Three metal grooves
Metal was born in the late 1960s and the 70s with Black Sabbath, Judas Priest and Iron Maiden, and in the 80s the thrash of Metallica, Slayer and Megadeth sped it up and put double bass at its heart. Almost all of it is in 4/4, with the snare on 2 and 4 or on 3, and the kick locking in with the guitars. In the Groove menu you choose between three grooves. Counting sixteenths, 1 e & a 2 e & a…:
- Double bass (the default): the kick plays all sixteen sixteenths of the bar, alternating right and left foot. The hi-hat plays eighths with accented beats, and the snare a rimshot on 2 and 4. It is the backbone of fast heavy metal and thrash and the groove most practised on a double pedal.
- Thrash (skank beat): kick on every beat and snare on every off-beat, a fast “boom-chk boom-chk”, with a half-open hi-hat over the kick. It is the groove of thrash and crossover, usually between 160 and 220 BPM.
- Half-time (breakdown): the snare only on 3, so it feels half as fast, with the china on quarter notes and the kick in double strokes that follow the guitars. It is the heavy groove of metalcore and groove metal breakdowns.
In the double bass groove each foot has its own recordings, and they always alternate in the same order, right and left, never repeating a sample on the same foot. It sounds like a real drummer rather than one sample fired over and over.
Fills every 4 or 8 bars
With Fill set to every 8 bars (the usual) or every 4, the last bar of the phrase ends with a sixteenth-note fill on 3 and 4: the snare, then the toms from high to floor. The next bar starts with crash and kick. In the double bass groove the feet keep playing sixteenths through the fill. Choose No fills for a completely steady groove.
Metal tempos
- 60–100 BPM: doom, sludge and heavy mid-tempos. Also the place to start working on double bass.
- 100–140 BPM: classic heavy metal and groove metal. The generator starts at 120: double bass is 8 hits per second.
- 140–200 BPM: power metal, thrash and modern metal.
- 200–240 BPM: fast thrash and death metal. Work up to it gradually.
Exercises with the metal groove
- Start slow and go up 5 at a time. Set the double bass to 80–100 BPM and do not go faster until your part sounds clean several times in a row. Speed comes by itself; precision does not.
- Guitar: alternate picking with the kick. Play palm-muted sixteenths, locking each pick stroke to a kick. When the kick and the pick move together, the riff tightens up.
- Feel the half-time. Count the bar out loud and notice the snare lands on 3: your riff stays at the same tempo, but everything feels twice as slow and heavier.
- Thrash: hold the skank. Play eighth notes over the “boom-chk” without rushing. If you tire, lower the tempo and build it back up.
- Drums: play what you mute. Turn the kick off and play the double pedal yourself over the snare and hi-hat, or turn the snare off and play it yourself.
- Count the phrases. With a fill every 8 bars, change riff right after each crash.
Frequently asked questions
Is it a real drum kit?
Yes. The kick is a Sonor recorded with each foot separately, the snare is a 14×8 Pearl brass snare, and the hi-hat, china and crash are Meinl cymbals (MB20 and Byzance). The toms are the ones from the rock groove. Every stroke is recorded at several dynamics, and repeated strokes alternate between several recordings. All samples are public domain (CC0).
Does it hold up at very fast tempos?
Yes. Up to 240 BPM every hit lands exactly in place, including sixteenth-note double bass, which is 16 hits per second at that tempo. We also test it on a simulated slow phone. Downloads are generated with the same precision and without clipping.
Can I switch grooves without stopping?
Yes. The Groove menu changes the pattern while it plays and keeps your tempo. The chosen groove is kept in the link you share and in the downloads.
Can I download the metal groove?
Yes. Download 1, 2, 5 or 10 minutes as MP3 or WAV, with the groove, tempo, instruments and fills you chose. The file has the style and tempo in its name.