Soilwork is one of my all time favorite bands, and one of the first metal bands I really got into. Between their really groovy and melodic playing, endlessly hooky songs, dual vocal styles of Bjorn Strid, and the always fitting and hard-hitting drumming of the incomparable Dirk Verbeuren, they had me from “GO!”.
I remember thinking that no one could replace Henry Ranta when he left the band in 2003, and that they surely were over. Who could possibly play not just that well, but better, pushing the band forward into new territory while preserving their identity?
Then along came Dirk.
SoilDirk, as I’m sure he hates to be called, is a freak of nature. An ace drummer who is also active in the business of the band, as technically proficient as he is grooving, and an even cooler dude than you could expect. A session drummer and drum teacher in his off time from the band, he also has a series of drum lesson videos you can access on his website called Dirk Blasts as well as a YouTube channel. This dude lives and breathes drums.
Dirk’s love for sharing his extensive drum knowledge was evident when I met with him to shoot this video lesson for the new Soilwork song “The Ride Majestic”, the title track from their new album due out August 28th (pre-order it here). He was also kind enough to let me interview him about the making of the album and the band’s upcoming plans for touring.
Here’s the interview with Dirk and his puppy Bruiser.
