@@abukasih3izz274 getting old isn't really much of an excuse. I mean for example look at guys like Tommy Aldridge Dennis Chambers Nicko Mcbrain Ringo Starr Danny Carey just the name a few, and they're still doing pretty good these days. Lars just has a habit of not practicing as much as he used to which is affecting his drumming in a bad way especially during his live performances.
@abukasih3izz274 because he got LAZY !!! .. Too much guaranteed money rolling in to really try hard to stay relivent any more.. The Black Album set them and their GrandKids up for life!
Lars was the main person who made me really want to start taking drumming seriously because you can imitate him easily as a beginner. My dad is my drumming teacher and we always like to jump on the band wagon of making fun of Lars a little bit but we never do so without acknowledging the fact that he was a huge reason we both started to love drumming.
@@TheSWCantina Yeah man that's exactly why my dad said he bought the kit we play on too. We don't have a Swingstar but we have a black Tama Rockstar 8 piece that my dad bought when he was like 18 or so and it still plays fabulously. Since I started drumming we've accumulated a pretty large collection of cymbals too, it's an awesome kit.
@@bendup52 they were also writing the songs in the studio and they didn’t splice them like that on the first 4 records cuz they didn’t have enough $ said from their producer Flemmings mouth (and those songs were harder to play)
I've never seen him as a bad drummer, he may not be perfect but he compensates in other things like riff arrangements, songs structure, the business and public relations side of the band. I totally admire the guy.
I've never seen him as a bad drummer either. Obviously of the big 4 drummers, Lars was the weakest. But he was definitely a competent drummer who came up with some really good parts that certainly complimented James riffs. His drumming nowadays isn't necessarily bad, just lazy.
Not really lazy as such, more he is trying to be able to play drums past 60 years old at that level. You gotta slow down, cut corners, add extra snares on the kit - whatever it takes to keep going. Wait until you get older and see, I am 12 years younger than him and I still drum hard but I only started drumming in 2011 vs him starting in 1980...lol@backintheday3097
He became sloppy and lazy after the black album. His drumming was fine on justice. His song "arranging" is abysmal. Business wise yeah I agree on that one.
This is Battery, when he was 22 years old. He was a Superb drummer at that time. Nowadays he physically just cannot make it anymore. Speed, accuracy, fills...
Perhaps someone should have a talk with Charlie Benate, Paul Bostaph, Mike Portnoy, or Dave Lombardo. All of them are the same age as Lars, with the exception of Portnoy, who is 3 years younger, and they all play faster and more technical stuff. I'm not saying Lars is a bad drummer or that physically he can't do it anymore. I personally just think he got lazy.
I’ve been playing 38 years I’m just happy to be able to play now after a stroke. But I did just teach my granddaughter the intro to master of puppets. She’s 9.
I am a drummer and can honestly say that Lars is a bad drummer, VERY LIMITED arsenal in his bag, just playing fast and having a few rolls doesn't even make you an ok drummer, I guess that puts me in the 0.01% of commenters
@@jabedoben I don't know if it's cool or not, it's just the way it is, it's like saying every musician is cool, everybody has a different "skill", it all depends on what you admire, can I recommend you something that was uploaded just yesterday, check the tyler visser (he's only 18 y/o) video, drum cover of Tool's Undertow full album in one take, that I think is cool.
The thing I like about Lars's style is that he plays to the riff or melody and not to the bass. I can listen to his isolated tracks and more often than not, know exactly which song it is.
@@NMETablet or maybe, Cliff did his own thing and James simply was the rythm machine the bass should be. Lars was at his peak when Jason played bass simply because Jason was the foundation of the song ALONGSIDE James and Jason held Lars to tempo. Cliff did Cliff things.
@feroxk.9266 In Heavy Metal the rythm guitar (as the name implies) defines the rythm and not the Bass. The drums need to follow the rythm guitar and the Bass must be reduced to provide low frequencies but other than that should stay away from impairing the music with separate rythms.
I've been playing drums since 1984. Lars is the only drummer I have seen who has gotten progressively worse as time went on. His problem is that he hasn't practiced since the 1990's and boy does it ever show.
😂 i like to see delussional people talking crap about Lars, You live under a rock? Lars has been better than ever, getting solid and tight performances since they went back touring since the end of the COVID pandemic
He doesn't play with skill, he just uses what's necessary for the song, you can rip all over the drums, but it doesn't mean you can make a good song, same with every instrument. I know a bunch of people who can play other people's music but have nothing they created themselves, what's the point?
Lars was a fan of metal music growing up. He never took drum lessons. He's a self-taught drummer. He wrote some of the best drum beats of all time. He inspired so many kids to pick up the sticks. He's written iconic albums. No one sounds like he does. He's so unique. He's amazing! When he's gone, he will no doubt be remembered as one of the best drummers to ever walk the Earth. Of course people hate, they can't do what he did. He formed the biggest, best-selling metal band in the world! Not bad for a self-taught drummer! And his endurance is unmatched!
@@morbidmanmusic You can? That’s awesome! Let me know when you have 11 multi-platinum albums, a diamond album, and become the biggest best-selling metal band in the world. Oh, and inspire millions to pick up the sticks... and create a whole new music genre. Lars is a legend. The disrespect needs to end! Lots of metal bands wouldn't even exist today if it wasn’t for Metallica.
@@riffgroove No, he didn't. And even if he did, who cares!? Can you or Fleming do what Lars did? I'm not sure how much more successful they can be? They are iconic! They are legendary! Without Lars, Metallica wouldn't be this successful.
