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Blast beat

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Blast beat is a drum beat consisting of torrents of alternating or simultaneous snare and bass drums. The hi-hat or a ride cymbal is often played simultaneously with either the bass drum or the snare drum, and occasionally a crash cymbal or china cup is also featured. Diverse patterns and timings are also frequently employed by more technical players. While this method is often used to create a forceful climax, a blastbeat can constitute the bulk of an entire song.

Blast beats have their roots in hardcore punk as well as thrash metal, however in modern standards the snare work is frequently comparable to established snare patterns in jazz. Blast beats are a prominent feature of death metal, black metal and grindcore to increase the speed, density, and percussiveness. Nevertheless they can also be found in other genres, including doom metal. The blast beat is a fundamental component in nearly all of extreme metal. Bands making extensive use of it include Origin, Cryptopsy, Napalm Death, Dying Fetus, Hate Eternal, Suffocation and Dark Funeral among others.

The original use in metal is generally attributed to SOD and Napalm Death. The former showcased the technique by a double-handed blast beat in the track "Milk". The latter started using it as a fundament of their musical compositions.

Early blast beats were generally quite slow and less precise compared to today's standards. Nowadays, a blast beat is normally played in tempos from 180 bpm upwards, with so-called "hyperblast beats" (achieved by using a one-handed roll on the snare and hi-hat and double bass drum) existing in the range of 260-340 bpm. There is also what is called a "gravity blast" which implements a different kind one-handed roll, called a gravity roll, a relatively recent invention which uses the rim of the snare as a fulcrum on which the stick is rocked back and forth, allowing two snare hits with each full arm motion (one on the down motion, and another coming up). Of the three the gravity blast allows the fastest speeds, as it essentially allows the work of two hands to be performed with one.

Typical blast beats consist of 8th note snare and 8th or 16th note bass drum hits, on the top of which a cymbal, normally a hi-hat or a ride, is hit, in Quarter or 8th notes. Variations exist. Some people (most notably Derek Roddy) maintain the bass drum should be played with one foot for the best effect in blast using 8th note bass drum strokes; however, others (in fact the majority of extreme metal drummers) split the 8th notes between both feet.

Notable artists

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