Gene Hoglan

**Eugene "Gene" Victor Hoglan II** (born August 31, 1967, in Dallas, Texas) is an American drummer. He is acclaimed for his creativity in drum arrangements, including use of odd devices for percussion effects and his trademark lengthy double-kick drum rhythms. His highly technical playing is extremely accurate at very high and challenging tempos, earning him the nicknames "The Atomic Clock" and "Human Drum Machine." He is best known for his work with Dark Angel, Death, Strapping Young Lad, Devin Townsend, Fear Factory, Opeth, Unearth, and most recently Dethklok and Testament. Hoglan recently completed work on Dethklok's fourth album *The Doomstar Requiem*, which was released in October 2013. He has released the highly successful *Gene Hoglan: The Atomic Clock* DVD, and rejoined Testament to record the drum tracks for their tenth album, *Dark Roots of Earth*, released in July 2012.

Hoglan was featured on the cover of *Modern Drummer* magazine November 2010. He also won *Terrorizer* magazine's Reader's Poll for Best Drummer 2010, and *Modern Drummer* magazine nominated Hoglan for Best Metal Drummer, and Best Recorded Performance (for Dethklok's *Dethalbum II*) on their 2011 ballot. He was nominated for Best Drummer in *Revolver* magazine's 2010 Reader's Poll.

## Biography

Hoglan got his first drum kit when he was 13 and is completely self-taught. He started jamming along to his Kiss and Rush records, with Peter Criss and Neil Peart being his early influences.
Later Cozy Powell, Tommy Aldridge, Robb Reiner of Anvil, Rob "Wacko" Hunter of Raven and Phil "Philthy Animal" Taylor got him into double bass drumming. Other influences include Stevie Wonder, Alex Van Halen, Steve Smith, Deen Castronovo, Mark Craney, Terry Bozzio, Bill Bruford, Steve Gadd, Sonny Emory, Rick Colaluca of Watchtower, Bobby Jarzombek, Dave Culross.

In 1983, Hoglan began his music career as a roadie (lights engineer) for the thrash metal band Slayer, where he also played the drums during concert soundchecks. He also did backing vocals in the song "Evil Has No Boundaries", from the first Slayer record *Show No Mercy*. He contributed in the recording of *Haunting the Chapel* (1984), holding Dave Lombardo's drumkit together while recording "Chemical Warfare" because there was no carpet in the studio. He became an influence in Lombardo's drumming style and speed, although Hoglan said he gave him a bunch of tips, never really gave him lessons, and the first double bass kit he ever played was Lombardo's.

In 1984, Hoglan was part of the band War God with Michelle Meldrum. At the end of the same year he was asked to join the thrash metal band Dark Angel as the drummer. He penned most of the lyrics for Dark Angel's next three albums. He achieved greater fame during the mid-1990s playing with Death, at the same time that bandleader Chuck Schuldiner was taking that group into a more progressive style. Subsequently, he recorded one album with the thrash metal band Testament, and made the acquaintance of Canadian multi-instrumentalist Devin Townsend, forging a lasting friendship. He has since recorded several albums with Townsend, both as part of the speed/industrial/death metal band Strapping Young Lad and under Devin Townsend's name.

Hoglan was also part of thrash metal band Tenet, a side project of Strapping Young Lad guitarist Jed Simon, from 2003 to 2007. Hoglan left the band on amicable terms in January 2007. He was replaced by Adrian Erlandsson only to return to the group in June of the same year. Hoglan recorded his drum parts for the entirety of the following album in a mere two days.Template:Citation needed

On the Vancouver, British Columbia, stop of Opeth's 2004 Lamentations tour, Hoglan stood in for drummer Martin Lopez, who was said to be having panic attacks. Opeth's drum tech had filled in for the two previous dates on the tour and Lopez rejoined the band for the Seattle, Washington, show.

In 2005, Hoglan stood in for Lopez for the majority of the Sounds of the Underground tour when Lopez began having more panic attacks. Hoglan played double duty by playing a set with Strapping Young Lad then performing with Opeth later in the evening. It was later announced Lopez had a rare blood disorder and was seeking treatment. Hoglan also appeared in Opeth's music video "The Grand Conjuration" as they filmed it on the tour while in Los Angeles, California.

