blast beat.. =]

[Lezzledrummer]

thats one beat I have a lot of fun with.

I noticed that system of a down uses it in the song "Attack," and probably some more...



I love playing it, but I'm having trouble applying it to my own songs... suggestions on when to use it?:

[funkymcstain]

i dont play much music these days that requires a blast beat, however my buddy john longstreth from the death metal band origin is kinda known as the godfather of the blast. look him up on youtube.

[hellsbells58]

Use it when you need some drumming that has to be in-your-face and brutal.

Mostly when you have crushing guitar riffs and sporting below shoulder length hair that you swing around violently when playing said riff.

HB58

[sethhover]

Listen to JFAC for some good examples of blast usage.

[vinnysimmo]

The guy from Napalm Death invented the blast beat, not "John Longstreth from the death metal band Origin".

[Jobby]

Napalm Death were the first true grindcore band (and their last three albums have been back to form too) - but god knows who 'invented' the blast beat. Really, it's just an insanely sped up polka ... which now has a stack of variants.

I think Funky's point was not about how Longstreth 'invented' the blast beat - but he sure as hell has perfect it. Just check out his playing, when it comes to blast beats, he's up there with the best.

[Lafirin]

I love blast beats as well, although I'm still trying to get it down, let alone get the fills that go along with it but.. ill get there with practice. if you listen to Rise against, (their old album), The Unraveling, then you'll find a good mix of Blast beats and also some normal 4/4 timing all in the same song so you can hear the difference in the guitar etc... heres a good song called Reception Fades, the worst quality video i have ever heard mind you, but its something.

[Ch33zz]

Ok, blast beats, let me clearify, i was never really taught a blast beat so im just checking

Rapid as fast as you can on the bass drum
Rapid 16ths with one hand on the snare
Rapid 16ths on the crash/china/hi-hat/ride wherever with the other hand

Right?

[hellsbells58]

By "as fast as you can" I hope you mean "In time with everything else".

But yeah, you've got the idea. Most death metal, black metal, grindcore and some hardcore bands use it.

HB58

[funkymcstain]

no the guy from napalm did not invent it. the first true 16th blast i ever heard was on the s.o.d. album speak english or die in 1985. i'll have to listen to it to remember what track. the guy that longstreth replaced in origin george fluke was the first one i ever heard use it around the kit and musically rather than just straight blast back beat and that was in like 96 or 97.
i loved the original death metal bands back in the day...deicide, death, obituary, napalm death...ect. i kinda got away from it for several years, i was totally impressed when i started listening to some newer d.m. bands in the last couple years. these guys are still truly progressing. i dont care what kind of stuff they sing about cuzz i could never understand em anyway.
you can't just dismiss these bands, they have some of the BEST technical chops on the planet. while i dont really play death metal or any kind of metal these days i am always learning and copping things i got from listening to that stuff. dont think you can use a 270 bpm blast in jazz? i will record a sample for ya.
blast on!

[sethhover]

I love SOD... I play that album at work when I feel like listening to something other than hip hop on my iPod. It's excellent to wash dishes to!

[funkymcstain]

to me that album was like the "original" hardcore sound.

[sethhover]

"dude Stop Playing! What The **** Was That Sound?!"



ugh, capital filters... and swearing filters... bringin' down my quotations!

[funkymcstain]

i finally got to see those guys a few years ago when they did that reunion tour. got to meet and greet. is was pretty kool. i have met charlie, and scott
a couple times, and met danny the bass player when i opened for nuclear assault in 1988. but was really stoked to finally meet billy milano

[Jobby]

Ah Funky, you're bringin' back so many memories.

I remember growing up listening to SOD and Napalm Death, Obituary, Deicide and all the rest.

Dunno when the first blastbeat was. But there's some on D.R.I's "Makes no Sense"(1983) and Repulsions 'Horrified' (1986) as well. Mitch Harris pretty much made it a staple of ALL of Napalm Death's music. How screwed up was 'Scum'?

[funkymcstain]

oh man, i loved d.r.i. 4 of a kind was the first one of thiers i got, if i remember right, those were more like the old thrash beats than what i myself consider a true blast. but they were the fastest thing around in "83". i accually didnt discover thrash/speed metal till "85" when i got copies of ride the lightning and slayers show no mercy. my world was forever changed on that day. forget the crue, ratt, quiet riot...ect hair band crap i was listening to before that.

[Jobby]

oh man, i loved d.r.i. 4 of a kind was the first one of thiers i got, if i remember right, those were more like the old thrash beats than what i myself consider a true blast. but they were the fastest thing around in "83". i accually didnt discover thrash/speed metal till "85" when i got copies of ride the lightning and slayers show no mercy. my world was forever changed on that day. forget the crue, ratt, quiet riot...ect hair band crap i was listening to before that.

Every now and then I pull out 'Dealing with it' and bounce around the house like a lunatic on speed.

And yeah, I remember discovering the difference between hair metal and the harder stuff. The metal community split into all these different factions ... the only thing uniting everyone was Black Sabbath.

[sethhover]

Check out Silentist (www.myspace.com/silentist) for some good blast beat usage. I absolutely love them. Best live experience I've ever had... the only thing that could be better would be for it to be in a cave or a haunted house or a graveyard or something.