I've recently dedicated myself to learning the drums after years of messing around so I've been paying more attention to drumming generally. Something that I enjoy a lot is when a drummer uses the toms a fair bit a la Simon O'laoghaire of Primordial or Jason Roeder of Neurosis. Can anyone reccommend drummers with similarly tasty tom use?

I'm a sucker for any music with tom-heavy drumming, it always gives a ritualistic tribal feel to the music. I occasionally do DJ sets that focus on tribal-influenced music of all genres.

Are you looking for strictly metal bands? I've always associated it more with post-punk bands, or at least bands that incorporate a greater post-punk influence than a strictly metal one. Joy Division, Killing Joke, Amebix, Swans are the big four of ritualistic tribal post-punk, in my opinion. I could throw you loads more names like that, but if you're after strictly metal bands, it's a bit more tricky. It seems to me that Metal bands often have the occasional tribal/tom-heavy song, but rarely focus on the style as much.

Here's a few odd metal songs off the top of my head:

Obituary "Rotting Ways"
https://youtu.be/kBNZzpfgtf4

Enslaved "The Crossing"
https://youtu.be/PBGQy6j24ng

Unholy "Into Cold Light"
https://youtu.be/YcU6WvOjLbA

Pitch Shifter "Diable"
https://youtu.be/5sOtl1TXtYg

Skyclad "Earth Mother, the Sun, and the Furious Host"
https://youtu.be/6msD0iyEKkE

That last one highlights another way it comes into metal, i.e. via the folky path, as tom rhythms can often emulate traditional folk percussion like bòdhrans etc.

Thanks for the recs. I'm a big fan of Skyclad and Amebix(especially with Virus on drums) already. It doesn't have to be metal but that's mostly what I had in mind. Throw all the names you like!

And where should I start with Killing Joke and Swans?

Cool, yeah Virus-era Amebix is the nuts, the No Sanctuary and Winter EPs especially.

Killing Joke have basically made their entire career out of tom-heavy rhythms, here's a few of my favourites:
The Wait
https://youtu.be/JhIl8uzJt0U

The Fall Of Because
https://youtu.be/ow7y0uzpzYs

The Gathering
https://youtu.be/8G1u3QqGzb0

Darkness Before Dawn
https://youtu.be/JTJfJvRtOB8


Swans:
Mind Body Light Sound
https://youtu.be/2ycgV3lHuYk

Power and Sacrifice
https://youtu.be/PLFztSYvg5I


I'll post a load more random stuff below.

OK, this is selection of tracks from my tribal DJ playlist, ranging from punk/post-punk to industrial and psych.

Savage Republic
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wj3mlov8Z4M

New Order
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bmf5gM94m0o
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HaKbU0D2j4c

And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2O49lfJKexU

The Convocation Of...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qenHB1Dr4MI

Bad Breeding
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2IOMOmYBPpA

Moondragon
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=92zAMHUldZM

Door Marked Summer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d17lNCLZqYI

Playground
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_9imQV6hcpE

Nàda
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qpNJJh2hYpA

Jesus Fix
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eFBy_ANt81w

Loop
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6XOQ_Fxu13Y

Ausgang
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=atKn9WNsEtw

Soundgarden
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=14r7y6rM6zA


That'll do for now! If anyone has some more metal with heavy tom use, I'd be interested to hear it.

Cobalt
https://profoundlorerecords.bandcamp.co ... ow-forever

Tool
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qnlhVVwBfew

Tool I know and like but don't love. Tom heavy for sure though.

Cobalt I've heard before but they didn't grab me and having given them another listen now they're still leaving me cold.

Saw this vid yesterday, nice playing.

And listening to Balbulus's rec of Ausgang reminded me of...



I know, I'm very uncool.

Manilla Road's Randy "Thrasher" Foxe?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LPHFmyq1tWI

And nothing uncool about The Offspring, amazing band.

Thanks for the moral support!

Yeah, I like what he's playing. He has a unique style, I'll have to check out more of their stuff. Not mad about the vocals unfortunately, the way they just follow the guitar melody.

I'm not referring to the musicians mentioned by the OP, but toms are quite loud in the mix and generously used on Bathym's "Demonic force" 7"EP.

The entire Kriegsmaschine album Apocalypticists.