Vinnie Paul: A godfather of metal drumming
Songs like ‘Primal Concrete Sledge’, ‘Domination’, ‘Use My Third Arm’, ‘13 Steps to Nowhere’, ‘Psycho Holiday’, etc are the true manifestations of how powerful and precise Vinnie Paul’s double bass drumming was, one could often wonder if his feet were bionic or real
Anyone into metal music is bound to be well aware of the place Vinnie Paul holds in the scene. Die-hard Pantera fans might even go as far as to see him as synonymous with metal drumming, considering how he heavily influenced the drummers of so many famous metal bands, both in regards to techniques and style.
Today marks the fourth death anniversary of Vincent Paul Abbott aka Vinnie Paul, one of the most iconic drummers of all time.
Undoubtedly, there have been many other great drummers, however, Vinnie's unique blend of double bass techniques, the grooves and constant variations easily make him different from many others.
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Songs like 'Primal Concrete Sledge', 'Domination', 'Use My Third Arm', '13 Steps to Nowhere', 'Psycho Holiday', etc are the true manifestations of how powerful and precise Vinnie Paul's double bass drumming was, one could often wonder if his feet were bionic or real. On the other hand, in tracks like 'Cemetery Gates', we witnessed a display of variation and surprise, where he hardly repeats any fill from one verse to another.
Paul's philosophy was that of making the drums, bass and guitar to be equally strong and punch with force. The aggressive and loud sound of Pantera is an outcome of that philosophy.
Vinnie Paul was not just a drummer, he had a sheer interest in sound and the production process. Three of the most prominent albums of Pantera were co-produced by Paul along with Pantera producer Terry Date.
Paul who was highly influenced by Van Halen, Black Sabbath, Judas Priest and Kiss himself influenced many famous drummers such as Chris Adler, Jeremy Spencer, James Owen Sullivan, Mike Wengren, etc.
Even though the disbanding of Pantera took place because of a feud between the vocalist Philip Anselmo and Vinnie Paul, in an interview with Loudwire, Philip Anselmo remarked how encouraging a man Paul was, and the way he used to keep things calm and free of tension, in those days of analogue recording. Vinnie Paul's immense contribution to metal drumming and overall metal music will remain eternally relevant to everyone that loves the metal genre.
