Mike Portnoy Defends Lars Ulrich’s Drumming
Metallica's Lars Ulrich tends to attract criticism for his drumming, both from metal fans and famous drummers. Mike Portnoy, however, has gone on record to say that not only is Ulrich talented, but his drumming is "invaluable."
Portnoy is universally revered as one of modern music's greatest drummers, having blown minds in Dream Theater, the Winery Dogs, Metal Allegiance, Adrenaline Mob, Avenged Sevenfold and many other acts. If anyone knows good drumming, it's Portnoy, so he made sure to give Lars some due credit.
“I don’t judge drummers based on their technical ability – I judge them based on the overall package and what they bring to the music they’re part of,” says Portnoy to Sticks for Stones. “What Lars brings to the music of Metallica is absolutely invaluable. So I could care less if his meter might be slightly up and down, or if his fills are slightly sloppy. I don’t care about that. There’s way more to being a good drummer than precision and technique.”
“I have a tremendous amount of respect for Lars, even though he takes a beating in the drum community," Portnoy continues. "He’s been a tremendous asset to Metallica — not only as a writer, but as a businessman, his abilities to market things, his ability to arrange music and his performance on stage. He’s a very animated player onstage.”
Portnoy's endorsement comes about a month after Motley Crue's Tommy Lee made headlines for taking a shot at Ulrich, posting a meme showing a pic of the drummer with the words "Straight Outta Tempo" stamped over Lars.
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