Other bands have also recruited Hoglan as a session drummer. He has recorded albums with the Norwegian black metal band Old Man's Child and the Danish death metal band Daemon. Additionally he has done production and engineering work for other albums and demos. Hoglan also was recruited by Vancouver thrash metal band The Almighty Punchdrunk, and appeared as a band member for their only album to date, Music for Them Asses, released in 2001.

Hoglan is working with Dethklok, the band from the animated TV show Metalocalypse. The show was co-created by stand-up comedian/actor/musician Brendon Small, who also composes or performs all of the music. Hoglan features in Dethklok's debut album, *The Dethalbum*, which was released on September 25, 2007. He toured with Brendon Small and the live band during the summer of 2008. He later performed on *Dethalbum II*, the sequel album released on September 29, 2009, and again toured with Dethklok. The two later collaborated to make Brendon Small's Galaktikon using extra studio time from the Dethklok studio sessions.

Hoglan filled in as the drummer for Unearth when their then drummer, Mike Justian, quit while on tour. He has also joined the metal band Pitch Black Forecast, with former Mushroomhead singer Jason Popson, as the band's permanent drummer. Even more recently, Hoglan was announced as the drummer for the reunited Bay Area Thrash metal band Forbidden's reunion tour, replacing original drummer Paul Bostaph.

Hoglan played drums on Zimmers Hole's third studio album *When You Were Shouting at the Devil...We Were in League With Satan* in 2008.

In June 2011, he reunited with Testament, to record their tenth studio album *The Dark Roots of Earth*. On that album, he filled in for Paul Bostaph, who was unable to participate in the recording sessions because of a "serious injury". In 2012, he began touring with Testament, and on January 27 filled in for Charlie Benante of Anthrax. Gene was the drummer for Fear Factory from 2009 to 2012 and played on their release *Mechanize*. He also recently participated in the recording sessions of Viking's reunion album, *No Child Left Behind*.

In October 2013, it was announced that Hoglan is participating in the reunion of Dark Angel, who then toured in 2014. The band is also planning to release a new album in the future.

## Equipment

Gene endorses and uses Pearl Drums, Sabian cymbals, Pro-Mark sticks and Evans heads.

### Drum setup

* **Drums** – Pearl Reference Carbon Mist Finish, Black Hardware
	+ 24x16 Bass Drum (x2)
	+ 12x10 Tom
	+ 14x12 Tom
	+ 18x16 Floor Tom
	+ 14x8 Snare Drum
* **Cymbals** – Sabian
	+ 15" AAX X-Celerator Hi-Hats (or 15" AA Metal-X Hi Hats)
	+ 19" Paragon Chinese
	+ 22" HH Power Bell Ride
	+ 18" AAX X-Plosion Fast Crash
	+ 18" AAX Metal Crash
	+ 8" Paragon Splash (originally owned by Neil Peart)
	+ 10" Paragon Splash (originally owned by Neil Peart)
	+ 19" AAX Metal Crash
	+ 22" HH Power Bell Ride
	+ 19" Paragon Chinese (or 20" AAX Chinese Brilliant)
* **Drumheads** – Evans
	+ G2 Clear
	+ SD Dry
* **Hardware** – Pearl
	+ B1000 Boom Stand (x7)
	+ H2000 Hi-Hat Stand
	+ S2000 Snare Stand
	+ P3000C Demon Chain Drive Pedal (x2)
	+ T2000 Double Tom Stand
	+ D2000 Throne
* **Other**
	+ Pro-Mark 2B Nylon Tip Drumsticks

## Discography

Gene Hoglan played drums on the following albums, unless otherwise noted.