@MikeysMorgue Fleming said that as well. He said "That being said, Lars was always the main driving force within the band. Whether or not Metallica would have gotten as far without him is anybody's guess. But musically, he was unquestionably the weak link of the group."
As a drummer who cut my teeth on learning And Justice for All album in the 80s, he was highly impactful to me and others. He is also a strong song arranger and business man. Also true; his live drumming has gotten sloppy over the years. That said, gotta love him.
Lars is a great drummer, he's the reason I got into drums, it's not all about blast beats, he's the perfect thrash metal drummer, and weather you like it or not, he's influenced a style of playing that we hear today!!!!!
Man I totally agree and he's the reason I got a Tama set when I was 13 cause before that I was playing in some crap sets and ill always put Lars in there with my top 20 or so favorite drummers!! Totally original like Keith Moon and totally got his own style and Metallica would not song like Metallica without him like Moon with The Who!! After Keith Moon the dude that they brought in even though way better technically and a cleaner and more schooled drummer it no longer really sounded like The Who and it didn't have that flare and danger to it no more!! 🤘 A guy might sound like shit if he was in another band or bands but then there's that band where it totally brings out his best or her!! 🤘
Metallica was kick ass back in 86. Seen them while cliff was still alive. Thought Lars was the best thing since sliced bread only until I started hearing Exodus.
To be fair, he’s not a great drummer, but he’s not bad either. His musical composition with the rest of his band mates is what helped him get to where he is now. Being in arguably the biggest metal band ever doesn’t hurt either. The fact is he helped pave the landscape for younger metal players like myself and many others. Even if you don’t like him, credit is still deserved.
I always felt the thing about Lars is that he’s such a unique drummer and that’s why Metallica sound like they do- different. Most average drummers could identify with what he was doing and that’s what made his drumming appealing.
Blackened is also a good example with that double bass pattern in the beginning. The whole Lars being a bad drummer meme feels as worn out as the St Anger trashcan one.
Puppets and Justice have some beautifully intricate drum parts, throughout the whole albums. I don't care if he actually played them at all, those parts made me a better drummer just by hearing them.
There is no Metallica without Lars. He has inspired so many drummers. Time to stop critiquing him and just appreciate what he was brought to Metallica.
I’ve never had a problem with Lars as a drummer. But my biggest gripe is the incessant hi-hat on 72 Seasons. Like all the way through the album. It sounds like sleigh bells. Sometimes you just need the low end for the best effect.
For the most part, I don't hate Lars. But it does say a lot about his understanding of dynamics when he replaced his ride with a china. Especially when he has a tech swap it back in for Until It Sleeps, and swaps it back out
Someday people will realize that Lars occupies the same space as folks like Johnny Ramone and Kim Deal that had simple but effective approaches to their instruments. Lars is highly influential, not just because he was in Metallica but because he pioneered a winning formula for fast metal drumming.
Lars has never been a bad drummer, he is just an appropriate drummer, as in, he does whats appropriate, exactly the bear minimum for a song to sound good, and that's perfectly fine in my opinion.
He’s a great drummer. His innovative style shaped many drummers today. Mostly it’s fans that doesn’t realize age takes its toll makes a drummer sound less like they did in their prime. On the other hand many famous drummers say that considering the music Metallica still plays Lars is doing well considering his age.
12 seconds in, timing off. This is an isolated track. Probably from a recording session after many takes. I just saw him live and couldn’t believe how bad he actually is. There are 16 year old “hot chicks” on UA-cam that can play his songs better than him.
They dont care how creative he was or the fact that he inspired some of the greatest drummers today, the fact that he's just slightly out of time and still became the most successful drummer will always live rent free in the hater's heads, pretty sad people if you ask me
He was pretty awesome on the first five albums. Even if, after that, he didn't stay the most proficient drummer, he still makes up for it by being a very musical drummer.
Lars, imo, is untouchable. He's like Ringo. Who ever dares to touch Ringo? They both serve the music they play. Unless you "need" music to be gymnastics of course. Legit, but that breaks the natural, universal scope of music which is feel.
I feel like he’s not great at improvisation. When he plays fills live, he’ll sometimes not play the fills as they are on the record and when he makes up a fill on the fly, the snare drum becomes his best friend. Still love him tho.
Good drummer bad drummer? WHO CARES!! He helped create one of the most iconic bands in the history of this planet. There are drummers that are better there are drummers that are worse. Again, WHO CARES! Lars was and still is a visionary and not just with music. I am grateful to him as I have been listening to Metallica since 1983. Also, and very importantly, I have seen interviews with metal drummers like Portnoy, Benante and Lombardo, all three, unquestionably better, state that Lars Ulrich’s drumming was one of their biggest influences.
Whats really sad about Lars is that he used to be able to keep up but its just sad to watch him try now. Watch the video of Dave Lombardo playing this same song with Metallica and you’ll see how much the rest of the band had to get used to his sloppiness.
Lars was an impressive drummer for an extremely young band playing faster than the average bands at that time. I remember it well. I was 14 and thought he was awesome. Unfortunately that was when he peaked. It’s been down hill since.
Yea, he doesn’t have that drive and feel anymore. - People need to make distinctions. - He started doing things like not playing his own fills, such as that long one in ‘One’. - And people let that slip, it even kinda worked, but eventually he started simplifying things more, or just playing sloppily, or overcompensating with the “random fills” he’s now ridiculed for. But his worst quality is timing. He always kinda had that, but over the last 20-25 years he’s just become such a broken metronome. - It’s critical for a drummer to get time and feel right, which he just doesn’t have anymore. But what do you expect from someone who openly admits “he doesn’t like to sit and practice on his own”. - It’s over at that point.
