The 5 Best Songs With Epic Drum Solos At The Beginning

There are plenty of drum solos that give us chills every time we listen. But even those usually know when to wait their turn, coming in later in the piece after the vocalist and melodic instruments have all had a chance to shine. Done right, a good drum solo can explore a vast library of polyrhythmic vocabulary in a manner that's as captivating as any guitar lead. When they fall short, they become meandering, pointless bathroom breaks for even the most committed of listeners. With so much at stake, it becomes all the gutsier to put a drum solo out front. 

These may not be the best drum solos in rock history, but they are the ones that kick off incredible songs. We wanted to look at the songs that got it right — the moments where letting the drummer take the lead became a fantastic setup for a great song. Sometimes you need a wild eruption of chops to grab everyone's attention, while other times it's a unique groove that sets the stage for things to come. Whatever the case, here are five times the cat on the skins started things off with an epic solo.

Some bands exist to showcase phenomenal musicianship, and some just want to rock, but the best bands know how to strike a balance between the two. And sometimes you get Cozy Powell in the middle of it all. When guitarist Ritchie Blackmore quit Deep Purple in 1975, he quickly formed Rainbow, a band whose wide-reaching influence in the heavy metal world cannot be overstated. Whether it was launching the career of hard rock legend Ronnie James Dio or later scoring the mega-hit "Since You've Been Gone" with vocalist Graham Bonnet, Blackmore succeeded in making Rainbow an environment that, like Deep Purple, was a place where musicians could shine alongside memorable melodies.

"Rising," the group's second album, continues that tradition with tracks like "Tarot Woman" and "Starstruck," but it's the album's centerpiece, the massive epic "Stargazer," where Powell steals the show. Throughout the first 10 seconds of the piece, Powell throws down a drum solo masterclass that sets the stage for the hard-driving, mid-tempo beatdown that fills the remainder of the piece. Dio's vocals soar throughout, and Blackmore unloads guitar passages that sound like Jimi Hendrix embracing Middle Eastern exoticism. Yet through it all, Powell's steady, menacing swagger quotes the licks from that opening solo time and again, reminding everyone who's in charge.

Cozy Powell had already made a name for himself supporting Jeff Beck by the time he arrived in Blackmore's fold, but his stunning work with the band has become the stuff of legend. Powell would leave the group in 1980 and work as an in-demand and high-profile session player until his death in 1998.

Progressive metal innovators Dream Theater had a fluke hit with 1992's "Pull Me Under." Did they follow it up with an album that sets the chops-heavy instrumental onslaught aside in favor of a more commercially viable approach? Nope. While 1994's "Awake" features its own fair share of memorable melodies and Billboard chart success, the focus remained squarely on mind-bending displays of virtuoso prowess. Drummer Mike Portnoy's defiant intro to album opener "6:00" is a testament to that.

Opening with a blistering run across the toms on Portnoy's famously massive drum kit, the solo quickly lays into a mercilessly tight groove with hi-hat inflections that recall the work of legendary jazz drummer Max Roach. What's fascinating is how the seemingly out-of-nowhere passage lays the groundwork for keyboardist Kevin Moore to enter with a spiraling, distorted organ intro in the spirit of Deep Purple's Jon Lord. Meanwhile, guitarist John Petrucci and bassist John Myung build up rhythmic tension underneath. The increasingly furious groove mounts further and further until the ominous spoken words "I know all about the honor of God, Mary Jane," signal the start of the main song. 

With "Falling Into Infinity," the band's 1994 follow-up to "Awake," Portnoy and company heeded the demands of the record label to produce more radio-friendly fare. The dour tone of the resulting material reflected the inner world of a band that fought those constraints kicking and screaming.

It was only right that "One Little Victory," the opening track off Rush's 17th studio album "Vapor Trails," should open with a raging Neil Peart drum solo. The legendary drummer and hard rock intellectual — dubbed "The Professor" by fans and bandmates — had spent the years leading up to that album's recording processing the tragic death of his daughter and, later, his wife, Jacqueline. As such, the album's opening salvo feels deeply cathartic as it comes roaring out of the gate. 

The experience of loss and subsequent grieving process was documented in his 2002 memoir "Ghost Rider: Travels on the Healing Road," which documented Peart's solo motorcycle journeys across North and Central America. The book documents the drummer's gradual healing process in visceral detail and his eventual return to drumming, the final step in a series of one little victory after another. From an artistic standpoint, knowledge of that background gives the intro to the song in question all the more gravitas.

Musically, the solo is a pummeling onslaught of double-pedal kick drums doubled note for note by a dialogue between snare and hi-hat. It has an undeniable surf rock feel that's matched by guitarist Alex Lifeson's heavily reverberated tremolo guitar riff. The mind fills with images of boarders running gnarly halfpipes until the lyrics remind us of what it's really all about: "Celebrate the moment as it turns into one more / Another chance at victory, another chance to score."

The fact that Tool could come to prominence with dark, insular progressive rock in the '90s, a decade when the everyman relatability of grunge reigned supreme, is an achievement unto itself. At the heart of that unlikely accomplishment, however, was a band whose virtuosity was able to sneak in through the back door because no one member ever prioritized their own showmanship over the unified whole of the music. Vocalist Maynard James Keenen routinely embodies this ethic in his stage presentation by remaining shrouded in darkness at the back of the stage while his bandmates take the forefront. 

With that team sport approach to songcraft, it makes sense that Tool is able to seamlessly incorporate arresting instrumental performances into their mathematical psychedelia without alienating mainstream listeners. Case in point, drummer Danny Carey's dazzling intro to "Ticks & Leeches," a deep cut from 2001's "Lateralus." The opening passage combines elements of jazz swing rudiments with Carey's particular infatuation with tabla drumming and Eastern percussion techniques. The result is something that feels wholly removed from the realm of rock until guitarist Adam Jones sits down on top of it with a searing lead. The intimidating chops are thus revealed to have been a foundation for the band to slowly sculpt a larger creation around. It's that ability to turn a musical puzzle into a memorable song that sees Tool at their level best.

Deep Purple's 1972 masterpiece "Machine Head" is a bonafide classic, owing in large part to the iconic riffage and hard-driving hooks of "Smoke on the Water," "Highway Star," and "Space Truckin,'" but those are just the highlights. The album is chock full of stellar musicianship and captivating solos. While guitarist Ritchie Blackmore and keyboardist Jon Lord get most of the glory in that regard, drummer Ian Paice knows how to make his presence known. He has a captivating extended solo in the aforementioned "Space Truckin,'" but it's his intro to "Pictures of Home" that draws our focus today.

Stylistically, the intro solo on "Pictures of Home" captures that Keith Moon/John Bonham falling-down-the-stairs drum fill style that was so popular at the time. It works with the piece precisely because it doesn't sound like it fits. A moment of madcap insanity with a sudden and defiant stop serves as a dramatic opening monologue for the up-tempo heavy metal to follow.