Persistence of Time Blast Beat — Charlie Benante (Anthrax) Drum Lick | MetalForge
Learn the Persistence of Time Blast Beat drum lick by Charlie Benante of Anthrax. From Blood (Persistence of Time (1990)). Persistence of Time (1990) marks the point where Charlie Benante pushed Anthrax's drumming into genu...
Gear Deep Dives & Articles
1. Charlie Benante's Signature Licks — Persistence of Time (1990) marks the point where Charlie Benante pushed Anthrax's drumming into genuinely extreme territory, matching the band's darkest and most aggressive writing with a drumming approach that left behind much of the groove-focused accessibility of the earlier records. "Blood" is among the most intense performances on the album, showcasing Benante executing blast beats with the kind of controlled power that distinguishes technically mature extreme drumming from raw, barely-held-together urgency. The blast passages in "Blood" are fast, even, and precisely deployed — Benante does not lean on the blast as a blunt tool but as a precisely timed dramatic element, arriving in the arrangement exactly when the song needs maximum intensity and then transitioning back to thrash grooves and riff-locked figures with seamless command. By 1990, Benante had been playing at the top of the thrash scene for five years, and the confidence of his blast execution on Persistence of Time reflects that depth of experience: nothing is rushed, nothing is uncertain, everything arrives exactly where it is supposed to with exactly the right dynamic weight. The double-bass figures that underpin the blast sections are equally impressive — rather than a uniform carpet of kick, Benante drives with accented bursts that lock to the guitars and reinforce the rhythmic hits, giving the blasts a physicality that goes beyond tempo alone. In the wider context of 1990's metal landscape, Persistence of Time pushed Anthrax into darker and more extreme territory than the band's fanbase expected, and Benante's drumming was the instrumental engine of that evolution. For drummers, "Blood" is an important study in mature blast execution from a seasoned thrash perspective: it builds blast endurance and control, develops the ability to transition cleanly between blast and groove, and teaches how deploying the blast dynamically — arriving with maximum impact, sustaining through the peak, releasing into the groove — serves an arrangement's emotional arc.2. Charlie Benante Profile — Deploy the blast as a precisely timed dramatic element rather than a continuous technique Execute even, controlled blast strokes at high velocity — Benante's precision comes from years of thrash playing Drive accented double-bass bursts below the blast to reinforce the riff's rhythmic hits Transition cleanly from blast back to riff-locked groove — the gear change must be seamless and confident Vary the blast length dynamically — shorter bursts for intensity spikes, sustained blasts for peak passages
Visit MetalForge →