#11: DAVE WITTE (EVERY BAND KEVIN TALLEY ISN’T IN)
MetalSucks recently polled its staff to determine The Top 25 Modern Metal Drummers, and after an incredible amount of arguing, name calling, and physical violence, we have finalized that list! The only requirements to be eligible for the list were that the musician in question had to a) play metal (duh), b) play drums (double-duh), and c) have recorded something in the past five years. Today we continue our countdown with Dave Witte…
Dave Witte is the only drummer that might be able to squeeze in this list on the strength of a roughly twenty-minute performance. Discordance Axis’ The Inalienable Dreamless is a grind classic ,and a big reason is Witte’s insanely fast, methodical yet unbelievably expressive drumming.
His other work with the now-legendary Discordance Axis is also beyond worthy. But Witte’s story was only beginning in 2000, the year Inalienable Dreamless was released.
In 2004, Witte hooked up with a then up-and-coming metal band named Municipal Waste that is now conquering the world. His work with Waste is still fast – faster than most everyday listeners could tolerate – but gives Witte more room to breathe and stretch than his grind roots. His drumming is a big reason that it’s so easy to hit the replay button on The Art Of Partying and Massive Aggressive.
He also has a Scott Hull-like habit of getting involved with more cool bands and projects than I can count: Burnt By The Sun, Birds of Prey, Melt-Banana, and a plethora of others. His drumming history reads like a college professor’s C/V.
In the time it has taken you to read this, Dave Witte has probably drummed on two new albums. Not bad for a dude that looks like the barista at my local Starbucks.
-JN
THE LIST SO FAR:
#12: Navene Koperweis (Animals as Leaders, Animosity, Fleshwrought)
#13: Dirk Verbeuren (Soilwork, Scarve)
#14: Kevin Talley
#15: Morgan Rose (Sevendust)
#16: Stef Broks (Textures)
#17: Blake Richardson (Between the Buried and Me)
#18: Aesop Dekker (Agalloch, Ludicra, Worm Ouroboros)
#19: Shannon Lucas (The Black Dahlia Murder)
#20: Ben Koller (Converge, All Pigs Must Die, United Nations, Acid Tiger)
#21: Dave Lombardo (Slayer, Fantômas, Grip Inc., Philm)
#22: Paul Bostaph
#23: Phil Dubois-Coyne (Revocation)
#24: Jade Simonetto (Hate Eternal)
#25: Mike Portnoy (Adrenaline Mob)
