DRUMMER FOR ORIGIN
BIO
FOLLOW JOHN
“Far too often death metal drummers are written off as too machine-like or lacking soul, but I beg to differ. Sure, there are a lot of drummers who rely too heavily on speed and technicality and end up sacrificing any real dynamic to their playing, but Longstreth is definitely not one of them.
Not only is John widely hailed as one of the fastest drummers ever to grace this planet, he has, whether they know it or not, influenced nearly every death metal drummer to emerge in the past 10 years. His relentless and super-human style is responsible for nearly every rhythm section that is proliferating the ever-expanding technical death metal scene today.”
-www.thedailyrotation.com
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Kansas City native (and now New York City resident), John Longstreth, is considered one of the most proficient drummers in the modern death metal musical scene. Displaying incredible technique (such as seemingly unattainable blast beats, astonishing speed, control and endurance) as well as a solid command of versatility behind the drums, John is quickly becoming a highly reputable influence in the world of drumming. As with many drummers, John began his path to drumming on pots & pans but eventually graduated to a beginner’s drum set in primary school. Growing up with a notable father in the Kansas City Jazz scene, John was consistently exposed to the music of influential greats that ranged from Buddy Rich to more modern composers like Pat Metheny and Frank Zappa. It wasn’t until junior high that John officially decided to delve into drum lessons by studying with Kansas City musician (and drummer to his father’s band), Ray Demarchi. Bolstering a solid foundation of technique, counting and basic theory, Demarchi helped lay the groundwork for John’s future as a drummer. In the early 1990’s, thrash metal bands (most notably Slayer) piqued John’s interest as their blazing tempos and highly energetic songs presented a greater challenge. It was through this style of music (in addition to technical study with Fear Factory/Malignancy drummer, Mike Heller) that John found his primary identity as a drummer.
His first experience as a member of a band began when he received a phone call from Gene Palubicki, notifying John that he was forming a band with Order From Chaos front man, Pete Helmkamp. After John signed on an initial demo recording was picked up by Osmose Productions, which earned him his first record label deal with the band Angelcorpse. Though a brief stay, John received early success in Angelcorpse through a variety of recordings (such as the reputable albums ‘Hammer of the Gods’ and ‘Exterminate’) as well as a series of EPs, and European touring. Shortly following his departure from Angelcorpse, John was introduced to Paul Ryan and Jeremy Turner from the death metal band, Origin. John Longstreth’s style and captivating technique earned him the job as Origin’s drummer where he has remained a driving force behind the band since 1999. John has experienced great success in the genre for many years, touring alongside many reputable bands such as Nile, Arch Enemy, Morbid Angel, Cannibal Corpse, and GWAR. The technical demand of Origin has enabled John to hone his characteristic drumming methods which has earned him an excellent reputation as a session and touring musician all around the world.
John has been employed as a recording musician and a touring drummer by various other distinguished Metal bands such as Dying Fetus, Dim Mak, Unmerciful, Skinless, Gorguts, and the highly popular Hate Eternal. Other studio projects include Codex Ritual, Contanior, and Crator as well as additional touring experience with bands such as The Red Chord and Dying Fetus.
John Longstreth is credited with pioneering both double strokes for the feet and the onehanded drum roll. These advanced techniques have become extremely popular and widely used within the extreme metal community.
The coming years show promise for John as the ever-growing popularity of the various Metal genres will only solidify his influential presence in this style.
John has appeared in various media outlets including the world-renowned Modern Drummer magazine, Sickdrummer Magazine, and Drum Talk.
John Longstreth endorses Meinl Cymbals, Meinl Stick and Brush, Pearl Drums, Evans Drumheads, High on Life Superfoods, Deathwish Coffee, and 64 Audio.
DISCOGRAPHY
- Malicious Intent – Demo 95
- Angelcorpse – Goats to Azazael (demo) 1996
- Angelcorpse – Hammer of Gods 1996
- Angelcorpse – Nuclear Hell (7″single) 1997
- Angelcorpse – Wolflust (7″single) 1997
- Angelcorpse – Exterminate 1998
- Angelcorpse – Death Dragons Of The Apocalypse
- Origin – Informis Infinitas Inhumanitas 2002
- Origin – Antithisis 2008
- Origin – Entity 2011
- Origin – Omnipresent 2014
- Origin – Unparalleled Universe 2017
- Skinless – From Sacrifice to Survival 2003
- Dim Mak – Knives of Ice 2006
- Dim Mak – The Emergence of Reptilian Offers 2011
- Gorguts – Colored Sand 2013
- Imperial Foeticide (2011 studio)
- Jason Morely (2010 studio)
- Crator – The Ones Who Create : The Ones Who Destroy 2016
- Unmerciful – Ravenous Impulse 2016
COMING SOON!
EXPIRIMENTS IN MODERN DRUMMING – INSTRUCTIONAL DVD
Filmed at the legendary Warehouse Studios in Vancouver, Canada, Experiments in Modern Metal Drumming is the debut instructional DVD from underground metal drummer John Longstreth. For everyone including the professional drummer, hobbyist and even the metalhead record collector with no interest in playing the drums at all. Learn from the metal undergrounds most creative, experimental and mysterious force of the last 20 years.