With the song \u201cBlack Hole Sun\u201d from their 1994 album \u201cSuperunknown\u201d, the band fronted by the far too soon departed Chris Cornell created a masterpiece where everything comes together: melody, lyrics, dynamics, and, to no small extent, Matt Cameron\u2019s drumming.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Alongside the powerful sound of the drums, a particular appeal lies in the tension that Cameron builds through skillfully placed fills. The most iconic is the massive build-up to the final chorus. Following a brief moment of silence and introduced by a fat snare flam, the fill unfolds with tremendous impact and forms the dynamic climax of this alternative rock classic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You are currently viewing a placeholder content from YouTube<\/strong>. To access the actual content, click the button below. Please note that doing so will share data with third-party providers.<\/p> More Information<\/a> <\/div> <\/p>\n\n\n\n After a somewhat dreamy and laid-back intro, this drum fill, played by none other than Larry Mullen Jr., really gets the song up to full speed and delivers that unmistakable U2 energy. It\u2019s a fairly simple sixteenth-note pattern on the snare, but the accents make it sound very lively, and the fill creates a perfect transition into the song\u2019s main groove.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Larry Mullen Jr. demonstrates once again that it doesn\u2019t take flashy fills to drive a song forward and that you can achieve great impact even with simple means.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You are currently viewing a placeholder content from YouTube<\/strong>. To access the actual content, click the button below. Please note that doing so will share data with third-party providers.<\/p> More Information<\/a> <\/div> <\/p>\n\n\n\n What would a list of the best drum fills of all time be without Ringo Starr? The Beatles\u2019 drummer famously played a right-handed drum kit despite being left-handed. This setup led him to develop a unique playing style \u2013 especially for his fills, which often begin with the left hand and are usually structured completely differently from those played by right-handed drummers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A fine example is the track \u201cRain\u201d from the 1966 album \u201cRevolver\u201d. Ringo Starr not only begins the song with a drum fill, but also plays fills throughout. The groovy and somewhat elastic rhythm of this song stands out thanks to a drum beat that is\u2026 well, full of fills.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You are currently viewing a placeholder content from YouTube<\/strong>. To access the actual content, click the button below. Please note that doing so will share data with third-party providers.<\/p> More Information<\/a> <\/div> <\/p>\n\n\n\n Cream were arguably one of the shortest-lived supergroups of all time, yet they left a significant mark on the history of rock music. Three fantastic musicians \u2013 Eric Clapton, Jack Bruce, and Ginger Baker \u2013 came together and proved that three legends can push each other to peak performances.<\/p>\n\n\n\n At the centre was the spirited Ginger Baker, who was one of the first rock drummers to play with two bass drums. Ginger Baker really knew how to amp up the intensity of a song with his tight drum fills. Just listen to how he does it in \u201cSunshine of Your Love\u201d. Absolutely masterful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You are currently viewing a placeholder content from YouTube<\/strong>. To access the actual content, click the button below. Please note that doing so will share data with third-party providers.<\/p> More Information<\/a> <\/div> <\/p>\n\n\n\n Following Kurt Cobain\u2019s instantly recognizable guitar intro, Dave Grohl\u2019s iconic drum fill in Nirvana\u2019s \u201cSmells Like Teen Spirit\u201d takes this grunge hit to a whole new level. Those first ten seconds of the song defined an entire era of \u201890s grunge music.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And yet the intro isn\u2019t the only magical moment in the song; the fill that leads into the chorus is another moment drummers immediately hear in their heads when they think of this track. In fact, every one of Grohl\u2019s fills has that signature style that has made him one of the world\u2019s greatest rock drummers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You are currently viewing a placeholder content from YouTube<\/strong>. To access the actual content, click the button below. Please note that doing so will share data with third-party providers.<\/p> More Information<\/a> <\/div> <\/p>\n\n\n\n Another example of how a drum fill can set the tone for a chorus can be heard in Toto\u2019s 1982 mega-hit \u201cAfrica\u201d. After a laid-back, grooving verse, drummer Jeff Porcaro leads the transition into the song\u2019s epic chorus with powerful triplet flams on the toms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Porcaro, who died unexpectedly just ten years later, proves once again here that he has an absolutely unerring feel for taking every song he played on to the next level with razor-sharp precision. Alongside his main band Toto, countless other bands and artists such as Steely Dan, Michael Jackson, Bruce Springsteen, and Pink Floyd also benefited from this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You are currently viewing a placeholder content from YouTube<\/strong>. To access the actual content, click the button below. Please note that doing so will share data with third-party providers.