
Charlie Benante

Some of the worlds greatest drummers and industry members share their memories of what Neil Peart has meant to them.

Alongside Metallica, Megadeth, and Slayer, Anthrax is part of the “Big Four” architects of thrash metal, and the band is a monolith in the metal genre in general.

In 2007, at the Sounds of the Underground festival in Phoenix, Arizona, where Shadows Fall was on the bill, Jason Bittner heard that Kelly Smith, drummer for the thrash veterans Flotsam and Jetsam, was in attendance. Bittner first met Smith back in 1988, shortly before leaving home to study at …

Victor DeLorenzo, Jason Bittner, Charlie Benante, Don Brewer, Lewis Nash, Glenn Kotche, Brain, Marco Djordjevic, Aaron Ford, Jason Reece, Scott Reeder, AJ Pero, Ryan Yerdon, Steve Frothingham

Jack DeJohnette, Scott Underwood, Tommy Sickles, Rob Bourdon, Charlie Benante, Sam McCandless, Stix Hooper, J.R. Conners, Stan Frazier, Joey Kramer, Aaron Montgomery, Mike Portnoy, Danny Carey, Terry Bozzio

Mike Portnoy, Lil’ John Roberts, Roy Hanes, Dave Lombardo, Bobby Rondinelli, Brendan Buckley, Chad Gracey, Paul Wertico, Alan White, Andy Kubiszewski, Fabrizio Moretti, Jimmy Chamberlin, Charlie Benante, Russ Miller
Carter Beauford, Billy Martin, Mike Clark, Keith Moon, Paul Deakin, Charlie Benante, Mark Walker, Scott Rockenfield, Joe Birch, Marky Ramone, Mark Rajakovic, Terry Bozzio, Paul Liem,
Chad Sexton, Don Lombardi, Herb Brochstein, Roy Burns, Vic Firth, Ron Spagnardi, Virgil Donati, John Tempesta, Charlie Benante, Steve Gadd, Giovanni Hidalgo, Bill Stewart, Tony Royster Jr. , Horacio “El Negro” Hernandez, Paul Wertico, Jack DeJohnette, Steve Ferrone, Papa Jo Jones, Chad Smith, Mario Calire, Jeff Porcaro, Jason Bonham, Bun …
In this Issue: Joey Baron, Philip Rhodes, Paul Leim, Eddie Bayers, Tommy Wells, Jerry Kroon, Kenny Malone, Owen Hale, Lonnie Wilson, Milton Sledge, Alan Dawson, Gary Seligson, Richard Hilms, Louie Bellson, Charlie Benante, Peter Yanowitz, Jody Stephens, Terry Bozzio, John Molo, Chester Thompson

In this Issue: Charlie Benante, Michael Baker

In this issue: David Van Tieghem, Bill Berry, Charlie Benante, The Cavaliers
Posted: May 23, 2021

Charlie Benante – “Silver Linings” Album Review 5/23/21
by Josh Buchignani Charlie Benante, drummer of famed thrash metal group, Anthrax, has pushed the envelope of creativity and collaboration in a way that has brought a plethora of talented artists together for the making of this 14-track album entitled aptly “Silver Linings” culled from his collection of 2020 …
Posted: September 1, 2020

Modern Drummer Festival 2020
Modern Drummer is rebooting its world-famous Drum Festival on September 12 at 8 p.m. Eastern Standard Time with a live-streaming event honoring the late, great Rush drummer Neil Peart. Proceeds of ticket sales will benefit brain tumor research at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. The event, which will be produced and distributed …
Posted: August 20, 2020

20th Annual Modern Drummer Festival featuring A Tribute To Iconic Drummer Neil Peart.
LiveXLive to Produce and Distribute Live Pay Per View Show Featuring Incredible Lineup Reaching over 150 Million Social Media Fans — Taylor Hawkins, Chad Smith, Cindy Blackman-Santana, Thomas Lang, Alex Gonzalez A global platform for livestream and on-demand audio, video and podcast content in music, comedy, and pop culture, announced …
Posted: January 13, 2017
Bonzo Bash NAMM 2017
The first of these shows that Tichy & Sutton have produced, took place on September 25th, 2010, on the 30th anniversary of Bonham’s passing. They have since taken the show to both coasts, with BashFest 2017 sure to be the mightiest one yet.
Posted: September 22, 2016
On the Beat With Paul Figueroa of Crobot: Talks Drummers, Gear, and Tours
Greetings MD! My name is Paul Figueroa and I play drums for Crobot, a hard rock riffy groove band based out of Pottsville, PA. This year we recorded and released our second album, Welcome to Fat City, and are revving up the tour engines in support of it.
Posted: August 1, 2016
Evan Chapman of Square Peg Round Hole: Juniper Album, “Name Not One Man??? Video World Premiere
With Juniper, instrumental and percussion-heavy trio Square Peg Round Hole unleashes pondering melodies, brooding harmonic landscapes, and forward-thinking rhythms. Here, the group’s main drummer, Evan Chapman, discusses the concepts and influences behind the record’s broad sonic spectrum….
Posted: April 29, 2015

