The Heretic Anthem Blast-Beat Run — Joey Jordison (Slipknot) Drum Lick | MetalForge
Learn the The Heretic Anthem Blast-Beat Run drum lick by Joey Jordison of Slipknot. From The Heretic Anthem (Iowa (2001)). "The Heretic Anthem" from Slipknot's Iowa (2001) is one of the most technically and physically deman...
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1. Joey Jordison's Signature Licks — "The Heretic Anthem" from Slipknot's Iowa (2001) is one of the most technically and physically demanding drum performances in the band's catalog, and the sustained blast-beat run that drives the song's most intense sections represents Joey Jordison at his most ferocious. While the song's opening fill is a celebrated piece in its own right, it is the body of the track — the sustained passages of blast-beat drumming that power through the verse and breakdown sections — where Jordison's stamina, precision, and aggression reach their combined peak. The Heretic Anthem blast pattern differs from a conventional two-hand blast in its ferocity and the way the double bass interacts with the snare: Jordison pushes both the kick and snare strokes harder as the song progresses, building a sense of relentless acceleration even when the underlying tempo remains consistent. The snare strokes are attacked with maximum force, and the kick patterns add a second rhythmic pulse below the blast that amplifies the song's overwhelming physical impact. Unlike the tight, controlled blast of technical death metal specialists, Jordison's blasts have an aggressive, slightly raw quality that is inseparable from the emotional content of the music — they feel driven, like a physical assault in rhythmic form, rather than metronomic. For drummers, learning this blast is fundamentally about stamina and consistency: being able to execute maximum-intensity strokes without letting the quality of each individual hit degrade as fatigue accumulates. At the tempo of "The Heretic Anthem's" most intense passages, small drops in power or consistency become immediately audible, and maintaining the uniformity of both hands across a sustained blast is one of the hardest physical challenges in heavy music drumming. Jordison's recordings on Iowa demonstrate a rare combination of technical control and physical endurance that few drummers at the time could match, and his blast passages on this track remain a benchmark for extreme drumming intensity.2. Joey Jordison Profile — Attack each snare stroke with maximum force while keeping both hands identical in power and placement Drive the kick pattern hard below the blast to add a second pulse that amplifies the song's impact Build stamina with short blast bursts at full intensity, extending duration as consistency holds Record and listen back to catch any degradation in stroke quality as the blast continues Keep the tempo absolutely consistent — acceleration under fatigue is the most common blast-beat error
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