VINNIE PAUL: A Lot Of Newer Metal Drummers 'Play Too Much'

Former PANTERA and current HELLYEAH drummer Vinnie Paul Abbott says that he still loves all the legendary musicians that he grew up listening to but is unable to appreciate many of the newer extreme-metal sticksmen because they "play too much."

During an appearance on HATEBREED frontman Jamey Jasta's official podcast, "The Jasta Show", Vinnie said about his drumming influences: "I always really loved the guys that made me wanna play drums. John Bonham, probably the greatest drummer ever. All of us wanted to play drums like him.

"Alex Van Halen… I loved his playing because he had so much energy; he made those songs exciting, along with everything else that went with him.

"Tommy Aldridge is the guy that made me wanna play double kick, man. I heard him play 'Boom Boom (Out Go The Lights)' with the Pat Travers band and he was doing stuff with his feet that I couldn't even hear people do with their hands. I was, like, 'Man, I've gotta get another bass drum.'

"That's a whole another funny story. I went to my dad. I said, 'Man, I've gotta have another bass drum, dad.' And he was, like, 'Why? What's wrong with the one you've got, son?' And I said, 'Nothing. I need two.' And he just looked at me, like, 'Two? What's that for?' I said, 'I'll show you. Just get me another one, man.' And so that's how I got started on that.

"And then, somebody that really doesn't reflect in my playing, but I'm a huge fan of, is Neil Peart; he's an amazing drummer.

"But the new guys, to me, a lot of them play too much — to me.

"I always considered myself a groove drummer, and a blast beat don't have much of a groove to it. And a lot of these drummers play so much that it's not about the song anymore, it's like a show-off session. 'Watch me. Here I go.' It's over the top.

"To me, I always felt like drums have to be the support and the driving factor in a song, and there's places where the drummer has to show off and do things and get the spotlight, but not all the time. You've gotta pick and choose. And it's always gotta be about the song. That's really the bottom line."

HELLYEAH's fourth album, "Blood For Blood", sold around 17,000 copies in its first week of release to land at No. 18 on the Billboard chart. The band's previous effort, 2011's "Band Of Brothers", opened with 19,000 copies back in July 2012 to debut at No. 19.

HELLYEAH is currently touring North America as guests of FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH and VOLBEAT.