Lars Ulrich

≈ 145 · 4/4

Prep with: Stage 1 — Foundations: the thrash gallop

Primary technique:

Thrash gallop

Also trains:

Riff-locked kick, Crash accents

Key groove:

Fast galloping right-hand pattern driving the opening riff.

Signature fill:

Snare-led fill into the first chorus.

Transition:

Gallop groove drops straight into a double-time chorus feel.

Listen for:

How the gallop rhythm locks exactly with the riff's rhythm.

Training:

Trains the basic thrash gallop pattern.

Challenge:

Hold the gallop completely even through the full song length.

• Intro: Gallop groove establishes the thrash feel.
• Verse: Riff-locked gallop pattern.
• Chorus: Double-time push, crash accents.

≈ 155 · 4/4

Prep with: Stage 1 — Foundations: the thrash gallop

Primary technique:

Thrash gallop

Also trains:

Riff-locked kick, Fast right hand

Key groove:

Relentless galloping groove at high tempo.

Signature fill:

Short tom fill punctuating verse-to-chorus transitions.

Transition:

Fill drops straight back into the gallop groove.

Listen for:

The evenness of the gallop even as the tempo pushes higher.

Training:

Trains gallop stamina at speed.

Challenge:

Play the whole song without the gallop rushing ahead of the riff.

• Verse: Driving gallop groove.
• Chorus: Full-kit push with crash accents.

≈ 220 · 4/4

Prep with: Stage 3 — Signature techniques: double kick sections

Primary technique:

Double kick bursts

Also trains:

Thrash gallop, Riff-locked accents

Key groove:

Blistering fast riff-locked groove with double kick punctuation.

Signature fill:

Rapid tom fill leading into the main riff after the acoustic intro.

Transition:

Acoustic intro explodes into full-speed thrash groove.

Listen for:

The precision of the double kick hits against the fast riff.

Training:

Trains double kick control at extreme thrash tempo.

Challenge:

Keep double kick bursts clean and even at full tempo throughout.

• Intro: Acoustic guitar, drums silent.
• Verse: Full-speed riff-locked groove.
• Chorus: Double kick accents on riff stabs.

≈ 140 · 4/4

Prep with: Stage 1 — Foundations: the thrash gallop

Primary technique:

Riff-locked drumming

Also trains:

Gallop groove, Gang-chant breakdown

Key groove:

Riff-locked groove with a famous chanted breakdown section.

Signature fill:

Building tom fill into the die-by-my-hand breakdown.

Transition:

Full stop into a stripped-back chant section, then rebuild.

Listen for:

How the drums drop out and rebuild energy around the chant.

Training:

Trains dynamic pacing and riff-locked accuracy.

Challenge:

Rebuild the energy from the breakdown without rushing the tempo.

• Verse: Riff-locked gallop groove.
• Breakdown: Stripped back, chant section.
• Outro: Full energy rebuild to the end.

≈ 190 · 4/4

Prep with: Stage 3 — Signature techniques: double kick sections

Primary technique:

Riff-locked drumming

Also trains:

Double kick sixteenths, Composed fills

Key groove:

Fast riff-locked groove with continuous double kick under the verse riff.

Signature fill:

Precise composed fill into the chorus, identical every time.

Transition:

Double kick wall carries straight through the riff changes.

Listen for:

How exactly the composed fill repeats each time it appears.

Training:

Trains composed fill recall and double kick endurance.

Challenge:

Play the composed fill identically every time it recurs in the song.

• Intro: Acoustic build before the full-speed riff.
• Verse: Riff-locked double kick groove.
• Chorus: Composed fill leads into the chorus riff.

≈ 220 (varies by section) · 4/4

Prep with: Stage 1 — Foundations: the thrash gallop

Primary technique:

Long-form arrangement drumming

Also trains:

Composed fills, Half-time middle section

Key groove:

Multiple distinct riff sections, each with its own locked groove.

Signature fill:

Composed fills marking each major section change across the eight-minute arrangement.

Transition:

Full tempo and feel changes between the thrash sections and the slow middle section.

Listen for:

How the feel shifts completely for the slow, melodic middle section.

Training:

Trains full long-form arrangement memory and section-to-section transitions.

Challenge:

Play the entire eight-minute arrangement from memory without a section error.

