Game recognizes game, and in the world of heavy metal percussion, few endorsements carry as much weight as one from the Godfather of the genre himself. During a recent recording of his “LA Radio Sessions” show, original Black Sabbath drummer Bill Ward spent a significant portion of the broadcast analyzing and celebrating the work of Mastodon drummer Brann Dailor.
Set to air on January 10 via 99.1 KLBP-FM, the segment sees Ward diving deep into what makes Dailor such a unique force in modern metal. According to Ward, his appreciation began not by meeting Dailor personally, but by dissecting the intricate layers of his playing.
“First of all, Brann, before I met him — I met him first through listening to [Mastodon‘s] music, and everything about him, his orchestrations, his jazz, his rock, all of those parts that obviously live inside him are so well put together,” Ward explained (as transcribed by Blabbermouth).
For Ward, the epiphany regarding Dailor‘s talent arrived while listening to a specific track from Mastodon‘s 2009 opus Crack the Skye.
“When I heard [Mastodon‘s] ‘The Last Baron‘ — we’ve played ‘The Last Baron‘ so many times on our [radio] show — and I was blown away. I think that’s where I really met Brann in terms of listening astutely to where he was going, what he was doing, how he would push, how he would retrieve, how he would give way. And I listened to, and I thought, ‘My god, this guy’s really learned how to play drums.'”
Ward was particularly impressed by Dailor‘s ability to balance technical proficiency with musical restraint—a skill Ward deems the mark of a true master. He noted that despite Dailor‘s busy style, he never steps on the toes of his bandmates.
“His intuition and his interaction with other instruments is foreboding and always just enough. I’ve never heard him overplay a part where he could take something else away from another musician. That’s the sign of a really good f**king drummer… He intuitively knows when to, and I feel that from him, when he doesn’t overplay or he doesn’t push on something and he allows air to pass through, and he allows notes to pass through, the other members of the band.”
Drawing from his own experience defining the sound of heavy metal alongside Tony Iommi and Geezer Butler, Ward emphasized that drumming is ultimately a collaborative art form. He sees Dailor as a musician who fundamentally understands the “respect” required to elevate a band.
“That’s what being a drummer is — learning to play with the other musicians. You have to play with the other musicians. I had to learn to play with [Black Sabbath‘s] Tony [Iommi] and to learn to play with Terry, Geezer [Butler], and I learned to play with Ozzy [Osbourne]. You have to play with wherever they are as well. You have to be respectful as a drummer, and Brann is respectful.”
Reflecting on the journey of mastering the instrument, Ward acknowledged that moving beyond the initial “banging” phase is a difficult hurdle for any musician.
“Learning to play drums is not that easy. Coming out the box, we can all start by banging. Mine was trying to learn how to play ‘Peggy Sue‘ by Buddy Holly. But we all have our hurdles to get over. But Brann’s articulation, I think he’s worthy of all the praise that he gets. I think now everyone has recognized that he is an outstanding drummer on a world level.”
He concluded his tribute with genuine enthusiasm for Dailor‘s future output.
“And I can’t wait to hear whatever he is going to do next. And I’m a drummer that loves drummers. So, anyway. Thanks, Brann.”