You all can come back when you own the most famous band of all time. Sold most records of all time,made most money of all time and been on the road to make it happen. Lets say we meet back up here in.. lets say 40 years. Cya then !
Lars is a great composer in the way he organizes the riffs of the songs and made very interesting drum parts ahead of their time in the eighties. As a Drummer he wouldn't cut it as session musician because his tempo drifts a lot his hits are not very consistent and his fills are always too rushed, at least we know he recorded his own drum parts unlike many drummers that were replaced by session drummers in the recordings. None of that really matters because he is the drummer of the greatest Metal Band to ever exist that became as such also due to his huge contribution with his vision on the buisiness side of things.
People love to mock the guy. They listen back with modern ears to a guy who was a foundational cornerstone to Thrash. Not to mention, if it's not for his songwriting smarts, they would not have the songs that smoke all of their peers.
When I hear Dave Lombardo or Kirk Arrington play, I think they would make Metallica sound so much better. But the truth is that Lars played a big role in the songwriting and sound.
The problem is no problem, one drumer is no one by herself except the new youtube drumers, the right group, with the right drumer, Lars and metallica, no other could be, this is the fact, no more.
On the records he’s great. The problem is live he doesn’t play those awesome fills he recorded and adds unnecessary fills everywhere that take away and are sloppy. But I still love him though. So much passion and is the heart of Metallica. James is the creative center but Lars is the heart.
Lars is perfect for Metallica. None of them are music prodigies, but together they make killer heavy metal that will endure. I think UA-cam has created a generation of technique snobs who know nothing about great song writing.
@@davidmorneau5260 That just means the drummers does not write the drum tracks anymore. It shows when he plays live and he can't recreate what's on the album on stage. They've been my favorite band since 1987 and I got to say the Justice are was the peak for the whole band as far as performance.
The bar is so unusually high for metal drumming, dating back to Bill Ward, that most drummers in the genre don’t reach it. The difference is those guys are not 1/4 of the biggest, most visible metal b(r)and in history. What Lars does works for what Metallica does, which is how a band is supposed to be. Don’t tell me if you put Lombardo or Hoglan or Portnoy etc etc in that seat that the end result would improve or even sustain itself. It wouldn’t.
Up until "Load", Lars still cared a lot about his craft. It's frustrating to see how slopppy he became but he wasn't bad, in fact many guys picked the drumsticks because of him
I say even through Load and Reload he was still solid. I saw him live in 94 and again in 97, and he was great each time. 94 I was 12 and hadn't yet picked up an instrument. 97 I was well into playing guitar and paying much more attention to the band playing their instruments. They were tight playing during the Load tour. I think the long period between Load/Reload and St Anger with only Garage Inc as a release, and the disaster of St Anger... I just think something happened around that point. Seeing those early 2000s shows and into the modern era of Metallica has just saddened me and at this point it would take something crazy for me to want to see them live again. Every live video I've seen since those early 2000s just does not sound good to me. Not just Lars. Kirk, too. James had some bad years but I think he's getting back into his groove... But he hasn't really written any riffs that interest or inspire me since Load/Reload. And while Rob is a cool as shit guy, he doesn't hype me up to see them like Jason did.
Wow. He played decently a full minute in the studio. Congrats. Metallica is not in the top 20 rock bands of all time.. Lars is not in the top 20 rock drummers of all time. They have a few good songs. How many good songs have they had since the Black Album? One?
Lars wrote and performed the drum parts to AJFA. That alone makes him a legend. You can argue that his performances were edited, but the composition can't be faked. He's written some of the most iconic drum beats of the modern era. He's responsible for the arrangements on some of the most legendary metal songs of all time. Being the most technical drummer doesn't make you the best. His level of execution really fell off after the fame peaked, and that is inexcusable, but the disrespect has gotten way out of hand.
Ok, for the Metallica die-hard fans out there, here's a question for you regarding Lars Ulrich being a "good" or "bad" drummer. There's at least one video of Metallica performing like where the late Joey Jordison sat in on some songs, I forget why. I think generally speaking, Joey Jordison was considered a "better" drummer than Lars Ulrich. Would a drummer like a Joey Jordison be a good or better replacement for Lars Ulrich? I mean even consider both drummers at their "prime". I imagine Joey Jordison wouldn't draw the same kind of ire that Lars Ulrich can. I'm not a "die-hard" fan, so I pose this to the experts. :)
He was getting better and better till And justice for all. Then it went down and down, because Mr. Rockstar was now a professional Rockstar instead a professional drummer.
Some guys play to pay the rent. Others play like they have the mortgage and everything else paid off. Metallica were still kind of on the come up when this was recorded. Their best work was still ahead of them. They are well and truly set for life, and their live performances bear this out. You could probably attribute some of that to their age, but I think they just got lazy.
Talk all the shit you want but when his band sells out arenas and he has a gazillion dollars in his bank account, he’s not thinking about everyone talking shit about how he sucks as a drummer. 🤘🏽
Lars is objectively very good at creating beats that complement the music in the studio. He is technically (as in technique) a good drummer. He’s always relied on James to keep time, however and he’s been objectively bad as a live drummer for a long time, because it’s physically demanding and he’d rather play tennis than practice drumming in between Metallica records.
I think he’s one of the most creative and interesting drummers in metal. It’s not always about ultra technical chops. It’s about playing songs and expressing emotion, etc. The constant criticism is just a boring trend - there are millions of fans who don’t give a crap how technically perfect he is.