<\/p> More Information<\/a> <\/div> <\/p>\n\n\n\n For many, the explosive verse-to-chorus transition in Phil Collins\u2019 1981 hit \u2018In The Air Tonight\u2019 is the most magical drumming moment of all time. That\u2019s why we suggest referring to this as a \u201cDrum Phil\u201d \ud83d\ude09 <\/p>\n\n\n\n It takes a full 3 minutes and 40 seconds for the quiet drum machine beat to give way to that liberating fill on the concert toms, the impact of which is further enhanced by the gated reverb effect. With this moment, Collins not only created an unforgettable fill, but \u2013 together with producer Hugh Padgham \u2013 also a signature sound that was often copied in the years that followed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You are currently viewing a placeholder content from YouTube<\/strong>. To access the actual content, click the button below. Please note that doing so will share data with third-party providers.<\/p> More Information<\/a> <\/div> <\/p>\n\n\n\n Like the aforementioned supergroup Cream, Jimi Hendrix also led a true power trio from the mid-1960s onwards with his band \u2018The Jimi Hendrix Experience\u2019, which also included bassist Noel Redding and drummer Mitch Mitchell. The track \u201cLittle Wing\u201d from the 1967 album \u201cAxis: Bold As Love\u201d features a masterfully played drum fill by Mitch Mitchell that leads into the first verse after a guitar intro of around half a minute.<\/p>\n\n\n\n With this light-footed triplet figure, Mitchell clearly reveals that his playing style was heavily influenced by jazz drummers such as Elvin Jones and Max Roach.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You are currently viewing a placeholder content from YouTube<\/strong>. To access the actual content, click the button below. Please note that doing so will share data with third-party providers.<\/p> More Information<\/a> <\/div> <\/p>\n\n\n\n Naturally, any top 10 list in drumming must include the great John Bonham. The Led Zeppelin drummer, who passed away in 1980, played so many iconic fills that it is difficult to single out just one. We\u2019ve opted here for the opening track on the very first LZ album from 1969.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Around ten seconds into \u201cGood Times Bad Times\u201d, Bonham plays an incredibly tasteful fill that clearly demonstrates he was capable of sounding anything but heavy. Much like his colleague Mitch Mitchell, Bonham also absorbed jazz influences, which is clearly evident in this transition into the first verse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You are currently viewing a placeholder content from YouTube<\/strong>. To access the actual content, click the button below. Please note that doing so will share data with third-party providers.<\/p> More Information<\/a> <\/div> <\/p>\n\n\n\n And another drumming icon of the 1960s and 1970s simply cannot be left off this list: Keith Moon! In the songs he played on, the brilliant drummer from \u201cThe Who\u201d delivered what is arguably the highest density of fills imaginable. In fact, he utilized the full drum kit almost continuously, and the fills just poured out of him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A perfect example of this is the eight-and-a-half-minute track \u201cWon\u2019t Get Fooled Again\u201d from the 1971 album \u201cWho\u2019s Next\u201d. A minute before the end, Moon fires off several mind-blowing fills in quick succession, impressively demonstrating his energy and creativity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You are currently viewing a placeholder content from YouTube<\/strong>. To access the actual content, click the button below. Please note that doing so will share data with third-party providers.<\/p> More Information<\/a> <\/div> <\/p>\n\n\n\n We hope you enjoyed our list of epic drum fills. It is by no means an exhaustive list, and there are countless other drum fills in music history that deserve to be mentioned. So please share your favourite drum fills in the comments!<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.thomann.de\/blog\/app\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2025\/05\/2502_Gear_Banner_Gemischt_729x90_EN_v01.jpg\")
<\/a><\/div><\/div>Pride (In The Name Of Love) \u2013 U2<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Rain \u2013 The Beatles<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Sunshine of Your Love \u2013 Cream<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Smells Like Teen Spirit \u2013 Nirvana<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Africa \u2013 Toto<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
In The Air Tonight \u2013 Phil Collins<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Little Wing \u2013 Jimi Hendrix<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Good Times Bad Times \u2013 Led Zeppelin<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Won\u2019t Get Fooled Again \u2013 The Who<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Drum fills: Feedback!<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n