LAWRENCE DINAMARCA (Carnal Forge, Loch Vostok) – Happy

LAWRENCE DINAMARCA is the drummer in Carnal Forge and Loch Vostok. Lawrence admits that drumming makes him happy, he goes on stage and he’s enjoying every time and he also shares about his recent meeting with his biggest inspiration Thomas Haake from Meshuggah. Here is LAWRENCE DINAMARCA and his contribution to The Blast Beast Series.

What is the force behind you being a drummer, that is, what keeps you going?

First off , I’m getting happy when i play drums haha.

And whats keeps me going is the love of the music , feeling and rhythm. 

And of course the joy of playing with two incredible bands  (Carnal Forge, Loch Vostok).

You are playing in a genre where both technique and speed, together with groove, are important ingredients. What do you think is the most important of these?

I would say that love for the music is the most crucial thing to put in the music, but all of those ingredients are important , because without them the music would be just flat and wouldn’t be interesting to listen to .

Which drummer has inspired you the most throughout the years, and what would you have said to him/her if you had the chance to meet him/her in person?

I say Tomas Haake from Meshuggah. Hi is the person that has inspired me the most when playing Metal. I actually meet him and the rest of the band a few weeks ago when they played in Stockholm (9 May) .

And i told him that he is my favorite drummer of all time. And i also asked him if he has any plans to do a clinic tour soon.  Hope he i’ll make it happen.

Which is best while rehearsing alone: systematic progress or full improvisation?

When practicing alone it gives me all the time i need to really exercise on methods such as feeling , timing , power, endurance and speed .  With all these elements it gives me the possibility to improvise and come up with cool rhythms and patterns to new songs for example.

Do you have any "core rehearsal tips" that have given you a lot of progress in your drumming?

Give time to your practice . Play to the music that inspires you, whether if its Pop, Metal, RnB, Latin or Gospel etc . For example , if you are really in to a drummers fill-ins and lets say he plays RnB, try to learn his techniques and try to orchestrate them in to your music. Remember! music is all about sharing 🙂

What is important for you while rehearsing new songs/riffs with your band? Is there something in particular you do or listen for?

Whats important for me is to find a good feeling and respect the riff, and not just go on and do fill-ins and bashing on every cymbal all the time.

I listen to the melodies of the riff and try to play music on the drums and put in some chops that combines well to lift the music .

What is, in your opinion, the biggest challenges for extreme drummers (or, generally speaking, drummers), and what can you do to work them out?

The biggest challenge is maybe to come up with some new drumming ideas, new fill-ins , rhythms, do a better job and to be a better drummer than the previous recordings/gigs.

The thing is to listen to different music genre and be inspired, then try to incorporate your new influences to you drumming style.

Wrists or fingers? Heel up or down? Why?

I mostly use both wrist and fingers, it depends on the tempo i’m playing. If it is a really fast tempo i use fingers.

Heal up i can say, but some times it doesn’t look like it because i use my ankles in faster tempos.

You must have rehearsed for an insane amount of hours to be as good a drummer as you are. Do you think it is worth it, and have you ever thought about quitting?

Its most definitely worth it. No i have never thought about quitting .

While playing at a concert: are you 100 % concentrated about what you are doing, or do you notice some of the mood and energy among the audience?

I don’t think so much,  just having fun you know:-).

I’m going on the stage and playing the songs as correctly, powerful as i can, headbang and feeling the energy of the audience .

Is it expensive to become a drummer, and what does it take outside all that can be bought for money to become a clever and good drummer in extreme metal?

Yes its very expensive, heavy and it takes a lot of space too haha .

If you want to be a good drummer,you i’ll not just need the wish to be a good drummer,  its the will to be a good drummer is what you need.

Then practice and inspiration its what you also need.

And then some about your equipment:

I have two Pearl kits. One Pearl BRX (Birch – 6ply) and one MPL(Maple 6ply) in Piano Black Finishes.

I have combine them in two kits.

My Studio and Live kit is : Toms 10"BRX,  12" MPL , 14" MPL, Kick 22×18"BRX and Snare 14" BRX.

And the rest of the drums is for rehearsing .

Pedals : Pearl Demon Drive ( Double), Vic Firth : American Classic Metal, Sabian Cymbals, Evans Drum Heads and all Pearl Hardware .

Which snare drum and configuration do you like the best? 12", 13" or 14"? And which material? Wood, steel, brass or bronze?

I like birch shells, they have so much attack and power.

12" and 13" is very comfortable because it gives you more space. But i prefer the heaviness of an 14" with a Evans ST Dry.

What kind of pedal(s) do you use? And which "settings" fits your style the best?

I use a Pearl Demon Drive double pedal. I have the spring tension to the tightest .

As always, we are rounding off with you picking the next drummer in these series. Pick a drummer, and explain why he/she deserves (!) to be one of our Blast Beasts.

I pic Tobias Ørnes Andersen from Leprous and Ihsahn, because he is such a fantastic drummer with passion and you can really see the joy through him when playing. He is a very nice person too.

I have toured with him twice with Loch Vostok. And hopefully we catch up when they come to Sweden later this year and play.

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