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I listen to lots of different groups, mostly 1960's through 1980's rock and a little heavy metal. I am always picking up new ways of playing things from many different drummers, but the drummers from the following groups influence me the most.
Phill Rudd from AC/DC showed me that a song doesn't need a really complicated pattern to sound good. "Back in Black" was the first AC/DC album I ever listened to and right away I knew the drumming was something unique.
I picked up a lot of double-bass techniques from Lars Ulrich of Metallica, and he defined the role of a thrash/metal drummer during the mid to late 1980's.
Guns n' Roses albums were some of the first true hard rock albums I ever listened to, and I was blown away by the drumming on "Appetite for Destruction" and "Use Your Illusion I". Steve Adler and Matt Sorum (respectively) were the drummers on those albums and swayed my early playing from reserved and calm to wild and furious. If I had never listened to Guns n' Roses I would be a much different (read: boring) player today.
Alex Van Halen...what can I say? Aside from being the "other" Van Halen brother, this guy slammed out the drumming to songs that defined hard rock in the '80s. I've probably ripped off...errr...borrowed more licks from this guy than any other drummer, and with good reason. Word has it that David Lee Roth has rejoined Michael Anthony and the Van Halen brothers to reform the original lineup of Van Halen, with a new album in the works. Anything will be an improvment over "Van Halen III".
Animal, the drummer for Electric Mayhem, bestowed something else on me that's very important: no matter what you are playing, be sure to have fun doing it.
