Drums are worth celebrating

Last Monday night I was caught up in The Who concert at the Delta Center. While it was great to see and hear vocalist Roger Daltrey and guitarist Pete Townshend crank out the classics, I found myself more than once mesmerized by the controlled chaotic drumming of Zak Starkey.

Starkey, also known as Ringo Starr's son, replaced drummer Kenny Jones, who had replaced original Who drummer Keith Moon after his death. Jones made the decision to part ways with The Who a few years ago.

Anyway, I found Starkey was able to capture Moon's original drumming style better than Jones.

Hey, I love any excuse to talk about drums — the instrument has a special place in my heart(beat). But this time I have a perfectly good excuse. In the music business, November is International Drum Month. And is there a better way to celebrate than listening to some drumming?

A few months ago, Magna Carta records released "Drum Nation III." As the title suggests, this is the third release in the "Drum Nation" series.

The first focused on jazz, rock and session drummers. Everyone from former Yesman Bill Bruford to former Journeyman-turned-jazz man Steve Smith to tour/sessionman Josh Freese were featured on that disc.

"Drum Nation II" featured Dream Theater wildman Mike Portnoy and drum master Terry Bozzio.

This time around, the drummers are mostly from the metal side of music. And, like the drummers who are on the other two discs, these stickmen are some of the best in their field when it comes to performance, style, precision and knowledge.

Lamb of God's Chris Adler, Shadows Fall's Jason Bittner and Soulfly's Joe Nunez are just three of the extraordinary drummers in the metal field today, and they all appear on the album.

Others include Jordan Mancio of As I Lay Dying, Chris Pennie of Dillinger Escape Plan, Derek Roddy of Blotted Science and Jeremy Colson, who has played with guitar wizards Steve Vai and Marty Friedman.

"Drum Nation III" is loud and heavy, but there is an artistry that each drummer conveys. And as the listener slides deeper into the recordings, it is evident that the drummers all have a love for their craft.

Even if metal isn't your cup of tea, the tracks are impressive. Besides, these songs don't feature any vocals. They're all instrumental.

That way the drums find their way to the forefront of the compositions and are not buried back in the mix.

Which is as it should be.

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E-mail: scott@desnews.com