One Building Thrash Section — Lars Ulrich (Metallica) Drum Lick | MetalForge
Learn the One Building Thrash Section drum lick by Lars Ulrich of Metallica. From One (...And Justice for All (1988)). The mid-to-late section of Metallica's "One" represents one of the most dramatic dynamic escalations...
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1. Lars Ulrich's Signature Licks — The mid-to-late section of Metallica's "One" represents one of the most dramatic dynamic escalations in heavy metal history, and Lars Ulrich's drumming is at the centre of that transformation. After the quiet, sparse intro patterns, the song's second half erupts into a relentless thrash assault driven by Lars's double bass and thundering backbeat. This building section teaches the critical lesson of dynamic journey: how a drummer can guide a song from whispered restraint to maximum aggression over several minutes, making the eventual explosion feel inevitable rather than sudden. Lars achieves this by layering intensity incrementally — first adding single-pedal bass drum accents under the riff, then opening the hi-hat to full crashes as the guitar leads soar, and finally unleashing the pounding double bass assault that drives the outro section's famous machine-gun repetition. The gradual increase in note density matches the song's emotional narrative perfectly, demonstrating that great metal drumming is as much about pacing and story-telling as about technical execution. What separates Lars here from a merely loud drummer is the control he maintains: every fill is placed precisely in relation to the guitar and vocal phrases, so the intensity feels earned rather than imposed. Drummers learning this section gain practical experience in dynamic scaling across a long-form composition — a skill that transfers directly to original writing and live performance. The double bass work in the final section is steady rather than flashy, prioritising the pulse over display, which is exactly why it hits so hard when it arrives. Approach this section by mapping the song into distinct phases and practising each dynamic level in isolation before connecting them in order.2. Lars Ulrich Profile — Map the song into quiet, medium, and full-intensity phases and learn the transition points Add bass drum density incrementally rather than jumping straight to double bass Use hi-hat opening as a dynamic cue — closed for quieter sections, open crashes for the peaks Keep the double bass steady and consistent in the outro rather than rushing Lock every fill to the guitar phrasing so the intensity escalates together with the riff
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