He cared in the 80’s and the pressure was on to be the best. Once The Black album hit, he got a taste for the easier mid tempo life and lost all his drive for excellence. Got into the big money, started getting interested in all the things the money allowed which weren’t music centric and fell into a steady decline of mediocrity and sometimes absolute crap. He also does a crazy amount of takes of the songs and they hodge podge together the best parts to make a good take. They actually showed this on a Day in the Life. Plenty of metal drummers from the 80’s who still crush. Lombardo, Charlie from Anthrax, Jürgen from Kreator. The difference is these guys are actual musicians where Lars is a music fan who wanted to be in a band. I wouldn’t praise his arranging skills going by their last several records which have very tedious, overly long songs, often with boring ratta tat snare based intro’s that go on way too long. I actually think he was a great drummer through to the Black album.
Lars, is a damn good drummer who has staying power and efficiency. Just because he does not go hyper super technical all the time means he is original and flows with creative energy rather than trying to outdo himself or compete with others styles. Does not matter it works for Metallica, I would not want Lars, to change his style he's fucking awesome!!!. He has his own style kinda is getting annoying how this started against Lars. As a long time Metallica, fan since 1985 pisses me off these new generations trashing Metallica, like this. Metallica, helped pave the way for others to form their craft large influence on millions.....Lars, is an icon leave it alone and drop the ungrateful disrespect.
My problem with Lars is this and I am a drummer... certain points in his career he wrote really really good for the music. I've heard it rumored although, never proven, that for certain tracks like Dyers Eve and I can't remember the couple other ones that they actually brought in a studio "ghost" drummer to record the parts because Lars at no point could keep up with the tempo that they played on that song on the double bass. He used to be great live until he decided to improvise during songs and then you really saw his lack of imagination and basic skill on the drums. As the years grew on and the money grew larger he figured out that he could do a bunch less drumming for the same amount of money that he was doing killing himself every night trying to play that shit because he didn't have any technique. It's a mixture of laziness and lack of any type of rudimental skills on the drums besides whatever he played for Metallica that really irk me. His persona does not help yhings either.
![[UA] Eternal Fire проти NAVI | EPL Season 20 Malta](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/chvlsDygrZM/mqdefault.jpg)
The problem isn't that Lars is bad, the problem is that Lars didn't stay good
Because he's gettin old and old and old...
@@abukasih3izz274 getting old isn't really much of an excuse. I mean for example look at guys like
Tommy Aldridge
Dennis Chambers
Nicko Mcbrain
Ringo Starr
Danny Carey
just the name a few, and they're still doing pretty good these days. Lars just has a habit of not practicing as much as he used to which is affecting his drumming in a bad way especially during his live performances.
@abukasih3izz274 because he got LAZY !!! .. Too much guaranteed money rolling in to really try hard to stay relivent any more.. The Black Album set them and their GrandKids up for life!
@@Shockzone1495 and my favourite example: Stewart Copeland
@@abukasih3izz274 Aging does not make you worse at your instrument lol. Buddy Rich out chopped 90% of the drumming population in like his 60s
Lars was the main person who made me really want to start taking drumming seriously because you can imitate him easily as a beginner. My dad is my drumming teacher and we always like to jump on the band wagon of making fun of Lars a little bit but we never do so without acknowledging the fact that he was a huge reason we both started to love drumming.
Exactly! He appealed to beginners or us average drummers and we thought how cool is this - I can relate to it,
Absolutely. I went out and saved up for an 8 piece Tama Swingstar as a teenager just have a kit that looked like a Metallica kit.
@@KB-th9jm Hell yeah man!
@@TheSWCantina Yeah man that's exactly why my dad said he bought the kit we play on too. We don't have a Swingstar but we have a black Tama Rockstar 8 piece that my dad bought when he was like 18 or so and it still plays fabulously. Since I started drumming we've accumulated a pretty large collection of cymbals too, it's an awesome kit.
Lars isn't a bad drummer. He just isn't a very good one.
He was.
A long time ago
@@Boss_Tanaka No was never a good drummer, they use to cut and splice the tape to make him sound good
@@charliemancuso5690 he was GREAT on the puppets and …AJFA tours I’d say his songwriting intuition specifically on the drums is as good as anyone ever
@@bendup52 they were also writing the songs in the studio and they didn’t splice them like that on the first 4 records cuz they didn’t have enough $ said from their producer Flemmings mouth (and those songs were harder to play)
Again I disagree he’s really good
I've never seen him as a bad drummer, he may not be perfect but he compensates in other things like riff arrangements, songs structure, the business and public relations side of the band. I totally admire the guy.
I've never seen him as a bad drummer either. Obviously of the big 4 drummers, Lars was the weakest. But he was definitely a competent drummer who came up with some really good parts that certainly complimented James riffs. His drumming nowadays isn't necessarily bad, just lazy.
Not really lazy as such, more he is trying to be able to play drums past 60 years old at that level. You gotta slow down, cut corners, add extra snares on the kit - whatever it takes to keep going. Wait until you get older and see, I am 12 years younger than him and I still drum hard but I only started drumming in 2011 vs him starting in 1980...lol@backintheday3097
He became sloppy and lazy after the black album. His drumming was fine on justice. His song "arranging" is abysmal. Business wise yeah I agree on that one.
"the bussiness and public relations side of the band"
napster:
This is Battery, when he was 22 years old. He was a Superb drummer at that time. Nowadays he physically just cannot make it anymore. Speed, accuracy, fills...
What speed ?? What accuracy ? XD XD
I was 8 when i heard this and even then i thought something is wrong here
Wow. I didn’t realize he was so young when he recorded that.
Perhaps someone should have a talk with Charlie Benate, Paul Bostaph, Mike Portnoy, or Dave Lombardo. All of them are the same age as Lars, with the exception of Portnoy, who is 3 years younger, and they all play faster and more technical stuff. I'm not saying Lars is a bad drummer or that physically he can't do it anymore. I personally just think he got lazy.
