When it comes to playing fast, few can beat GENE “The Human Drum Machine” HOGLAN, writes Neil Shah in The Wall Street Journal.
“There are young dudes coming up behind me who want to take my throne, but I’m not going to give it up that easy,” says Mr. Hoglan, 46 years old, who warms up with drum sticks twice as heavy as usual, a trick he learned from baseball that makes his normal sticks seem lighter. To tone his legs, crucial for foot-drumming, he wears 3-pound ankle weights. When he pops these off, he can really fly.
Though he weighs nearly 300 pounds and is, in his own words, “really lethargic,” Mr. Hoglan has been called one of the quickest and most precise drummers in heavy metal.
Source: Bravewords.com
Drum legend GENE HOGLAN (DETHKLOK, STRAPPING YOUNG LAD) is featured in a new interview with Metal Assault. An excerpt is available below:
Q: Your Gene Hoglan experience stuff that you’ve been doing, I think you’ve done one show so far in Calgary. What was that like and people who’re going to see the shows in the coming few days, what can they expect from this event?
Hoglan: “A whole lot of fun! That’s one thing I try to bring, a real sense of fun and this thing kind of borders on stand-up comedy for me, because everything I do is completely ad-lib. Footage from that Calgary show has made it on the internet, I don’t know how much, but I’ve only seen the concert portion of it with me actually playing. But everything is a completely different night. It is an individualistic night, and it’s so interactive that fans are free to ask any kind of questions. I don’t have a time limit on the Q&A section or anything like that. You can ask me about anything. If you want to keep it about myself or some of the bands I’ve played with or some of the people I’ve worked with, that’s cool. Even if I miss out some people who have their hands up during the session, they can always come up to me with their questions afterwards. So it is a lot of fun, every night is its own experience, and no two nights will be the same on this. At times I’d probably end up telling the same story here and there if somebody asks, but I do have a wealth of information and entertainment inside my head and I just want to get that out. It’s a very light-hearted night, you know. Plus, I play drums! I play to a bunch of different tracks that a lot of people enjoy and I talk in between them. It’s kind of spoken word/gig, a one-man gig where the tracks are booming and I’m playing along with them. It’s a really special night and I hope everybody that comes out enjoys it and I guarantee you will. There’s not going to be a frown on any face at the end of the night. I’ve done lots of these shows but it’s only now that we’re calling it the Gene Hoglan experience. Nobody has been disappointed and everybody has been leaving with big ol’ smiles on their faces, and that’s really cool to me.”
A new teaser video is available for Hoglan’s new DVD, The Atomic Clock: The Clock Strikes Two. Check it out below:
The new DVD will feature “a lot of the stuff I have been doing at my clinics”, according to Gene. “For this release I was able to get the licenses for the songs I am playing. Everything from DEATH, TESTAMENT and MELDRUM are going to be on there. The new DVD has a lot of depth to it and I have tried to improve on everything included.”
The Atomic Clock: The Clock Strikes Two is available for pre-sale now, with several package options, at this location. If that isn’t enough, although Gene has footage chosen for The Atomic Clock: The Clock Strikes Two, he’s leaving it up to his biggest fans to really decide what they would like to see!
As Gene continues the process of creating a bigger and better sequel to his first DVD release, he’d like to hear from you! Email streetteam@reversedrecords.com and tell Gene what you want to see on the next DVD, and you will be given the chance to pre-order several packages. There are seven “levels” or packages that fans can pre-order the DVD with.
Hoglan is currently touring the US on his clinic tour, The Gene Hoglan Experience. Earlier this week, Gene released a video update regarding his clinic tour and his upcoming DVD. Watch the update below:
Confirmed appearances:
October
17 – Coralville, IA – West Music Coralville (Signing TBA – 6 PM)
19 – New Berlin, WI – Cascio Interstate Music (Part of Drummer Fest / Free – 11 AM )
Hoglan came up with The Gene Hoglan Experience concept to give the fans what they want: the ultimate “Gene” experience. In addition to telling personal stories, as mentioned above, Hoglan will reveal some of his secret techniques and tips to help all drummers and musicians of all levels. More information will be announced soon.
GENE HOGLAN (DETHKLOK, FEAR FACTORY, TESTAMENT, DEATH, DARK ANGEL, STRAPPING YOUNG LAD) recently announced The Gene Hoglan Experience, an intimate gathering of metal fans brought together to celebrate the legacy and career of one of metal’s most legendary drummers. Hoglan is pleased to announce four additional dates being scheduled as part of this special clinic tour.
The Gene Hoglan Experience events have been added in San Diego, CA (two dates), Hollywood, CA, and San Jose, CA. Also, Gene’s Calgary date has been updated to September 21st. See below for times and details and stay tuned for more dates coming soon.
