Sons of Darkness Speed & Endurance Study — Derek Roddy (Hate Eternal) Drum Lick | MetalForge
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Learn the Sons of Darkness Speed & Endurance Study drum lick by Derek Roddy of Hate Eternal. From Sons of Darkness (King of All Kings (2002)). More than almost any drummer of his era, Derek Roddy is associated with the idea that extreme speed ...
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1. Derek Roddy's Signature Licks — More than almost any drummer of his era, Derek Roddy is associated with the idea that extreme speed is a product of relaxation and technique rather than raw effort, and his work across King of All Kings is the proof. The blistering passages on tracks like "Sons of Darkness" sit at tempos that punish any wasted motion, and Roddy's ability to hold them comes from a deeply efficient setup: low stick heights, a loose grip, and a balanced posture that lets the hands and feet recover between strokes instead of fighting the kit. In this Drumeo lesson Roddy lays out his actual philosophy on developing speed — that you build it by playing relaxed and clean at a manageable tempo and letting the body learn the motion, rather than straining for a number on the metronome. That mindset is the real signature behind his King of All Kings performances: the speed is staggering, but it is always controlled, never frantic. For drummers, treating this as a study means working on the foundation that makes Roddy's playing possible — economy of motion, even single strokes, and the endurance to sustain extreme tempos without tensing up. The practice approach is deliberately patient: find the fastest tempo you can play completely relaxed, live there until it feels easy, then nudge it up. Done this way, blasts and double bass stop being a sprint and become a sustainable technique, which is exactly how Roddy can blast for entire songs. King of All Kings endures as a high-water mark for death-metal drumming precisely because the speed serves the music, and the calm, efficient technique underneath it is what every aspiring extreme drummer should study first.2. Derek Roddy Profile — Find the fastest tempo you can play fully relaxed and build endurance there first Use low stick heights and a loose grip so the hands recover between strokes Keep posture balanced so the limbs are never fighting the kit at speed Prioritise even, clean strokes over chasing a metronome number Raise tempo only once the current speed feels genuinely effortless
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