Nathan White, the drummer of ‘Who They Fear,’ is our newest featured drummer interview in cooperation with ReverbNation. Since 2017 Sick Drummer Magazine has been working with ReverbNation to find new, talented drummers via a contest run on their website. We sifted through over 900 entries and are happy to introduce the winner that was chosen this time, Nathan White of ‘Who They Fear.’ This round was again extra special, as the entries were reviewed, and the winner was chosen by David Culross Jr.! Anyone who knows anything about extreme metal drumming will recognize that name.
Dave Culross is a name in the extreme metal community that is synonymous with a drumming legend. Spanning a career of over 20 years, playing some of the most intense music on earth! Dave has captured a title in the industry as a leader, a pioneer, and a true inspiration to drummers worldwide. He plays with intensity, precision, lightning speed, and amazing control. Dave is what we like to call ‘A Godfather’ of extreme drumming. Dave played with bands like Malevolent Creation, Hate Plow, and Suffocation for many years during his playing and touring career. We recently reconnected with David Culross Jr. and asked if he would like to be part of this particular contest, and he immediately accepted our invitation!
If you want to enter, create a ReverbNation profile page and watch the Industry Opportunities section for our next cooperative! Good Luck ~ SDM
Nathan White Interview:
SDM: How old were you when you started playing?
Nathan: I’ve been playing drums for about 15 years, and I started playing the drums at a pretty early age! When I was like 5 years old, I’d play around on my dad’s kit, but it wasn’t until I was about 13 or 14 I started to take it more seriously.
SDM: Did you play in a school band or any drum corps?
Nathan: I played percussion instruments throughout all my school years in concert band until I was a sophomore in high school, I joined the indoor drumline and played the drum set in the pit.
SDM: Who are your top 5 metal influences?
Nathan:
Hmmm, if I had to pick, I would say:
1. Adam Gray
2. Navene Koperweis
3. Anup Sastry
4. Matt Greiner
5. Tomas Haake
SDM: Who are some of your other favorites?
Nathan: Some of my other favorites include Tommy Lee, Alex Rudinger, Matt McGuire, Luke Holland, and Chris Turner.
SDM: Let us know 5 albums in your current rotation.
Nathan: Right now, I’ve been jamming a lot of Texas in July
Their self-titled album and Bloodwork have been in my rotation. Let the Ocean Take Me by The Amity Affliction is always in rotation; I’ve also been listening to The Way it Ends by Currents. I listen to a lot of different stuff day to day, but I’d have to say Wage War’s Manic as well
SDM: What do you do to warm up before a show?
Nathan: I’ll be honest, I need to work on my warmup routine, but I always stretch out my calves and wrists. I tend to take my sticks and play 16th notes on my leg to warm up my hands. Other than that, I take some good deep breaths to get myself in a relaxed headspace and clear my mind for the performance
SDM: Do you read music? Regardless of answering yes or no, please tell us how it might have affected your playing.
Nathan: I can read music a tiny bit, but I really always picked things up by ear and feel mostly. I feel like it affects my drumming mostly when I’m first learning new material, only because it isn’t always easier to pick up every detail by ear
SDM: Can you tell us about the gear you use?
Nathan:
Currently, I am running a PDP Mainstage 4-piece 10-inch rack, 12-inch rack, 16-inch floor tom, and a 22-inch kick drum. My snare drum is the SJC Jay Weinberg ” The Crucible” brass snare drum 14x 6.5. I like to experiment with the drum heads, but currently, I am using Evans Black Chrome on the toms and an Aquarian Triple Threat on the snare. My kick drum is using an Evans Emad Heavyweight! Assorted hardware with Gibraltar Direct Drive double pedals. My stick of choice is from a company I endorse, Collision Drumsticks! I use a size 2B. Currently, I’m running mostly Meinl cymbals, from left to right behind the kit, and I’m using the Meinl Extreme Metal Series 14-inch Hi-hats.
Zildjian 10-inch splash
Meinl Classics Custom Dark 18-inch Crash
Meinl Extreme Metal series 10-inch Splash
Meinl Extreme Metal series 18-inch Crash
Meinl Extreme Metal series 18-inch China
Meinl Extreme Metal series 20inch Ride with a Meinl HCS Bell stack on top
I use the Xvive wireless In-ear monitor setup with Moondrop Starfield in-ear monitors.
That pretty much sums up what I personally use for practice and shows.
SDM: If you could give one piece of advice to young drummers, it would be…
Nathan: If I could give young drummers a word of advice, it would be to put in the work, even behind closed doors. When no one’s listening or watching, that’s what counts the most, and to keep pushing yourself past your comfort zone, that’s where growth happens.
SDM: Who gave the best live performance you’ve ever seen?
Nathan: Best live performance I’ve seen; I would say that Meshuggah is up there! Those guys are crazy good, super tight, consistent, and technical!
SDM: Aside from drumming, what else do you like to do?
Nathan: Outside of drumming, I like to travel! I’ve been to some cool places! I love riding ATVs with my friends, specifically with my two brothers! We do some trail riding as well as racing on tracks. But most of all, my favorite thing is spending time with the people I care about! I also spend much of my free time at the gym and work on cars, motorcycles, ATVs, etc. I try to make the most of my time with what I care about!
Keep up with Nathan White here:
https://youtube.com/@wraithdude15
Instagram @hades_infamousbk2