Confirmed appearances:
September
21 – Calgary, AB – Vern’s Tavern (Part of Noctis 666 Metal Festival and Conference – 3 PM)
29 – San Diego, CA – Royal Dive
30 – San Diego, CA – School Of Rock Clinic (All Ages)
October
1 – Hollywood, CA – The Whisky
4 – San Jose, CA – Milano’s
17 – Coralville, IA – West Music Coralville (Signing TBA – 6 PM)
19 – New Berlin, WI – Cascio Interstate Music (Part of Drummer Fest / Free – 11 AM )
Hoglan came up with The Gene Hoglan Experience concept to give the fans what they want: the ultimate “Gene” experience. In addition to telling personal stories, as mentioned above, Hoglan will reveal some of his secret techniques and tips to help all drummers and musicians of all levels. More information will be announced soon in regards to The Gene Hoglan Experience.
Legendary extreme-metal drummer Gene Hoglan (TESTAMENT, DEATH, STRAPPING YOUNG LAD, DARK ANGEL, DETHKLOK) is planning a series of appearances under the “The Gene Hoglan Experience” banner, set to take place this fall, where he will tell stories and play some of your favorite songs from your favorite bands that he has performed with over the years.
Acording to a press release, “The Gene Hoglan Experience” is “an intimate gathering of metal fans brought together to celebrate the legacy and 30-year career of one of metal’s most legendary drummers.”
Hoglan came up with this concept to give the fans what they want: the ultimate “Gene” experience. In addition to telling personal stories, as mentioned above, Hoglan will reveal some of his secret techniques and tips to help all drummers and musicians of all levels.
You get to meet Hoglan and have access to his exclusive merchandise from Gene himself.
You get to ask Hoglan anything you want!
The first “The Gene Hoglan Experience” will take place as part of the Noctis 666 Metal Festival And Conference on Saturday, September 20 at 3:00 p.m. at Vern’s Tavern in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Admission to the clinic is included in the conference ticket.
These “The Gene Hoglan Experience” showcases are being planned in celebration of Hoglan‘s upcoming DVD, a documentary-style film about the inner workings (personal and technical) of the master of metal drumming himself. This is Gene‘s second DVD release, and it will be released this fall.
Hoglan is currently gearing up to head out on the road with TESTAMENT next month.
Drum legend Gene Hoglan (TESTAMENT, MELDRUM, STRAPPING YOUNG LAD, DEATH) is featured in a new interview with Drum! Magazine discussing the making of the new DETHKLOK album. Deathalbum 3. An excerpt is available below:
D!: What’s your favorite performance of the new album?
Hoglan: “I like all of them. My chops are up and everything, but no song titles yet. For example, ‘The Galaxy’ is from the final episode of season three and it’s a really glorious epic track. It’s so mighty, just thinking about it gives me shivers. The best Dethklok song ever. It’s pretty slow stuff with slow double bass. The intro is in the vein of ‘Hell Awaits’ by SLAYER or ‘Take On All the World’ by JUDAS PRIEST. All the note placement and all the riffs are pretty mighty. And it kicks into some hauling thirty-second bass drum notes with the snare on 2and 4. We have an absolutely ripping blast song called ‘Wine And’ … something from an episode in season three where they get a drum machine to replace Pickles The Drummer. The drum machine can do anything. I am blasting the shit out of that one.”
D!: What do you practice when you’re off the road?
Hoglan: “I don’t practice all the time. And I notice as I get older — I used to be able to go six months without playing and jump back on the set. Now it takes a day or two to get my chops back. I wear leg weights when I play and when I practice. I tracked the majority of the Dethklok record with leg weights.”
D!: Why?
Hoglan: “I don’t know. My chops are up so playing with leg weights is fine. Usually if I’m using leg weights for the beginning of a live set I’ll play the first few songs with the leg weights on then pop them off when we get into the cooking double-bass material. The first songs might have hauling double-bass, but I can put everything in the general wheelhouse. I am really comfortable at 190 or 200 bpm – those are easy and simple. But when I get up to 210 to 220 bpm I take the leg weights off. With Dethklok I track one song a day. For an easy song I will track with leg weights; it’s a good thing. It gives my legs a workout. Then I’m ready for the really blistering songs. I like to work out songs with my toes and fingertips too. Then I don’t have to wave my arms around so much.”
Drummagazine.com has conducted a new Q & A interview with legendary metal drummer GENE”THE ATOMIC CLOCK” HOGLAN (Testament, Death, Dethklok, Meldrum, Dark Angel). The interview focuses around the drum tracking and writing process HOGLAN used on the upcoming DETHKLOK release DETHALBUM 3. Check out the interview at this location.
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