Steve Zimmerman

Steve Zimmerman — American drummer — works in the progressive and melodic metal circuit of the United States. Drumming in American progressive metal has demands that set it apart from other branches of the genre. The repertoire is built on irregular metres — bars of five, seven or nine beats, alternating without warning — and the drummer must not only execute them but make them sound natural to the listener, which is a different problem from simply playing them correctly. That is what separates good progressive drumming from merely exact playing. Keeping groove inside structures that refuse to fall into four-beat cycles is a specific skill, and it is why few drummers work well in the genre even with technique enough. The American progressive metal circuit is small in market terms but active: bands with loyal audiences, continuous output and musicians who circulate between projects across decades.