Linkin Park Drummer Plays Iron Maiden Classic as He Hears It for First Time: Watch

Colin Brittain, current drummer for Linkin Park, played “Hallowed Be Thy Name” by Iron Maiden in the latest edition of Drumeo’s “For the First Time” series.

Drumeo challenges drummers to conceive of and execute the drum parts for a song they haven’t heard before as they listen to the tune minus the drum track.

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Brittain opens the video by showing his vast knowledge of much of contemporary rock before they land on “Hallowed Be Thy Name.” He winds up only doing a single improvised take, leaning on playing fast double-time grooves and even some punky beats, but still manages at times to intuitively pick up some of the dynamics of Clive Burr’s original arrangement. His expectation of a shorter track length is apparent from the surprise and delight on his face as the closing instrumental section kept going and going, forcing him to dig deep into his bag of beats and rudiments to keep generating drum parts as it continued to test him.

The video closes with Brittain listening to the original performance, which he praises for its pocket and depth of arrangement picking up unified rhythmic elements across the various instruments. He then gives advice on improvisation and the necessity as musicians to step outside of your comfort zone of known licks and grooves as well as striking a balance between your practiced elements and keying in to the particular arrangement of a song.

Brittain joined Linkin Park upon their return in 2023 after original drummer Rob Bourdon opted not to take part in the band’s reunion. Unshatter, a documentary covering the return of Linkin Park directed by the band’s own Joe Hahn, is set to be released September 30th.

Meanwhile, Iron Maiden are currently on their “Run for Your Lives” North American tour featuring Megadeth and Anthrax. Get tickets here.

Those interested in starting their drum learning journey or honing their skills can sign up for a free 30-day trial of Drumeo.Watch Colin Brittain tackle “Hallowed Be Thy Name” in the video below.