• Intro: Full-speed riff-locked groove.
• Verse: Double kick driven, riff-locked.
• Middle section: Slow, melodic, half-time feel.
• Solo: Building tempo back to full speed.
• Outro: Return to the main riff at full intensity.

≈ 100 to 220 · 4/4

Prep with: Stage 1 — Foundations: the thrash gallop

Primary technique:

Half-time breakdown into double kick assault

Also trains:

Dynamic pacing, Riff-locked machine-gun kick

Key groove:

Slow half-time verse groove that erupts into a famous machine-gun double kick section.

Signature fill:

The machine-gun double kick pattern mimicking gunfire under the solo.

Transition:

Dramatic tempo doubling from the half-time verse into the double kick assault.

Listen for:

The exact moment the half-time groove doubles into the machine-gun section.

Training:

Trains half-time control and sustained double kick endurance in one song.

Challenge:

Play the full dynamic arc from half-time to double kick assault without rushing the build.

• Intro: War sound effects, no drums.
• Verse: Slow half-time groove.
• Bridge: Building tempo and intensity.
• Solo: Machine-gun double kick assault.
• Outro: Full speed to the abrupt ending.

≈ 200 · 4/4

Prep with: Stage 3 — Signature techniques: double kick sections

Primary technique:

Ride bell drive

Also trains:

Double kick sixteenths, Riff-locked accents

Key groove:

Ride bell driven groove giving the fast sections extra cut and aggression.

Signature fill:

Fast tom fill into the ride-bell verse groove.

Transition:

Switches between hi-hat and ride bell as sections intensify.

Listen for:

The shift in cymbal choice between hi-hat and ride bell sections.

Training:

Trains ride bell timing and double kick coordination together.

Challenge:

Keep the ride bell pattern clean and even at full thrash tempo.

• Intro: Backwards effect, drums explode in.
• Verse: Ride bell driven riff-locked groove.
• Chorus: Full-kit double kick push.

≈ 123 · 4/4

Prep with: Stage 1 — Foundations: the thrash gallop

Primary technique:

Groove-based heavy backbeat

Also trains:

Simplified fills, Dynamic control

Key groove:

A simplified, heavier groove built for radio-friendly power rather than raw speed.

Signature fill:

Simple, powerful tom fill into the chorus.

Transition:

Clean, deliberate fill-to-chorus landing.

Listen for:

How much space is left in the groove compared to the earlier thrash albums.

Training:

Trains heavy, controlled groove playing at a moderate tempo.

Challenge:

Play the groove with maximum weight and control at a relaxed tempo.

• Intro: Clean riff, drums enter with a simple groove.
• Verse: Heavy, spacious groove.
• Chorus: Full-kit power, simple crash-driven fill.

≈ 89 · 4/4

Prep with: Stage 1 — Foundations: the thrash gallop

Primary technique:

Heavy half-time groove

Also trains:

Dynamic weight, Simplified fills

Key groove:

Slow, crushing half-time groove built around a downtuned riff.

Signature fill:

Minimal, weighty fill emphasising groove over notes.

Transition:

Sparse fills that keep the heavy groove feel intact.

Listen for:

How much impact each individual hit carries at this slower tempo.

Training:

Trains heavy backbeat weight and controlled restraint.

Challenge:

Make every hit count with maximum weight, playing as few extra notes as possible.

• Verse: Slow, heavy half-time groove.
• Chorus: Fuller groove, still restrained.

≈ 190 · 4/4

Prep with: Stage 1 — Foundations: the thrash gallop

Primary technique:

Modern thrash gallop

Also trains:

Double kick bursts, Riff-locked accents

Key groove:

A return to fast thrash gallop energy with a modern, tighter production feel.

Signature fill:

Quick tom fill punctuating the short, punchy song structure.

Transition:

Rapid stop-start riff hits locked tightly with kick and snare.

Listen for:

How tightly modern production locks the gallop to the riff.

Training:

Trains fast gallop and riff-lock accuracy at a modern tempo.

Challenge:

Play the whole short, fast song with zero drift against the riff hits.

• Intro: Fast riff-locked groove establishes energy immediately.
• Verse: Gallop groove locked to riff.
• Chorus: Full-kit push with tight stop-start hits.