@@backintheday3097 this. Got uber rich off the Black album and just lost any drive he had to excel.
99.9% of the commenters on these types of posts have never touched a drumstick in their lives. Come back when you have.
I’ve been playing 38 years I’m just happy to be able to play now after a stroke. But I did just teach my granddaughter the intro to master of puppets. She’s 9.
I am a drummer and can honestly say that Lars is a bad drummer, VERY LIMITED arsenal in his bag, just playing fast and having a few rolls doesn't even make you an ok drummer, I guess that puts me in the 0.01% of commenters
@@hybrid8253 Oh you're a drummer. Cool.
@@jabedoben I don't know if it's cool or not, it's just the way it is, it's like saying every musician is cool, everybody has a different "skill", it all depends on what you admire, can I recommend you something that was uploaded just yesterday, check the tyler visser (he's only 18 y/o) video, drum cover of Tool's Undertow full album in one take, that I think is cool.
@@hybrid8253lol and who are you? 🤣🤣
The thing I like about Lars's style is that he plays to the riff or melody and not to the bass. I can listen to his isolated tracks and more often than not, know exactly which song it is.
That's because he and James are writing most of the songs. Back in the day he had only James guitarsound on his monitors.
Cliff was too talented for lars to follow
@@NMETablet or maybe, Cliff did his own thing and James simply was the rythm machine the bass should be.
Lars was at his peak when Jason played bass simply because Jason was the foundation of the song ALONGSIDE James and Jason held Lars to tempo.
Cliff did Cliff things.
@feroxk.9266
In Heavy Metal the rythm guitar (as the name implies) defines the rythm and not the Bass. The drums need to follow the rythm guitar and the Bass must be reduced to provide low frequencies but other than that should stay away from impairing the music with separate rythms.
@@THOUGHTCRIME_No1 xD
I've been playing drums since 1984. Lars is the only drummer I have seen who has gotten progressively worse as time went on. His problem is that he hasn't practiced since the 1990's and boy does it ever show.
Not worse, lazy.
Worth over a quarter of a billion yo'.
😂 i like to see delussional people talking crap about Lars, You live under a rock? Lars has been better than ever, getting solid and tight performances since they went back touring since the end of the COVID pandemic
He doesn't play with skill, he just uses what's necessary for the song, you can rip all over the drums, but it doesn't mean you can make a good song, same with every instrument. I know a bunch of people who can play other people's music but have nothing they created themselves, what's the point?
Lars was a fan of metal music growing up. He never took drum lessons. He's a self-taught drummer. He wrote some of the best drum beats of all time. He inspired so many kids to pick up the sticks. He's written iconic albums. No one sounds like he does. He's so unique. He's amazing! When he's gone, he will no doubt be remembered as one of the best drummers to ever walk the Earth. Of course people hate, they can't do what he did. He formed the biggest, best-selling metal band in the world! Not bad for a self-taught drummer! And his endurance is unmatched!
He average or less. Very lucky, but had many other useful skills.
I can do what he did.. on my page even. It isn't hard. Rock is child's play.
@@morbidmanmusic You can? That’s awesome! Let me know when you have 11 multi-platinum albums, a diamond album, and become the biggest best-selling metal band in the world. Oh, and inspire millions to pick up the sticks... and create a whole new music genre. Lars is a legend. The disrespect needs to end! Lots of metal bands wouldn't even exist today if it wasn’t for Metallica.
Fleming Rasmussin himself said that Metallica would be a WAY better group with a more competent drummer.
@@riffgroove No, he didn't. And even if he did, who cares!? Can you or Fleming do what Lars did? I'm not sure how much more successful they can be? They are iconic! They are legendary! Without Lars, Metallica wouldn't be this successful.
@MikeysMorgue Fleming said that as well.
He said "That being said, Lars was always the main driving force within the band. Whether or not Metallica would have gotten as far without him is anybody's guess. But musically, he was unquestionably the weak link of the group."
As a drummer who cut my teeth on learning And Justice for All album in the 80s, he was highly impactful to me and others. He is also a strong song arranger and business man. Also true; his live drumming has gotten sloppy over the years. That said, gotta love him.
Lars is a great drummer, he's the reason I got into drums, it's not all about blast beats, he's the perfect thrash metal drummer, and weather you like it or not, he's influenced a style of playing that we hear today!!!!!
@@JamesCurtis-t1n can you name a few drummers that he has influenced please!, are they renowned?
Same, bro, Lars with his drums on AJFA motivated me to practice, just like Gene Hoglan and Richard Christy now. 🤘☠️🥁
Man I totally agree and he's the reason I got a Tama set when I was 13 cause before that I was playing in some crap sets and ill always put Lars in there with my top 20 or so favorite drummers!! Totally original like Keith Moon and totally got his own style and Metallica would not song like Metallica without him like Moon with The Who!! After Keith Moon the dude that they brought in even though way better technically and a cleaner and more schooled drummer it no longer really sounded like The Who and it didn't have that flare and danger to it no more!! 🤘 A guy might sound like shit if he was in another band or bands but then there's that band where it totally brings out his best or her!! 🤘
Blast beats are nonsense anyway. There's nothing musical about them at all.
He's just become a lazy drummer.
Metallica was kick ass back in 86. Seen them while cliff was still alive. Thought Lars was the best thing since sliced bread only until I started hearing Exodus.
C
The problem is with Lars... He got rich, cemented his position in Metallica and quit practicing.
Criticize his technique all you like, but he’s still come up with some of the most memorable and influential drum parts of all time.
