Lars Ulrich

Metallica · Thrash precision, riff-locked arrangements, and relentless right-hand drive.

One continuous arc through Lars Ulrich's playing — every stage warms up with the previous stage's skill, builds the new one, then applies it to a real song.

0 of 10 stages worked through · nothing is locked

Stage 1 of 10

Foundations: the thrash gallop

Build the galloping right-hand eighth pattern that drives early Metallica.

• Steady gallop rhythm on a closed hi-hat
• Even quarter-note kick under the gallop
• Snare backbeat locked cleanly against the gallop

Unlocks: The verse gallop of Whiplash at a manageable tempo.

Heard in: Hit the Lights · Whiplash · Creeping Death

Leads to: Stage 2 — Core grooves: riff-locked drumming

4 part session · warm-up, build, push, apply · from 120 BPM

Workout

Stage 2 of 10

Core grooves: riff-locked drumming

Match kick and snare hits precisely to Metallica's syncopated riffs.

Carries in from: Stage 1 — Foundations: the thrash gallop

• Kick pattern that mirrors a syncopated guitar riff exactly
• Snare accents landing on riff stabs, not just backbeats
• Clean stop-start playing with the riff

Unlocks: The riff-locked verse of Battery.

Heard in: Hit the Lights · Whiplash · Creeping Death

Leads to: Stage 3 — Signature techniques: double kick sections

5 part session · warm-up, build, push, apply · from 130 BPM

Workout

Stage 3 of 10

Signature techniques: double kick sections

Introduce double kick under thrash tempo riffing.

Carries in from: Stage 2 — Core grooves: riff-locked drumming

• Straight double kick sixteenths under a riff
• Double kick bursts on accented riff hits
• Balance between hands and feet at speed

Unlocks: The double kick sections of Fight Fire with Fire.

Heard in: Fight Fire with Fire · Battery · Master of Puppets

Leads to: Stage 4 — Fills & transitions: composed tom fills

5 part session · warm-up, build, push, apply · from 150 BPM

Workout

Stage 4 of 10

Fills & transitions: composed tom fills

Play the exact, composed tom fills that punctuate riff and section changes.

Carries in from: Stage 3 — Signature techniques: double kick sections

• Note-for-note tom fill recall on riff transitions
• Fills that land precisely on the next riff's downbeat
• Consistent tom voicing across repeated sections

Unlocks: The composed fills between riffs in Master of Puppets.

Heard in: Creeping Death · Battery · Master of Puppets

Leads to: Stage 5 — Advanced coordination: ride-bell thrash

5 part session · warm-up, build, push, apply · from 140 BPM

Workout

Stage 5 of 10

Advanced coordination: ride-bell thrash

Drive fast sections on the ride bell instead of hi-hat for a harder edge.

Carries in from: Stage 4 — Fills & transitions: composed tom fills

• Ride bell eighths at thrash tempo
• Clean transitions between hi-hat and ride bell sections
• Double kick coordination under ride bell patterns

Unlocks: The ride-bell driven sections of Blackened.

Heard in: Fight Fire with Fire · Battery · Master of Puppets

Leads to: Stage 6 — Song applications: half-time breakdowns

5 part session · warm-up, build, push, apply · from 160 BPM

Workout

Stage 6 of 10

Song applications: half-time breakdowns

Drop into crushing half-time sections within otherwise fast songs.

Carries in from: Stage 5 — Advanced coordination: ride-bell thrash

• Half-time groove under a heavy, slow riff
• Clean gear change from thrash tempo to half-time
• Tom-heavy half-time fills that keep the weight

Unlocks: The half-time breakdown in One.

Heard in: Hit the Lights · Whiplash · Creeping Death

Leads to: Stage 7 — Advanced song studies: long-form arrangements

5 part session · warm-up, build, push, apply · from 100 BPM

Workout

Stage 7 of 10

Advanced song studies: long-form arrangements

Hold together an eight-minute-plus arrangement with multiple riff sections.

Carries in from: Stage 6 — Song applications: half-time breakdowns

• Full section map memorised for a long-form epic
• Consistent tempo and feel across many riff changes
• Energy pacing across an extended arrangement

Unlocks: A full run of Master of Puppets or One.

Heard in: Hit the Lights · Whiplash · Fight Fire with Fire

Leads to: Stage 8 — Signature performances: the Black Album groove

5 part session · warm-up, build, push, apply · from 138 BPM

Workout

Stage 8 of 10

Signature performances: the Black Album groove

Play the heavier, groove-based feel Ulrich developed for the self-titled album.

Carries in from: Stage 7 — Advanced song studies: long-form arrangements

• Slower, heavier groove with big open backbeats
• Simplified, powerful fills matching the heavier sound
• Dynamic control across a mid-tempo heavy groove

Unlocks: A full run of Enter Sandman.

Heard in: Hit the Lights · Whiplash · Creeping Death

Leads to: Stage 9 — Challenge workouts: thrash endurance

5 part session · warm-up, build, push, apply · from 123 BPM

Workout

Stage 9 of 10

Challenge workouts: thrash endurance

Build the stamina for a full thrash set at speed.

Carries in from: Stage 8 — Signature performances: the Black Album groove

• Extended right-hand gallop endurance sets
• Double kick endurance under continuous riffing
• Full-song runs back to back without slowing

Unlocks: Back-to-back runs of Battery and Master of Puppets.

Heard in: Hit the Lights · Whiplash · One

Leads to: Stage 10 — Mastery: the full Ulrich vocabulary

5 part session · warm-up, build, push, apply · from 160 BPM

Workout

Stage 10 of 10

Mastery: the full Ulrich vocabulary

Freely combine galloping thrash, double kick, ride bell drive and composed fills.

Carries in from: Stage 9 — Challenge workouts: thrash endurance

• Move freely between thrash gallop and half-time breakdowns
• Apply riff-locked drumming to unfamiliar material
• Perform a full long-form arrangement from memory

Unlocks: A complete self-directed thrash-era set.

Heard in: Hit the Lights · Whiplash · Fight Fire with Fire

6 part session · warm-up, build, push, apply · from 160 BPM

Workout