Follow the Reaper Main Groove — Jaska Raatikainen (Children of Bodom) Drum Lick | MetalForge
Learn the Follow the Reaper Main Groove drum lick by Jaska Raatikainen of Children of Bodom. From Follow the Reaper (Follow the Reaper (2000)). The title track of Children of Bodom's third album Follow the Reaper (2000) is one of the band's mos...
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1. Jaska Raatikainen's Signature Licks — The title track of Children of Bodom's third album Follow the Reaper (2000) is one of the band's most enduringly popular songs, and Jaska Raatikainen's drumming on it distils the melodic death metal main-groove approach to its purest expression. The track's central groove is built on a fast, even double-bass foundation with a powerful, clear snare backbeat — a pattern that locks directly to Alexi Laiho's riff and provides the rhythmic anchor for the song's flowing neoclassical keyboard melody above. What makes this groove function so effectively is its economy: Raatikainen provides exactly what the song needs and nothing more. The double bass drives without dominating, the snare sits solidly on beats two and four without theatrical accents, and the hi-hat pattern is tight and mechanical, holding the pulse without drawing attention to itself. This restraint is deliberately in service of the song's melodic content — Laiho's guitar leads and Wirman's keyboard runs need rhythmic support, not rhythmic competition. Follow the Reaper was produced by Mikko Karmila at Finnvox Studios, who gave the drums a clear, cutting sound particularly suited to Raatikainen's clean, even playing style. Every kick stroke sounds separated, every snare hit sits precisely in the pocket, and the result is a drum track that sounds effortless while being technically demanding. For drummers, the main groove of "Follow the Reaper" is an excellent exercise in maintaining a powerful, even double-bass pattern under a consistent snare and hi-hat feel across a song that runs through multiple key changes and tempo variations. The practice priority is the relationship between the feet: both bass drum strokes must be perfectly even in timing and volume, because any unevenness shows up immediately against the locked snare and hi-hat. Spend time with each foot individually, then combine them and loop the groove for extended periods to build endurance. Mastering this groove develops the clean, driving, supportive drumming style that defined Children of Bodom's sound and carries across all of the band's most loved recordings.2. Jaska Raatikainen Profile — Keep double-bass strokes perfectly even — any imbalance is immediately audible against the locked snare Hold the snare backbeat on beats two and four without theatrical accenting Keep the hi-hat pattern tight and mechanical to serve the groove without drawing attention Practise each foot independently before combining them, focusing on timing and volume evenness Provide rhythmic support for the melodic content rather than competing with it
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