Coheed and Cambria Drummer Plays Black Sabbath Classic as He Hears It for First Time

"Coheed and Cambria's Josh Eppard has taken Drumeo's "first time" challenge, in which notable drummers are forced to compose and play a drum part to a song they've never heard before. In this case, it's Black Sabbath's Master of Reality classic "After Forever." At first, Eppard is played a drumless version of the song and jams along, settling into the song's groove with some bombastic kitwork before the challenge has really begun."

"The first hurdle he faces is playing without a click track, as Sabbath certainly didn't track the song to one. Perhaps a necessary tool in Coheed, the click is actually a hindrance here, and the shifts and timing changes in the middle of the song prove frustrating for the drummer. "Can I hear another song?" says an exasperated Eppard during his second and third takes, throwing his drum stick in the air. "This shit is... I'll kinda get it but Jesus Christ!" He adds, now dripping in sweat: "I've gotta let the energy of the '70s take me there on this path.""

"The final take combines the power of Bill Ward's playing on the original and Eppard's own animated style. He touts particular flare during the snare fills, which Drumeo host Brandon Toews affectionately calls "greasy." "Not bad for like 40 minutes," Toews says, referring to how long Eppard took to lay down a final take. Josh then gets to hear the original with Ward's drumming back in the mix. "What?! That's kinda crazy - that's cool!" Eppard says, adding: "He's bringing so much Bill Ward [to the drumming]. I'm glad [what I played] was different, because I can't be Bill Ward.""

Josh Eppard accepts Drumeo's "first time" challenge and improvises drums to Black Sabbath's "After Forever." He initially plays along to a drumless track and settles into the groove with bombastic kitwork. The absence of a click track proves challenging, with Sabbath's timing shifts causing frustration across multiple takes. Eppard requests to hear another song during attempts and expresses anxiety about replicating the original drums. After about 40 minutes he records a final take that blends Bill Ward's power with his own animated style and greasy snare fills. He reacts positively upon hearing the original with Ward's drumming restored.

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