Like what?
@@francoistoutee3423One
Battery
To be fair, he’s not a great drummer, but he’s not bad either. His musical composition with the rest of his band mates is what helped him get to where he is now. Being in arguably the biggest metal band ever doesn’t hurt either. The fact is he helped pave the landscape for younger metal players like myself and many others. Even if you don’t like him, credit is still deserved.
I always felt the thing about Lars is that he’s such a unique drummer and that’s why Metallica sound like they do- different. Most average drummers could identify with what he was doing and that’s what made his drumming appealing.
Blackened is also a good example with that double bass pattern in the beginning. The whole Lars being a bad drummer meme feels as worn out as the St Anger trashcan one.
He’s aiming to be the drummer for KISS and Darkthrone.
Puppets and Justice have some beautifully intricate drum parts, throughout the whole albums. I don't care if he actually played them at all, those parts made me a better drummer just by hearing them.
Iconic drumming - everything he plays fits THE SONG 100%. If you ever covered a Metallica song on the drums, you’d know.
Yea man well said!!
i did.. AND YOUR RIGHT !!
There is no Metallica without Lars. He has inspired so many drummers. Time to stop critiquing him and just appreciate what he was brought to Metallica.
Lars is a bad drummer now! This was recorded when he was like 22 years old
And this was also spliced together. And he was on a lot of coke
The coke probably helped him a lot on this record.
In a CONTROLLED environment like a recording studio, Lars is a decent and capable drummer.
I’ve never had a problem with Lars as a drummer. But my biggest gripe is the incessant hi-hat on 72 Seasons. Like all the way through the album. It sounds like sleigh bells. Sometimes you just need the low end for the best effect.
For the most part, I don't hate Lars. But it does say a lot about his understanding of dynamics when he replaced his ride with a china. Especially when he has a tech swap it back in for Until It Sleeps, and swaps it back out
@@dimlightbulb10Yeah that made no sense to me. Just leave it on
Someday people will realize that Lars occupies the same space as folks like Johnny Ramone and Kim Deal that had simple but effective approaches to their instruments. Lars is highly influential, not just because he was in Metallica but because he pioneered a winning formula for fast metal drumming.
He can play a thrash beat AND HIT THE TOMS AT THE SAME TIME? IS THIS THE BEST DRUMMER OF HIS GENERATION?
He's had an amazing career. Solid drummer. High IQ for song writing and such.
The Napster thing was a bad look though.
Lars has never been a bad drummer, he is just an appropriate drummer, as in, he does whats appropriate, exactly the bear minimum for a song to sound good, and that's perfectly fine in my opinion.
He’s a great drummer. His innovative style shaped many drummers today. Mostly it’s fans that doesn’t realize age takes its toll makes a drummer sound less like they did in their prime. On the other hand many famous drummers say that considering the music Metallica still plays Lars is doing well considering his age.
i thought we were supposed to think he was good after hearing this
He's by no means a bad drummer. But if Dave Lombardo played that part, I bet my eyebrows that Dave would sound 20 times cleaner...
Fleming admitted to speeding up the tapes on the recording of this album.
12 seconds in, timing off. This is an isolated track. Probably from a recording session after many takes. I just saw him live and couldn’t believe how bad he actually is. There are 16 year old “hot chicks” on UA-cam that can play his songs better than him.
They dont care how creative he was or the fact that he inspired some of the greatest drummers today, the fact that he's just slightly out of time and still became the most successful drummer will always live rent free in the hater's heads, pretty sad people if you ask me
He was pretty awesome on the first five albums. Even if, after that, he didn't stay the most proficient drummer, he still makes up for it by being a very musical drummer.
Lars, imo, is untouchable. He's like Ringo. Who ever dares to touch Ringo? They both serve the music they play. Unless you "need" music to be gymnastics of course. Legit, but that breaks the natural, universal scope of music which is feel.
I feel like he’s not great at improvisation. When he plays fills live, he’ll sometimes not play the fills as they are on the record and when he makes up a fill on the fly, the snare drum becomes his best friend. Still love him tho.
We still listen to Dyers and speculate it wasn’t him playing lol
Skank beat 101. Learned it when I was 13
Ok now make something up that becomes iconic. We'll wait.
Let’s hear some of your drum tracks.
It’s perfect
Good drummer bad drummer? WHO CARES!! He helped create one of the most iconic bands in the history of this planet. There are drummers that are better there are drummers that are worse. Again, WHO CARES! Lars was and still is a visionary and not just with music. I am grateful to him as I have been listening to Metallica since 1983. Also, and very importantly, I have seen interviews with metal drummers like Portnoy, Benante and Lombardo, all three, unquestionably better, state that Lars Ulrich’s drumming was one of their biggest influences.
Lars is bad because he makes too many mistakes. Many drummers are older than him but still play well.
Whats really sad about Lars is that he used to be able to keep up but its just sad to watch him try now. Watch the video of Dave Lombardo playing this same song with Metallica and you’ll see how much the rest of the band had to get used to his sloppiness.
Bevor you say lars is a bad drummer, inspire that much people to play drums that he does!
Lars was an impressive drummer for an extremely young band playing faster than the average bands at that time. I remember it well. I was 14 and thought he was awesome. Unfortunately that was when he peaked. It’s been down hill since.
Yea, he doesn’t have that drive and feel anymore. - People need to make distinctions. - He started doing things like not playing his own fills, such as that long one in ‘One’. - And people let that slip, it even kinda worked, but eventually he started simplifying things more, or just playing sloppily, or overcompensating with the “random fills” he’s now ridiculed for.