* 1983 - Slayer - *Show No Mercy*, backing vocals on *Evil Has No Boundaries*
* 1985 - Wargod - *Wargod* (demo)
* 1986 - Dark Angel - *Darkness Descends*
* 1989 - Dark Angel - *Leave Scars*
* 1990 - Dark Angel - *Live Scars* (EP)
* 1991 - Dark Angel - *Time Does Not Heal*
* 1992 - Dark Angel - *Decade Of Chaos* (best of CD)
* 1992 - Silent Scream - *From the Darkest Depths Of The Imagination* (mixing, production)
* 1993 - Death - *Individual Thought Patterns*
* 1995 - Death - *Symbolic*
* 1995 - Naphobia - *Of Hell* (guest drummer)
* 1997 - Strapping Young Lad - *City*
* 1997 - Testament - *Demonic*
* 1998 - Old Man's Child - *Ill-Natured Spiritual Invasion*
* 1998 - Strapping Young Lad - *No Sleep Till Bedtime* (live)
* 1998 - Devin Townsend - *Infinity*
* 1998 - Devin Townsend - *Christeen plus 4 Demos* (EP)
* 1999 - The Almighty Punchdrunk - *Music for Them Asses*
* 2000 - Devin Townsend - *Physicist*
* 2001 - Devin Townsend - *Terria*
* 2001 - Just Cause - *Finger It Out*
* 2001 - Frygirl - *Someone Please Kill Me* (congas)
* 2002 - Daemon - *Eye For An Eye*
* 2003 - Strapping Young Lad - *Strapping Young Lad*
* 2003 - Tenet - *Sovereign* [demo]
* 2005 - Strapping Young Lad - *Alien*
* 2005 - Opeth - played drums on the video for "The Grand Conjuration", a song from their *Ghost Reveries* album.
* 2005 - Ani Kyd - *Evil Needs Candy Too*
* 2006 - Strapping Young Lad - *The New Black*
* 2007 - Meldrum - *Blowin' Up The Machine* (guest drummer)
* 2007 - Dethklok - *The Dethalbum*
* 2007 - Dethklok - *...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead/Dethklok*
* 2007 - MR. PLOW - "Apocalypse Plow"
* 2008 - Zimmers Hole - *When You Were Shouting at the Devil...We Were in League With Satan*
* 2008 - Pitch Black Forecast - *Absentee*
* 2008 - Mechanism - *Inspired Horrific*
* 2008 - Fattooth - "Self Titled"
* 2009 - Dethklok - *Dethalbum II*
* 2009 - Tenet - *Sovereign*
* 2010 - Fear Factory - *Mechanize*
* 2012 - Brendon Small - *Brendon Small's Galaktikon*
* 2012 - Testament - *The Dark Roots of Earth*
* 2012 - Meldrum - *Lifer*
* 2012 - Dethklok - *Dethalbum III*
* 2012 - Sylencer - *A Lethal Dose of Truth* (Guest drummer on "Get It Up")
* 2012 - Memorain - *Evolution*
* 2013 - Dethklok - *The Doomstar Requiem*
* 2015 - Viking - *No Child Left Behind*

## Videography

* Dark Angel - Ultimate Revenge 2 live in 1989
* Strapping Young Lad - *For Those Aboot to Rock: Live at the Commodore* (DVD, 2004, Century Media Records)
* Gene Hoglan - *The Atomic Clock* (DVD, 2010, Hoglan Industries)
* *Behind the Player: Dimmu Borgir* (DVD, 2010, Alfred Music Publishing)

## External links

* http://hoglanindustries.com/

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Template:Cite web
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Template:Cite web
3. ↑ Template:Cite web
4. ↑ Template:Cite web
5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Voicesfromthedarkside.de - Dark Angel interview
6. ↑ Template:Cite web
7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 "Blabbermouth.net - April, 2006 - OPETH Mainman: We Don't Know If Drummer MARTIN LOPEZ Is Ever Coming Back" April 11, 2006
8. ↑ "STRAPPING YOUNG LAD's GENE HOGLAN Laying Down Tracks For DETHKLOK Album" Dec. 23, 2006.
9. ↑ Template:Cite web
10. ↑ Template:Cite web
11. ↑ Template:Cite web
12. ↑ Template:Cite web
13. ↑ Template:Cite web
14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 Template:Cite web
15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 Template:Cite web
16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 Template:Cite web
17. ↑ http://sylencer.bandcamp.com/
18. ↑ Template:Cite web
19. ↑ Template:Cite web
20. ↑ Template:Cite web