Joey Jordison

A heavy groove where the kick lands on unexpected 16th-note subdivisions against a straight backbeat

Practise: Loop the kick pattern alone until it's automatic, then add the snare backbeat on top

Comes out of: Stage 2 — Core grooves — syncopated groove-metal stomp

Heard in: Duality · People = Shit · Vermilion

A steady chatter on the hi-hat foot running underneath the hands, thickening the groove

Practise: Play the hi-hat foot pattern alone first, then layer the hand groove on top without losing it

Comes out of: Stage 1 — Foundations — tight singles and hi-hat foot control

Heard in: Wait and Bleed · Duality · The Heretic Anthem

A fast 16th-note groove played with metronome-level evenness in both hands and feet

Practise: Play against a click for several minutes and check for any drift at higher tempos

Comes out of: Stage 1 — Foundations — tight singles and hi-hat foot control

Heard in: Wait and Bleed · Before I Forget · Psychosocial

A single huge accented hit landing exactly with the whole band on a breakdown

Practise: Play along with the recording and land the hit with zero anticipation or lag

Comes out of: Stage 3 — Signature techniques — fast, machine-tight consistency

Heard in: Before I Forget · Psychosocial · People = Shit

Dropping from a heavy half-time breakdown straight into a full-speed groove on cue

Practise: Alternate four bars of half time with four bars of full speed until the switch feels instant

Comes out of: Stage 1 — Foundations — tight singles and hi-hat foot control

Heard in: Wait and Bleed · Duality · Before I Forget

The hi-hat foot playing its own syncopated accent pattern independent from the hands and kick

Practise: Isolate the hi-hat foot pattern completely before adding the rest of the groove on top

Comes out of: Stage 1 — Foundations — tight singles and hi-hat foot control

Heard in: Wait and Bleed · Duality · The Heretic Anthem

Crash hits landing exactly on unison riff stabs at speed, adding weight without clutter

Practise: Play along with a riff recording and land crashes only on the exact unison hits

Comes out of: Stage 3 — Signature techniques — fast, machine-tight consistency

Heard in: Before I Forget · Psychosocial · People = Shit

A restrained verse groove that opens up dramatically into a huge, crash-driven chorus

Practise: Practise pulling back the verse dynamics deliberately so the chorus lift feels bigger

Comes out of: Stage 5 — Advanced coordination — left-foot independence

Heard in: The Heretic Anthem · Vermilion

A quick, aggressive snare-tom fill that always lands exactly on the following downbeat

Practise: Practise the fill slowly with a click, then speed up only once the landing stays exact

Comes out of: Stage 4 — Fills & transitions — sharp, exact fills

Heard in: Disasterpiece

Sustaining fast, tight grooves across a long set without losing stroke consistency

Practise: Play a fast groove continuously for several minutes, checking tempo and volume stay level

Comes out of: Stage 9 — Challenge workouts — full-set stamina