Seth Davis (musician)

Seth was the drummer for Berklee College of Music based progressive rock band Abigail's Ghost[6] from 2004 to 2006, writing and recording the drumming for the progressive rock studio album Selling Insincerity, and also assisted in album arrangement and music composition.

From 2007 to 2011, Davis performed as a session musician in the downtown area of New Orleans known as the French Quarter, performing an estimated 500+ shows with local artists on the Bourbon Street club circuit. While working in New Orleans, he met Kyle Thomas of the metal band Exhorder. He joined the New Orleans-based groove metal band in the spring of 2010,[7] touring the U.S. and headlining metal festivals[8][9] through winter of 2011 performing hits from the band's albums Slaughter in the Vatican and The Law. Chris Nail, the original drummer, wrote and recorded all drum arrangements for the two studio albums.

In 2016, Seth arranged and released his first instrumental studio album through Seth Davis Drumming titled The Darkling Throng. This is the first album in a music series he created called M.U.S.I.C. – a tribute to modern-day composers inspired by the late Neil Peart’s catchphrase "Make-up something interesting and complimentary". The recording features various composers with stylistic influences ranging from art rock, djent, and industrial music to progressive rock, progressive metal, and symphonic metal music genres.

Davis at a 2013 photoshoot

Davis became ranked as one of the top 10 fastest drummers in the world [10] during the 2002 Warped Tour, certified by the World's Fastest Drummers Org.[11]

After being welcomed into what WFD champions refer to as "The Thousand Club",[12] their elite club for speed drummers by playing 1000+ single strokes in 60 seconds, Seth continued to break his initial single stroke speed ranking.

Through permission from the WFD, Davis created the double stroke category to teach how to play a clean, open roll, as well as perform various accuracy demonstrations with rudiments from multiple sticking families. He went on to set 3 world speed records for the double stroke roll[13][14] from 2002 to 2004, establishing himself as a world-recognized speed champion. Davis was the first person in history to officially play a clean, open, double stroke roll over the 1000, 1100, and 1200 strokes per minute mark.

Davis' official hand speed rankings and records:

• Single Stroke Roll: 1005, 1024, and 1044 strokes in 60 seconds (2002) Seth Davis' Official Rankings & Records
• Double Stroke Roll: 1021, 1084, and 1200 strokes in 60 seconds (2003 - 2004) Seth Davis' Official Rankings & Records

Rankings and records were executed at a stick height of 10-12 inches with marching sticks.

Davis was ineligible to compete in any NAMM WFD finals for single strokes because of becoming a world champion first. He co-hosted the WFD competitions from 2005 to 2006[15][16] with fellow speed champion Mike Mangini at the Nashville, Los Angeles, and Indianapolis NAMM Show.

He states his top speed for the single stroke roll is 17 1/2 to 18 strokes per second when applied to the drum set as a rhythmic phrasing and 20 strokes per second for the double stroke roll. He accredits fellow world speed champions through social media video posts as the World's Fastest Drummer Champions who are able to reach and exceed 20 strokes per second while playing a single stroke roll.

In 2012, Davis trained a late-blooming 50+-year-old drummer named Nick Stefano to compete in the WFD. Through Davis' instruction, Stefano placed third in official competition, playing 948 single strokes with an unofficial score of 1022. Both scores were recorded using the traditional grip.[17] Following a 10-year hiatus from the WFD, Davis reemerged at the 2016 summer NAMM show in Nashville, Tennessee, giving an exclusive interview about his experience in the organization, including an introductory speech at the world finals.[18][19]

Davis retired from the World’s Fastest Drummers Organization in 2004. For 20+ years, circa 1999-2019, Davis performed 1000+ stroke per minute demonstrations, concluding with a final single stroke roll demonstration in 2019. While Davis focuses more on music composition these days, highlighting diverse drumming skill-sets, he is acknowledged and respected as one of the pioneers of the elite speed drumming movement.