Drummer Zaki Ali absolutely shreds with both hands and feet in this exclusive Drum! premiere of “The Inevitable End” by New Jersey-based progressive metal quartet Etherius. The video features Ali playing solo in High Tor State Park in New York — who wouldn’t want to set up in a forest and just bash out their favorite tunes — while staying true to the technical drumming of the recording.
“There was a pretty specific approach to the double bass in regards to how some of the parts lie,” says Ali. “It’s mostly played as double strokes throughout the song because of the tempo. There’s a section with nine stroke rolls on the kick, which I played as RRLLRRLLR for each group of nine.”
Playing at blazing tempos like this takes some planning, he says. “Just like with hands, it really comes down to assigning specific combinations of patterns according to the amount of rest space in between the hits.”
Etherius was formed by guitarist Jay Tarantino in 2017. After gaining experience as a touring rhythm guitarist for guitar virtuoso Angel Vivaldi, Tarantino decided to branch out on his own with a fresh take on progressive metal/neoclassical shred that also incorporates classic thrash influences.
The band is set to release its debut EP, Thread of Life, on August 24. In addition to playing drums in the studio, Ali helped produce the forthcoming album. He has also performed with Darkness Descends, Tengger Cavalry, The Silencer and others.
Etherius has already been included on Spotify’s Instrumental Madness and New Blood playlists. In addition to Tarantino and Ali, the band includes bassist Chris Targia and second guitarist John Kiernan. You can also check out Etherius on Bandcamp and YouTube.
GEAR DETAILS:
Drums:
PDP X7 maple
Tama starclassic steel custom snare drum 14″x 6.5″
8″ x 7″, 10″ x 8″, 12″ x 9″ mounted toms
14″ x 12″ floor tom
22″ x 18″ bass drum
Cymbals:
14″ Turkish bottom hat, and 14″ Zildjian K custom top hat
Sabian AA Metal-X 18″ Crash
Sabian AAX 18″ Dark Crash
Sabian AAX 20″ Raw Bell Dry Ride
Sabian AAXtreme Chinese 19″ China
Sabian AAX 8″ Splash
Hardware:
Trick Dominator double bass pedal