Drummer Blog: Billy McCarthy on the Documentary Ferocious Drummers
Hello Modern Drummer readers! My name is Billy McCarthy, and right now the trailer for my documentary film, Ferocious Drummers, is up at www.kickstarter.com. With this film, I am hoping to move drummers to a place they hardly visit on the actual stage—right up front and center….
Posted: April 29, 2015
Drummer Blog: Billy McCarthy on the Documentary Ferocious Drummers
Hello Modern Drummer readers! My name is Billy McCarthy, and right now the trailer for my documentary film, Ferocious Drummers, is up at www.kickstarter.com. With this film, I am hoping to move drummers to a place they hardly visit on the actual stage—right up front and center….
Posted: April 21, 2015
News: Anthrax’s Charlie Benante Releases “Benante’s Blend??? Coffee
Anthrax’s Charlie Benante has entered the world of entrepreneurship with his new coffee company, Benante’s Blend.
Posted: October 25, 2013
MD Writer “Pistol” Pete Kaufmann Conducts “Big Picture Drumming” Clinic
Musician and Modern Drummer writer “Pistol” Pete Kaufmann will be conducting his clinic on “Big Picture Drumming” at Warlock Drum studios in Downtown Jersey City, Saturday, November 9th, from 1 to 3pm. Big Picture Drumming is based on Pistol’s Modern Drummer Magazine educational piece and concepts will be geared towards …
Posted: October 1, 2013
Gene Hoglan To Release New DVD
Thirty years into a career of trailblazing thrash drumming, Gene “The Atomic Clock??? Hoglan shows no signs of slowing down. Between touring and/or recording with Testament, Dethklok, and Meldrum, conducting drum clinics, and filming an instructional video, he’s as busy as ever….
Posted: March 13, 2013
Former Iron Maiden Drummer Clive Burr Dies at 56
Clive Burr, who played on Iron Maiden’s first three albums in the early 1980s, passed away on March 12 at age fifty-six after a long fight against multiple sclerosis. A statement on the band’s Facebook page says Burr “died peacefully in his sleep at home.???
Posted: November 28, 2012
Billy McCarthy of Ferocious Drummers
As a drummer myself, I had a burning question, “Why is it we’ve never heard from the drummer’s personality and character on and off the stage????
Posted: January 4, 2012
Charlie Benante
Milestones were bountiful in 2011 for NYC thrash icons Anthrax and their founding drummer.
Posted: May 5, 2011
Justin Foley: Killswitch Engage’s Rulebreaker
Killswitch Engage drummer Justin Foley doesn’t quite fit in with the normal metal drummer stereotypes. For one, he’s classically trained, having received his undergraduate degree in percussion from the University of Connecticut and his master’s degree from the prestigious Hartt School of Music. When not touring he often plays with …
Posted: October 26, 2010
John Tempesta: Heavy With Testament, Zombie, And Beyond
John Tempesta has worked his way to the top of heavy metal drumming, but his first inspirations and influences to pursue the instrument came via Ringo Starr in the Beatles film A Hard Day’s Night and Dennis Davis supporting David Bowie at Madison Square Garden in 1977. John bought a …
Posted: March 24, 2009
Charlie Benante Chpt 1, Interview with Jason Bittner
Jason Bittner interviews Charlie Benante in part 1 of this exclusive video series.
Posted: March 24, 2009
Charlie Benante Chpt 2, Interview with Jason Bittner
Jason Bittner interviews Charlie Benante in part 2 of this exclusive video series.
Posted: March 24, 2009
Charlie Benante Chpt 3, Interview with Jason Bittner
Jason Bittner interviews Charlie Benante in part 3 of this exclusive video series.
Posted: March 24, 2009
Charlie Benante Chpt 4, Interview with Jason Bittner
Jason Bittner interviews Charlie Benante in part 4 of this exclusive video series.
Posted: March 24, 2009
Charlie Benante Chpt 5, Interview with Jason Bittner
Jason Bittner interviews Charlie Benante in part 5 of this exclusive video series.
Posted: March 24, 2009
Charlie Benante Chpt 6, Interview with Jason Bittner
Jason Bittner interviews Charlie Benante in part 6 of this exclusive video series.
Posted: October 19, 2007
Derek Roddy – Today’s Most Extreme Drummer
Blast Beats. If you’re into metal drumming, then you probably know all about ’em: blistering 16th- and/or 32nd-note grooves using single strokes between the bass drum and snare drum (right hand usually mimicking the bass drum on the ride cymbal). And if you’re into blast beats, then you probably know …
Posted: March 15, 2007
Jason Bittner: Man or Machine?
In the wee morning hours of 2004, Jason Bittner put on his slippers, leashed the hounds, and left his Albany, New York home to pick up the latest issue of Modern Drummer….
Posted: July 24, 2005
Jason Bittner
Want to know the true meaning of a dedicated drummer? How about warming up your chops on practice pads in the back of a U-Haul trailer at 9:30 A.M. and in 95 degree weather, all in preparation for taking the stage at 10 A.M. on the grueling second stage at …
Posted: May 12, 2004
Charlie Benante: Comin’ For You
The New York-based thrash metal drummer isn’t just about getting behind his Tamas and churning out blast beats to whatever material is present. Benante’s service in Anthrax plays a much larger role than what’s typically expected of a metal drummer.
Posted: June 24, 2021

Episode 39: David Frangioni interviews Nandi Bushell + Dawson’s Shop Talk review on the Roland – VAD306 Compact Electronic Drumset. In this episode MD CEO David Frangioni interviews 11-year-old UK social media sensation, drummer and multi-instrumentalist Nandi Bushell, sponsored by Roland. Nandi and her father John walks David thru how …