During the show, a friend remarked that Charlie Benante was among the best speed metal drummers, up there with Lars Ulrich. Another guy remarked that he prefered Pantera’s Vinnie Paul (which of course discredits his opinion entirely). But both forgot about Slayer’s Dave Lombardo who I’ve long considered the genre’s best and most definitive drummer. He was simply brutal. Charlie Benante is a close second for entirely different reasons. Benante is highly technical without any compromise in energy. In heavy music, there’s no real substitute for Lombardo’s extreme style, but Benante beats all others hands down with his unique mix of technical skill and unbridled electricity.
