A few questions for Dirk

[shadowchild]

sorry greg! ...

And on mindcrimes! Lyzanxia powa!

[napalmdirk]

Hello all,

Thanks so much for your interest!!!

A few more records I played on are:

7TH CIRCLE - Collective Minds (prog metal from Belgium)
ABORTED - The Haematobic EP (the 4 studio tracks)
ANAON - The Soul's Tribe EP
ARTSONIC - Fake (I didn't play on their 1st album Sonic Area although my picture is on it and I'm listed in the credits)
HEADLINE - Voices Of Presence
HEADLINE - Duality
LYZANXIA - Mindcrimes
MANU LIVERTOUT BAND - 3 albums including the new one [to be released]
STENVAL - Stenval [to be released some day???]
SUBLIME CADAVERIC DECOMPOSITION - new album [to be released]
SYBREED - new album [to be released]

I'm currently working on my personal website which will include details on all of the recordings I did, plus pictures, videos etc. So stay tuned!!!

[napalmdirk]

I just came up with yet another question for Dirk (or any other drummer who wants to share his opinion): I practice alot of rudiments on my hands and feet, and it's very clear that this has helped my control alot, but I'm wondering if you actually use rudiments in your regular playing? I find it very hard to use them while improvising since it distracts me from the melody, allthough I find myself using them when writing out drumparts.

Hey Diabolus! Sorry for my super late answer... It's been a busy year and I definitely haven't come here often enough!
Anyways, yes I do use rudiments here and there in my playing, not all that frequently but there are several Soilwork and Scarve songs with rudiment-based fills or rhythms. Not to mention some of the session work I've done.
It's not easy indeed to go from using them as exercices to incorporating them in a musical way. I try to find interesting ways to do so, one I've found is the "triplet blast" as I've been using for Scarve since 1996 and discussed elsewhere on this forum.
Using rudiments in a melodic way is the key - I try to use the principle of "inverting" the hand patterns (as in regular paradiddles) as well as double strokes (on hands or feet) whenever they seem to fit the song or part I'm playing. I also try to create drum parts that incorporate rudiments and hand those out to the other musicians in my bands when we're writing music. I basically leave it up to them to find good guitar riffs and melodies to my complicated shit!

[napalmdirk]

Once again, please excuse my huge delay in answering your questions... I'll do my best to be quicker in the future!!!

- When playing odd-times, do you count, or do you just follow the melody? I used to count out all odd-time parts I played, but since my teacher said he never does that, I started paying alot more attention to the melody; I think it makes your playing more musical, and it's easier if you play stuff like WatchTower, Theory in Practice or Cynic.

I never count when I play drums, only when I'm practicing or trying to figure out a new riff or pattern. Following the melody seems to be the key indeed, because it makes you "think" melodically and I feel it definitely makes feeling matter more than technicality.

- Do you tune your drums to specific notes? And, seeing that you're endorsed by Tama, do you use their Tension Watch? I heard it's great, and I'm going to buy one in the near future.

No, I don't tune to specific notes. I just try to have a coherent sound for all my toms. I haven't used the Tama Tension Watch yet, but I've heard it's really good and I'm looking into using it as well.

- Do you play German grip (ie: Palms to the floor) or French grip (Thumbs to the ceiling)? Or maybe something in between? And you ever play traditional grip?

My right hand is thumbs to the ceiling, my left hand is something in between the German and French grip. As far as traditional grip goes, I've never used it but I always think it looks killer to watch!

- Are drummers allowed to smoke (and more, Dirk, do you smoke)? Or is it better not to smoke? (maybe a weird question, but yet something i've been wondering for quite some time now).

Haha, everyone's allowed to do what they want! Other than the occasional (and unsuccessful) try-out, I've never smoked cigarettes or joints, and I don't think I ever will. I did play drunk a couple of times but it's no fun to me since I just feel like I have to concentrate a hundred times more and the show seems to last forever!
As for knowing if it's better not to smoke... I would suppose so, since smoking affects your lungs and therefore your breathing, which will eventually make any physical activity more difficult/painful.

Hope these answers were somewhat useful to y'all!!!

[enboomer]

Hello all,

Thanks so much for your interest!!!

A few more records I played on are:

7TH CIRCLE - Collective Minds (prog metal from Belgium)
ABORTED - The Haematobic EP (the 4 studio tracks)
ANAON - The Soul's Tribe EP
ARTSONIC - Fake (I didn't play on their 1st album Sonic Area although my picture is on it and I'm listed in the credits)
HEADLINE - Voices Of Presence
HEADLINE - Duality
LYZANXIA - Mindcrimes
MANU LIVERTOUT BAND - 3 albums including the new one [to be released]
STENVAL - Stenval [to be released some day???]
SUBLIME CADAVERIC DECOMPOSITION - new album [to be released]
SYBREED - new album [to be released]

I'm currently working on my personal website which will include details on all of the recordings I did, plus pictures, videos etc. So stay tuned!!!

Awesome!
I'm gonna go check out those bands

looking forward to seeing that website!

Remember, there is never enough videos of drummers doing their thing I could watch that small clip I have of you playing a verse and chorus of asphyxiate forever my only complaint is that it's too fucking short!

[napalmdirk]

Alrighty bro! Hey I haven't even seen that Asphyxiate video, where did you get that??? There'll be a bunch of drumming videos on the website for sure.

Just to make things more clear, here's a complete list (I think!) of the albums/EPs/demos I played on:

7TH CIRCLE - Collective Minds
ABORTED - Goremageddon
ABORTED - The Haematobic [EP]
ANAON - The Soul's Tribe [EP]
ARTSONIC - Fake
EOSTENEM - I Scream You Suffer They Die
HEADLINE - Voices Of Presence
HEADLINE - Duality / Other Voices [bonus EP]
INFINITED HATE - Heaven Termination
LYZANXIA - Mindcrimes
MANU LIVERTOUT BAND - Indian Akrobatik [EP]
MANU LIVERTOUT BAND - Autoparody
MANU LIVERTOUT BAND - The Bounder [to be released]
MORTUARY - Agony In Red
NO RETURN - No Return
PHAZE I - Phaze I
PHAZM - Hate At First Seed
SCARVE - Scarve [demo]
SCARVE - Six Tears Of Sorrow [EP]
SCARVE - Opacity [demo]
SCARVE - Translucence
SCARVE - Luminiferous
SCARVE - Irradiant
SCARVE - new album [to be released]
SOILWORK - Stabbing The Drama
STENVAL - Stenval [to be released]
SUBLIME CADAVERIC DECOMPOSITION - new album [to be released]
SYBREED - new album [to be released]
TALIANDOROGD - Neverplace [EP]
TALIANDOROGD - The Parting
YYRKOON - Occult Medicine

Then there's also a whole bunch of more or less official stuff, a lot of which will never see the light of day... But I'll maybe make a little chapter about that on my website!

[STOG]

Je suis curieux de savoir comment tu te prépares à l'enregistrement d'un groupe avec lequel tu n'as pas nécessairement eu l'occasion de jouer et aussi combien de temps ça peut te prendre pour choper les morceaux d'un album complet. As-tu une méthode de travail systématique ? Par exemple : envoi de mp3 par le groupe pour que tu puisses bosser à domicile ? Comment ça se passe ?

[shadowchild]

Please french guys don't fuck this english topic !

[STOG]

Oh sorry !!! I thought that the question was more important than the language

I'm so confused, please pardon me

[STOG]

Just one thing more to say :