Gene Hoglan

Eugene Victor Hoglan II (born August 31, 1967) is an American drummer, acclaimed for his creativity in drum arrangements, including use of abstract devices for percussion effects and his trademark lengthy double-kick drum rhythms.

Though his playing style is very technically demanding, he retains high accuracy at extreme tempos, earning him the nicknames "The Atomic Clock" and "Human Drum Machine".

He is best known for his work with Dark Angel, Death, Strapping Young Lad, Devin Townsend, Fear Factory, Dethklok and Testament.

In 1983, Hoglan began his music career as a roadie (lighting engineer) for the thrash metal band Slayer, where he also played the drums during concert soundchecks.

He also did backing vocals on the song "Evil Has No Boundaries", from the first Slayer album Show No Mercy.

He contributed in the recording of Haunting the Chapel, holding Dave Lombardo's drum kit together while recording "Chemical Warfare" because there was no carpet in the studio, said drum kit including a china cymbal owned by Hoglan.

He became an influence in Lombardo's drumming style and speed.

Lombardo had just had the double bass added to his kit and it was the first double bass Hoglan ever played.

Lombardo was impressed with Hoglan's playing, and Hoglan gave Lombardo tips regarding the use of the double kick drum.

In 1984, Hoglan was part of the band War God with Michelle Meldrum.

At the end of the same year he was asked to join the thrash metal band Dark Angel as the drummer.

He penned most of the lyrics for Dark Angel's next three albums.

He achieved greater fame during the mid-1990s playing with Death, at the same time that bandleader Chuck Schuldiner was taking that group into a more progressive style.

Subsequently, he recorded one album with the thrash metal band Testament, and made the acquaintance of Canadian multi-instrumentalist Devin Townsend, forging a lasting friendship.

Around this time, coming off of the final tour he performed with Death, Hoglan was approached by Slayer to replace a departing Paul Bostaph.

Jon Dette, however, took the position, much to Hoglan's approval.

He would go on to record several albums with Townsend, both as part of the speed/industrial/death metal band Strapping Young Lad and under Devin Townsend's name.

Hoglan also was recruited by Vancouver thrash metal band The Almighty Punchdrunk, and appeared as a band member for their only album to date, Music for Them Asses, released in 2001.

Hoglan was also part of thrash metal band Tenet, a side project of Strapping Young Lad guitarist Jed Simon, from 2003 to 2007.

On the Vancouver stop of Opeth's 2004 Lamentations tour, Hoglan stood in for drummer Martin Lopez, who was said to be having panic attacks.

Opeth's drum tech had filled in for the two previous dates on the tour and Lopez rejoined the band for the Seattle, Washington, show.

In 2005, Hoglan stood in for Lopez for the majority of the Sounds of the Underground tour when Lopez began having more panic attacks.

Hoglan played double duty by playing a set with Strapping Young Lad then performing with Opeth later in the evening.

It was later announced Lopez had a rare blood disorder and was seeking treatment.

Hoglan also appeared in Opeth's music video "The Grand Conjuration" as they filmed it on the tour while in Los Angeles, California.

Other bands have also recruited Hoglan as a session drummer.

He has recorded albums with the Norwegian black metal band Old Man's Child and the Danish death metal band Daemon.

Additionally he has done production and engineering work for other albums and demos.

Hoglan left the band on amicable terms in January 2007.

He was replaced by Adrian Erlandsson only to return to the group in June of the same year.

Hoglan recorded his drum parts for the entirety of the following album in a mere two days.

Hoglan was featured on the cover of Modern Drummer magazine in November 2010.

He also won Terrorizer magazine's Reader's Poll for Best Drummer 2010, and Modern Drummer magazine nominated Hoglan for Best Metal Drummer, and Best Recorded Performance (for Dethklok's Dethalbum II) on their 2011 ballot.

He was nominated for Best Drummer in Revolver magazine's 2010 Reader's Poll.

Hoglan got his first drum kit when he was 13 and is completely self-taught.

He started jamming along to his Kiss and Rush records, with Peter Criss and Neil Peart being his early influences.

Later Cozy Powell, Tommy Aldridge, Robb Reiner of Anvil, Rob "Wacko" Hunter of Raven and Phil "Philthy Animal" Taylor got him into double bass drumming.

He released the highly successful Gene Hoglan: The Atomic Clock DVD, and rejoined Testament to record the drum tracks for their eleventh album, Dark Roots of Earth, released in July 2012.

Hoglan had since rejoined Testament permanently, and by the time he left the band again in January 2022, he was their longest serving drummer.

Hoglan completed work on Dethklok's fourth album The Doomstar Requiem, which was released in October 2013.