Iowa Title-Track Double-Bass Pedal Work — Joey Jordison (Slipknot) Drum Lick | MetalForge
Learn the Iowa Title-Track Double-Bass Pedal Work drum lick by Joey Jordison of Slipknot. From Iowa (Iowa (2001)). The title track of Slipknot's Iowa (2001) is one of the most extreme drumming performances in the hi...
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1. Joey Jordison's Signature Licks — The title track of Slipknot's Iowa (2001) is one of the most extreme drumming performances in the history of heavy music — a nearly fifteen-minute maelstrom of sustained intensity that tested the physical and psychological limits of what a drummer could execute in a recording context. Joey Jordison's pedal work through the Iowa track is built on dense, relentless double-bass patterns that drive the song's crushing, doom-paced riff with precision and ferocity that few drummers could sustain over such a duration. Unlike the high-velocity blast-beat passages that define other parts of the Iowa album, the title track's double-bass patterns operate at a mid-tempo that prioritises weight over speed: the kick strokes are heavy, deliberate, and precisely timed to lock with the guitars' down-tuned heaviness. Jordison's technique here is less about raw foot speed and more about power, even alternation, and the ability to maintain absolute consistency in dynamics across a very long and demanding performance. His Pearl hardware setup at the time enabled the mechanical directness and rebound efficiency that his playing demanded: a pedal that fights the player at extreme tension would be unplayable over fifteen minutes at this level of intensity. For drummers, the Iowa double-bass patterns are a study in controlled power at mid-tempo: developing the ability to strike both bass drums with equal force, maintain that force across an extended duration, and lock the kick precisely to a slow, heavy riff without rushing or dragging. This kind of stamina and control is in many ways more difficult to develop than raw speed, because there is nowhere to hide unevenness or fatigue at this tempo — every kick stroke is heard and felt in the mix. Jordison's performance across the Iowa title track remains one of the definitive statements of what double-bass drumming in service of heavy music actually sounds like when executed at the highest level of physical and musical commitment.2. Joey Jordison Profile — Strike each bass drum with equal, deliberate force — weight matters more than speed at this mid-tempo Lock the kick to the heavy guitar riff so the drums and guitars move as a single crushing unit Build foot stamina by sustaining the double-bass pattern for gradually increasing durations Keep the mechanical directness of each pedal stroke consistent — no roll or delay between the two feet Maintain even dynamics throughout, resisting any tendency to accelerate or soften under fatigue
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