But his worst quality is timing. He always kinda had that, but over the last 20-25 years he’s just become such a broken metronome. - It’s critical for a drummer to get time and feel right, which he just doesn’t have anymore.
But what do you expect from someone who openly admits “he doesn’t like to sit and practice on his own”. - It’s over at that point.
Listening to this I have realized you can put some part of blackened into every drum part of battery put here.
You all can come back when you own the most famous band of all time. Sold most records of all time,made most money of all time and been on the road to make it happen. Lets say we meet back up here in.. lets say 40 years. Cya then !
Lars is a great composer in the way he organizes the riffs of the songs and made very interesting drum parts ahead of their time in the eighties. As a Drummer he wouldn't cut it as session musician because his tempo drifts a lot his hits are not very consistent and his fills are always too rushed, at least we know he recorded his own drum parts unlike many drummers that were replaced by session drummers in the recordings. None of that really matters because he is the drummer of the greatest Metal Band to ever exist that became as such also due to his huge contribution with his vision on the buisiness side of things.
People love to mock the guy. They listen back with modern ears to a guy who was a foundational cornerstone to Thrash. Not to mention, if it's not for his songwriting smarts, they would not have the songs that smoke all of their peers.
James and Kirk been fed up with him a lot for getting out of tempo… that says enough
Kirk hasnt been in key since 86
@@djshad1885lmaoo
He is playing to a click nowadays and it shows
Yeah when he was a kid and just learning his craft.
When I hear Dave Lombardo or Kirk Arrington play, I think they would make Metallica sound so much better.
But the truth is that Lars played a big role in the songwriting and sound.
The problem is no problem, one drumer is no one by herself except the new youtube drumers, the right group, with the right drumer, Lars and metallica, no other could be, this is the fact, no more.
On the records he’s great. The problem is live he doesn’t play those awesome fills he recorded and adds unnecessary fills everywhere that take away and are sloppy. But I still love him though. So much passion and is the heart of Metallica. James is the creative center but Lars is the heart.
He used to be a firecracker sitting on a drum throne in the beginning. Sadly, "Time is taking it's toll, the lines that crack his face....."
His drumming on st anger was good
Lars is perfect for Metallica. None of them are music prodigies, but together they make killer heavy metal that will endure. I think UA-cam has created a generation of technique snobs who know nothing about great song writing.
This was his peak. And Justice for All started the cut and paste (drum process).
And Justice it was his best performance. The cut and paste are beginning on The Black Album
I love an Justice for all...that is all haha
@@davidmorneau5260 Nope Fleming did it on Justice also. I thought the same thing for the longest time.
@@MyBrothersKeeper101 you were right, but most bands are working that way especially with the creation of ProTool
@@davidmorneau5260 That just means the drummers does not write the drum tracks anymore. It shows when he plays live and he can't recreate what's on the album on stage. They've been my favorite band since 1987 and I got to say the Justice are was the peak for the whole band as far as performance.
When he was younger, he was an okay drummer who did what the song needed. Now he's just bad
I used to not like Lars . I still don't but I used to not to too.
This is Lars at his peak. He went downhill in the mid-late 90's. Not hating, just facts.
The bar is so unusually high for metal drumming, dating back to Bill Ward, that most drummers in the genre don’t reach it. The difference is those guys are not 1/4 of the biggest, most visible metal b(r)and in history. What Lars does works for what Metallica does, which is how a band is supposed to be. Don’t tell me if you put Lombardo or Hoglan or Portnoy etc etc in that seat that the end result would improve or even sustain itself. It wouldn’t.
Up until "Load", Lars still cared a lot about his craft. It's frustrating to see how slopppy he became but he wasn't bad, in fact many guys picked the drumsticks because of him
I say even through Load and Reload he was still solid. I saw him live in 94 and again in 97, and he was great each time. 94 I was 12 and hadn't yet picked up an instrument. 97 I was well into playing guitar and paying much more attention to the band playing their instruments. They were tight playing during the Load tour. I think the long period between Load/Reload and St Anger with only Garage Inc as a release, and the disaster of St Anger... I just think something happened around that point. Seeing those early 2000s shows and into the modern era of Metallica has just saddened me and at this point it would take something crazy for me to want to see them live again. Every live video I've seen since those early 2000s just does not sound good to me. Not just Lars. Kirk, too. James had some bad years but I think he's getting back into his groove... But he hasn't really written any riffs that interest or inspire me since Load/Reload. And while Rob is a cool as shit guy, he doesn't hype me up to see them like Jason did.
He was definitely good back in the day I don’t know why people say he’s bad
The imperfections of his beat adds emotion and soul. Perfect drumming is very robotic.
Wow. He played decently a full minute in the studio. Congrats. Metallica is not in the top 20 rock bands of all time.. Lars is not in the top 20 rock drummers of all time. They have a few good songs. How many good songs have they had since the Black Album? One?
Alright Ken don't blow a gasket
@@xStabizorz When I'm about to blow a gasket I use all caps.
He isn't a bad drummer, he's just a douchey person
He's both
Lars wrote and performed the drum parts to AJFA. That alone makes him a legend. You can argue that his performances were edited, but the composition can't be faked. He's written some of the most iconic drum beats of the modern era. He's responsible for the arrangements on some of the most legendary metal songs of all time. Being the most technical drummer doesn't make you the best. His level of execution really fell off after the fame peaked, and that is inexcusable, but the disrespect has gotten way out of hand.
