10. Daniel Fang (Turnstile)
The Rhythm Best in drums 2018 polls received an astonishing 100,000 votes, and we're now ready to roll out the winners. The nominees were what we considered to be the drummers and gear that have excelled in 2018. Here, we present the best new drummers of 2018. First up we have Daniel Fang of Turnstile...
2018 highlight: American hardcore has never felt as fresh as on the Maryland bruisers sophomore album Time & Space. Building on their hard hitting debut, Time & Space was a brilliant, fast-paced concoction of forward-thinking hardcore punk that clocked in at just under 30 minutes. Drummer Daniel Fang brought power, groove and excitement to the album.
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9. Mark Lilley (Svalbard)
2018 highlight: Svalbard have been on the UK punk scene for a little while now, but it was their hefty second album, It's Hard To Have Hope, that really put them on the musical map. The album was the sound of a band who have worked hard to fine-tune their sound and musical energy. Mark Lilley is a force to be reckoned with behind the kit and tracks like Feminazi?! and the ferocious For The Sake Of The Breed are prime examples of why he deserves his spot on this list.
8. Robbie Back (Employed To Serve)
2018 highlight: The UK heavy music scene has enjoyed a great year courtesy of potent new bands like Employed To Serve. Hailing from Woking, the metal-meets-hardcore quintet released their crushing second album The Warmth Of A Dying Sung in the middle of 2017 and proceeded to blow minds with their live shows well into 2018, steered by powerhouse drummer Robbie Back.
7. Jan Krause (Conjurer)
2018 highlight: If you were after big riffs and even bigger beats this year, you needed to look no further than drummer Jan Krause and Conjurer. Drawing on influences from Mastodon and Gojira to Converge, Conjurer's doom-y debut album Mire was a drumming highlight of 2018 and we can't wait to see what Krause pulls off next.
6. Dave Morgan (The Physics House Band)
2018 highlight: In a recent Rhythm Magazine interview, Black Peaks drummer Liam Kearley described Dave Morgan as "all-out Mitch Mitchell – an absolute beast of a drummer." You can't argue with that. Morgan is the ideal drummer for The Physics House Band's experimental prog, and we can't get enough of him.
5. Marco Von Allmen (Zeal & Ardor)
2018 highlight: When avant-garde metal maestro Manuel Gagneux needed a full band to realise his unique musical vision he appointed Marco Van Allmen for drum duties. Van Allmen stepped up to the challenge (and the double kick drums) on 2018's Stranger Fruit album, which resulted in much critical acclaim and a major following for the band's fascinating metal-meets-soul sound.
4. Elise Trouw (solo)
2018 highlight: Elise first came to our attention in early 2018 when a cool video appeared on our Facebook feed. The talented multi-instrumentalist was using Ableton Live to perform a mash-up of Foo Fighters track Everlong and What You Won’t Do for Love by Bobby Caldwell. Bouncing between guitar, keys, kit and vocals, we knew we were witnessing something special (and so did 26 million other viewers). Delving further into her video archive it quickly became apparent that she is a talented drummer and her star has continued to rise ever since.
3. Dan Olds (Palm Reader)
2018 highlight: You don't receive the sort of critical acclaim bestowed upon Nottingham quintet Palm Reader without having the music or live reputation to back it up. In fact, these guys have both, thanks to a relentless touring schedule and their latest epic album Braille. The reason Dan Olds has been singled out in this category is for stunning drum parts like the pounding verse lick in Internal Winter and the rhythmic perfection of Inertia.
2. Ben Minal (Toska)
2018 highlight: Not only has Ben Minal been riding high with prog metal band Toska, who recently released impressive new album Fire By The Silos, but he's become a UK drumming star in his own right thanks to his fantastic YouTube channel – his profile is chock-full of fantastic gear reviews, playalongs and industry advice. Ben even found time to interview the great Steve Gadd for Yamaha earlier this year. The man gets about!
Winner: Danny Wagner (Greta Van Fleet)
2018 highlight: On first listen you'd be forgiven for thinking that Greta Van Fleet's sophomore album Anthem Of The Peaceful Army was a new Led Zeppelin cut, but it's actually the handiwork of four young bucks from Michigan. Drummer Danny Wagner was still wearing nappies at the turn of the millennium, but that didn't stop him diving into the work of John Bonham and channeling the rock legend in sound, gear choices and playing style ever since.
