A song with a cool drum intro
When you hear “songs with cool intros,” many people probably think of striking guitar riffs.
After all, the standout part in a rock band is the guitar—naturally.
That said, drums can be incredibly cool too! In this article, we’ll introduce a bunch of rock classics—both Western and Japanese—featuring songs with awesome drum intros.
We’ve got everything from tracks that kick off with flashy drum solos to more connoisseur-friendly picks where a simple beat overflows with groove and sounds unbelievably cool.
The playlist centers on timeless rock classics, but if you love drums, this is a must-see for everyone, young and old!
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Songs with cool drum intros (11–20)
FireballDeep Purple
Ian Paice of Deep Purple is one of the most iconic drummers in the hard rock world.
His groundbreaking technique has influenced many drummers, and the title track that opens the 1971 album Fireball kicks off with a powerful drum solo packed with those techniques.
Incidentally, the song is also famous for the anecdote that Paice incorporated a “twin bass drum” setup, placing two bass drums side by side for rapid-fire hits.
Hot For TeacherVan Halen
When it comes to drum intros in hard rock, this is the song! Riding a fast shuffle beat, Alex Van Halen’s performance combines powerful forward drive with techniques that are anything but easy to imitate, and I bet plenty of drummers back then practiced like crazy to be able to play that intro.
The way the phrase is constructed—combining double bass with both feet alternating on two bass drums, intricate tom work with the hands, and then moving into finely articulated ride cymbal patterns—still feels fresh today.
Just kidding.RADWIMPS
It’s a track from their second album, and since it’s from before their major-label debut, many of you might not be familiar with it.
RADWIMPS songs often feature drum rhythm phrases that are rich in flavor and really cool, but this one is especially recommended! The intro starts with the drum beat, so it really stands out, right? This beat is emblematic of the song, and not only appears in the intro but also reappears throughout the track as variations built around it.
The groove is incredibly strong, so when you cover it as a band, try to focus on locking in with the guitar and bass.
When it clicks perfectly, it feels amazing!
nakano kill youRin to shite Shigure
In the Japanese rock scene, you simply can’t talk about great drummers without mentioning him.
The drummer of Ling tosite sigure, Pierre Nakano, delivers an incredibly cool intro on this track as well! Above all, the standout is the snare’s rapid-fire notes in perfect sync with the guitar and bass at the very beginning.
This section, which creates a taut atmosphere while weaving in dynamic shifts, is breathtakingly cool just to listen to.
The subsequent two-beat is also outstanding in both speed and precision, instantly drawing you into the song’s world.
99.974℃tricot
Tricot is a four-piece band with three women up front and the sole male member on drums.
Backed by exceptional musicianship, their intricate and labyrinthine song structures are woven through a band ensemble that, despite its complexity, still carries the accessible, J-pop-like melodies.
Their musicality has earned them high acclaim overseas as one of Japan’s defining alternative rock bands of the 2010s.
They made their major-label debut in 2019 and have continued to work energetically, releasing two albums in 2020.
The track introduced here, 99.974°C, is the title song of their first single, released in 2013.
Its thrilling ensemble—showing influences from post-rock, math rock, and post-hardcore—sounds incredibly cool, and the drumming by their original drummer, komaki♂, is so fierce that it doesn’t merely support the freewheeling string section, but at times meets it head-on.
At the same time, his style displays remarkable delicacy and suppleness.
Two PrincesSpin Doctors
This song, one of the signature tracks by the American rock band Spin Doctors, has an overall buoyant, upbeat feel that makes you want to start swaying as you listen! From a drummer’s perspective, one of the highlights is definitely the intro.
It features a light snare phrase incorporating thirty-second notes, followed by an impressive passage packed with delicate ghost notes.
The groove created by these ghost notes is incredibly tight and funky, giving the entire song its lively, breezy character.
Songs with cool drum intros (21–30)
We Will Rock YouQueen
It’s no exaggeration to say that the intro drum phrase of “We Will Rock You” is the most famous in the world.
On the recording it’s claps, but in actual live performances the beat is created with the kick drum, floor tom, and snare.
It’s so simple, yet is there any other song with a phrase this striking and cool? Of course, it truly comes alive with Freddie Mercury’s vocals, but as a song with an undeniably cool drum intro, this one is indispensable.