Joey Jordison – One of the Best Metal Drummers in History

Joey Jordison was a man that wore many hats (and masks) in music, but he was most famous for being the drummer and co-founder of the band Slipknot.

We’re incredibly saddened to hear of the death of Joey Jordison. He passed away at the age of 46 on July 26, 2021.

Joey Jordison was an amazing drummer, guitarist, songwriter and producer. He was an inspiration to a generation of musicians for his skill and creativity.

His time with Slipknot ended in 2013. Jordison later spoke about the health problems that made it difficult for him to play drums.

As one of the original founders of the band in the mid-’90s, and song co-writer together with Corey Taylor, Joey became one of the most praised and reputable drummers of the generation.

His signature fast and precise sound is easily remembered and the fact that Slipknot is one of the most successful metal bands of all times certainly shows that he knew what he was doing behind the drums.

Biography

Nathan Jonas Jordison was born in 1975 in Des Moines, Iowa, in the USA. He started playing drums when he was 5 years old, playing through the school.

Joey grew up listening to the radio with his family. John Bonham of Led Zeppelin and Keith Moon of The Who were early influences, and you can hear something of that frantic energy in his playing. He learned guitar as a child as well, though he performed more often on drums.

While in high school he was a member of a few local bands in his hometown, but he hadn’t had any serious success with any of them. In 1995, he was called by his friend Paul Gray, with who he played earlier, to join the newfound band, which was later to become the Slipknot.

After their first demo album, which was self-produced and recorded, the band didn’t hit it off immediately, as they didn’t get any label offers. So, in 1998. they recorded five–track record specifically for record labels, which brought them wanted attention and finally a deal with Roadrunner Records and after that things were never the same.

Music

Jordison was a founding member of Slipknot in 1995 and one of its main songwriters. His drumming is on the band’s 1999 self-titled Roadrunner album and Iowa, where the fast kick work and sudden rhythmic changes are already easy to hear.

Jordison, during his years with Slipknot, showed that he can play different music styles, from the thrash-influenced early recordings to somewhat downplayed later recordings, while providing the all-needed punch to the sound of the band. 

Jordison also co-founded Murderdolls, where he was best known as a guitarist. The band released Beyond the Valley of the Murderdolls in 2002 and returned with Women and Children Last in 2010.

Jordison later said that transverse myelitis had affected his ability to use his legs while drumming. That was a particularly hard change for a player known for his speed on the pedals.

After this, he started a couple of projects. Apart from playing, during the years he worked on several projects as a producer, with some success, helping less known bands to record their debut albums and working with likes of Marilyn Manson on some of their mixes. 

Jordison also sat in with other bands. At Download Festival in 2004, he played most of Metallica’s set after Lars Ulrich became unavailable. Dave Lombardo and Ulrich’s drum tech, Flemming Larsen, also took turns behind the kit that night.

Playing style

Joey was most known for his fast and precise playing style (particularly with regard to double kick drumming), which earned him recognition and praise around the world through the years. Even though he spent his whole career in metal music, his background was not metal, but more jazz and rock music, which can sometimes be subtly heard on his tracks.

Secondly, he was well known for using technical accents and patterns in just the right amount and time. He wasn’t playing fast technical parts just because he could, but he carefully mixed them together with his bandmates playing, thus creating a unique sound.

Also, he was crucial for creating that frantic sound that Slipknot is famous for. If it weren’t for his creative use of drums, and sudden changes in rhythm in contrast to the guitars and other instruments, the band wouldn’t have been able to pull off its recognizable sound. 

That, together with his funky drumming patterns and clever use of syncopation is what made Slipknot and Joey stand out from the others. 

Drum kit

Jordison was known for using big drum sets with lots of drums and cymbals. Being one of the most respected and famous drummers in the world, he was endorsed by many companies. His used the Pearl Reference Series kit, which are very well sought after drum shells, as well as other pearl hardware (such as the Pearl Demon Drive double pedal), he also used Paiste cymbals. 

Apart from using classic acoustic drums and cymbals of all size and shape, Jordison was known for using electronic drum triggers, which gave him a wider range of sounds when playing.

Conclusion

Joey Jordison will go down as one of the best metal drummers in history, although he probably would have argued against that title as he seemed like a very modest person in reference to his own drumming.

Rising at the end of the ‘90s, he and his generation replaced the older bands that really brought metal to the broader world, such as Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth, and others.

Metal drummers can sometimes be overlooked by other drummers as players that just need speed and power for play and no technical abilities whatsoever. But, Jordison put such critics to bed with this differential playing style, which, apart from technical speed and precision, he brought many different playing styles to the table in a metal context.

Joey Jordison was an amazing drummer, guitarist, songwriter and producer. We can all certainly be inspired by what he achieved during his lifetime as a musician.

Featured Image by: Gamerscore Blog from USA [CC BY-SA 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons