John Tempesta recently visited with Drumeo to break down his original drum part for White Zombie’s “More Human Than Human.”
The video showcases his playthrough of the iconic industrial metal track interspersed with short interview questions by Drumeo host Brandon Toews, as well as behind the scenes info from the drummer.
The song features a shockingly simple looping drum beat derived partly from disco and partly from John Bonham.
“There’s a lot of kind of disco beats on this record with double hi-hats,” Tempesta said. “Rob [Zombie] loved that stuff, which actually gave it a lot more movement… Listen to ’70s disco, or John Bonham in particular.”
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Tempesta, who has also drummed for The Cult (currently), Exodus, and Testament, also revealed that the kit he played on for White Zombie’s Astro-Creep 2000 recording sessions was a prototype Tama Grand Star kit with Simon Philips’ Art Star bass drums and bell brass snare drum.
Regarding the writing of the song, Tempesta said, “I actually came up with the drum groove in rehearsal. I had just joined the band, we’re writing the record in this small studio in north Hollywood in the middle of summer that was hotter than hell. I just started playing this Bonham groove and Rob was like, ‘Keep playing that.’”
The loop of that drum groove was later fleshed out by Charlie Clouser, then fresh from a stint in Nine Inch Nails, before becoming the song we know today.
Watch John Tempesta break down “More Human Than Human” below, and if you’re looking to learn drums, or work on your current drumming skills, sign up for a free 30-day trial to Drumeo at this location.