Ok, for the Metallica die-hard fans out there, here's a question for you regarding Lars Ulrich being a "good" or "bad" drummer. There's at least one video of Metallica performing like where the late Joey Jordison sat in on some songs, I forget why. I think generally speaking, Joey Jordison was considered a "better" drummer than Lars Ulrich. Would a drummer like a Joey Jordison be a good or better replacement for Lars Ulrich? I mean even consider both drummers at their "prime". I imagine Joey Jordison wouldn't draw the same kind of ire that Lars Ulrich can. I'm not a "die-hard" fan, so I pose this to the experts. :)
He's not a very technically proficient or diverse player, but he knows how to compose some iconic tracks.
Lars is awesome, but this is an edited session. he didn't drum it in 1 take. It's comped
You picked Metallicas best song, but didn't use the fucking BREAKDOWN. Which is THE BEST and HARDEST part on drums in Battery.
He was one of my drum influences when I started playing drums in the 90s
Kids today think drumming is watching and listening to other people playing on their phone or computer screen, and passing judgement. Such talent!
Disposable Heroes is genius
This is battery
ITS BAT-TER-RAY!
I know, thanks. I was defending his drumming per the title.
They're all great on in the studio... It's the fact that he can't reproduce it live that makes him a bad drummer
@@MyBrothersKeeper101I’ve seen them live 5 or 6 times and I have never seen him have difficulty reproducing anything live
He was getting better and better till And justice for all. Then it went down and down, because Mr. Rockstar was now a professional Rockstar instead a professional drummer.
Some guys play to pay the rent. Others play like they have the mortgage and everything else paid off. Metallica were still kind of on the come up when this was recorded. Their best work was still ahead of them. They are well and truly set for life, and their live performances bear this out. You could probably attribute some of that to their age, but I think they just got lazy.
The prechorus in leper Messiah ... That fill between the ride and toms is tasty
He's not an elite drummer technically but who else would you rather create the drum arrangements for their hit albums and songs which are many?
Talk all the shit you want but when his band sells out arenas and he has a gazillion dollars in his bank account, he’s not thinking about everyone talking shit about how he sucks as a drummer. 🤘🏽
Lars is objectively very good at creating beats that complement the music in the studio. He is technically (as in technique) a good drummer. He’s always relied on James to keep time, however and he’s been objectively bad as a live drummer for a long time, because it’s physically demanding and he’d rather play tennis than practice drumming in between Metallica records.
He was OK until AFJA. From there on he didn't care much.
How old is this from the early 80s ?
I think he’s one of the most creative and interesting drummers in metal. It’s not always about ultra technical chops. It’s about playing songs and expressing emotion, etc. The constant criticism is just a boring trend - there are millions of fans who don’t give a crap how technically perfect he is.
He cared in the 80’s and the pressure was on to be the best. Once The Black album hit, he got a taste for the easier mid tempo life and lost all his drive for excellence. Got into the big money, started getting interested in all the things the money allowed which weren’t music centric and fell into a steady decline of mediocrity and sometimes absolute crap. He also does a crazy amount of takes of the songs and they hodge podge together the best parts to make a good take. They actually showed this on a Day in the Life.
Plenty of metal drummers from the 80’s who still crush. Lombardo, Charlie from Anthrax, Jürgen from Kreator. The difference is these guys are actual musicians where Lars is a music fan who wanted to be in a band. I wouldn’t praise his arranging skills going by their last several records which have very tedious, overly long songs, often with boring ratta tat snare based intro’s that go on way too long.
I actually think he was a great drummer through to the Black album.
He’s more successful drumming than I’ll ever be, so there’s that. (I’m a decent drummer in my own right)
I hate musicians who are perfect. perfection means that the music has lost its soul and heart.
Lars is perfect for Metallica. The only over qualified musician in that band is Robert.
Well James is regarded as one of the greatest rhythm players of all time so…
@@matthewperry2767 He's great for sure and writes some of the best riffs of all time.
The one drummer who has devolved the most in metal history. And also the one with the biggest succes. Bizarre. Oh, and Kirk too. No hate, just facts.
Also it’s RAW, before pro tools and beat dr fixing every mistake.
Okay, now isolate drum tracks from 72 Seasons and tell me there isn’t a difference.
No one would even know Metallica exists if it wasn’t for James and Cliff. The others are mediocre.
Lars, is a damn good drummer who has staying power and efficiency. Just because he does not go hyper super technical all the time means he is original and flows with creative energy rather than trying to outdo himself or compete with others styles. Does not matter it works for Metallica, I would not want Lars, to change his style he's fucking awesome!!!. He has his own style kinda is getting annoying how this started against Lars. As a long time Metallica, fan since 1985 pisses me off these new generations trashing Metallica, like this. Metallica, helped pave the way for others to form their craft large influence on millions.....Lars, is an icon leave it alone and drop the ungrateful disrespect.
if justice for all album wouldnt exist, i would say he is. but the proof he is not exists
My problem with Lars is this and I am a drummer... certain points in his career he wrote really really good for the music. I've heard it rumored although, never proven, that for certain tracks like Dyers Eve and I can't remember the couple other ones that they actually brought in a studio "ghost" drummer to record the parts because Lars at no point could keep up with the tempo that they played on that song on the double bass. He used to be great live until he decided to improvise during songs and then you really saw his lack of imagination and basic skill on the drums. As the years grew on and the money grew larger he figured out that he could do a bunch less drumming for the same amount of money that he was doing killing himself every night trying to play that shit because he didn't have any technique. It's a mixture of laziness and lack of any type of rudimental skills on the drums besides whatever he played for Metallica that really irk me. His persona does not help yhings either.
Don’t think I’ve ever seen a live version of dyers eve
I love Battery. I can hear it playing in my head
To a drummer this song is not difficult. I would like to see Lars play Spirit of radio. Or Subdivisions. Then he will have respect.