in the metal scene alone.

A lot of bands will have one or two musicians that are "crap" i.e there are others that are technically better, but they're a group of mates having fun and making decent music.

[Fkiolaris]

I highly doubt anyone that is a "musician" and has watched Lars live/videos of him live, rates him anywhere above "bang average". Having said that, he has been an integral part of the band in many different ways, for good or bad, while he is also a multimillionaire that couldn't care less about our opinion on his drumming.

From there on, I believe he gets a lot of shit because:

1) Live he tents to fuck-up a few songs every gig while there's been nothing spectacular drumming-wise in their albums for decades
2) His public persona is, to put it mildly, not the most likeable
3) The drumming in the black album was extremely undemanding in comparison to their previous albums, many people took offence for whatever reason and that's when most of this "Lars is a shit drummer" stories started. I felt it suited that album just fine, but each to their own I guess
4) The Napster story in conjunction with them showing left, right and centre at that time that they were rolling in money.

[Kumorii]

He's decent. But hes good at making music. AFAIK he is responsible for a lot of the sound Metallica has. Exchanging Lars would change everything and not only the drums. He also plays what's needed for a song..

I mean I'm one of those who shits on his skill at times as well.. But there is a bigger picture than just technical skill.