Alex Rudinger - Nile - 'Lashed To The Slave Stick'

Covering a #Nile song (specifically something from 'Annihilation Of The Wicked' - my personal fave!) is something I've wanted to do for a long time. I got into this album at a very influential time in my teens, & as a result it definitely played a big part in my development with drums. 

In other words: This album helped steer me down the path that I'm on today, & in turn played a relatively important role in my life. Similar to my cover of 'Stabwound' from a couple years back, I always wanted to cover something from it as a nod to its positive impact on me. 

Only problem was... George Kollias is the GOAT of speed in metal, & there're very few Nile songs that I thought I could actually play (at least, while maintaining the velocity that I like to play at. LOL). This is one of the only tunes from Annihilation that I figured I might be able to swing (& thankfully, it's also a SICK song). 

Additionally, I never had access to any album stems to use for a proper mix. As I've mentioned before, I absolutely hate trying to filter / mix album audio with my own tracked drums. Thankfully I got lucky here, too - years ago when I was playing in The Faceless, we did a string of shows in Australia supporting Nile (which was SICK!). I got to hang with George a ton, & got to know some of the other guys a bit as well (Dallas Toler-Wade, specifically). Later on in 2018, I hit up Dallas & asked if he'd be willing to record a guitar track for me to use for this cover. I was pleasantly surprised when he said he was down! 

(& yes, I've wanted to do this cover since 2018. Lol! Shortly after he sent me the files I got asked about doing Whitechapel, so had to change plans a bit / put this cover on the back burner!)

So finally, HERE IT IS: Lashed To The Slave Stick ! 

Want to give a HUGE thanks to Dallas Toler-Wade for taking the time to record this for me. Honestly, I probably wouldn't have done it without that (& dang ya'll, how SICK is his guitar playing? Lol!). Additionally, I want to thank George Kollias - just for being an incredibly sick drummer, & for all the inspiration over the years (he's also a SUPER sick guy!). I feel fortunate to have gotten to know him on that Australia tour. You rule, George!.  

The mix for this video was done by Adam "Nolly" Getgood! Very thankful Nolly had the time / interest to mix this one - I thought his mix would be SICK for this song, & he surely did not disappoint! I mean dang, what a SICK GUY! Drums are all natural *except* for the kick (which Nolly said is about a 50/50 blend of the natural mics & kick trigger).

If you're interested in hiring Nolly for audio work, please contact him / his manager using the address below! 

KIT SPECS!

(This is also the first vid I've posted with my newest drum kit! I'm totally obsessed with it & love it dearly!)

#Tama STAR Maple (in Smokey Black)

10x6.5
12x7
14x11
16x13
20x16
14x6.5 Tama Re-Issue Bell Brass

& of course, my Signature Tama Drumstick (!) 

(FOR THE RECORD: I realize that in terms of hearing these new drums in-full, this might not be the *most* satisfying song. I didn't notice how few tom hits are in it until I was removing all dead space in the close mics prior to sending off for mixing. But fret not: I've already recorded several other videos that I'll be posting soon, with lots more TOM-ACTION!) 

#Meinl Cymbals (from left to right, if sitting behind the kit)

20" MB20 Heavy Bell Ride
18" Classics Dark China
18" Pure Alloy Medium Crash
14" Byzance Traditional Medium Hi-Hats
12" Classics Custom Trash Splash
10" Classics Dark Splash
13" Byzance Traditional Medium Hi-Hats
19" Pure Alloy Medium Crash
18" Pure Alloy China
22" Byzance Heavy Hammered Ride

#Evans Drumheads

Toms - Clear G2's (batter), Clear G1's (reso)
Snare - UV2 (batter), Snare Side 300 (reso)
Kick - Clear EQ4 (batter), Coated EQ4 Logo Head w/ Port (reso)

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My Podcast (Rants & Revelations)

BIG OL' shoutout to everyone that supports me on Patreon. B/c the list of patrons has become quite long, from here on out I'll just be listing the latest / newest people to join between uploads. Plus, there's a character limit here, & apparently I'm unable to type a short video description (LOL Amirite?). But let it be known that all of you on Patreon RULE, & I appreciate you immensely! 

I proudly endorse Tama Drums, Meinl Cymbals, Evans Drumheads, Tama Drumsticks, ACD Unlimited Pedals, Vratim, Tunerfish, OnTrigger, Audient, 64Audio, Gator Cases, & 2Box

As always, thanks for watching & stay tuned for more!

[cussyrichards]

This is one of the catchiest death metal songs ever

[adamkostuch]

Rudi casually running a marathon in 4 minutes on this one.

[smalltownsavouries]

The switcheroo at 2:47 is mesmerizing.

[andrewpjardine]

Alex's face at the end: "Yup. I just did that. Nice"

[schrotestthehero]

2:40-2:55 is one of the single most impressive things I’ve ever seen on the kit, holy shit Rudi

[TheRealPabloAlbelda]

4:00 "FINALLY! STRAIGHT DOUBLE KICKS ARE OVER! Now let's finish the last 5 seconds of this song"

[chrisbaune]

Everyone has a right to their opinion, obviously, but it’s crazy to me to see people giving this a thumbs down. Even trolls have to think this shit is great. 95% of the world’s drummers couldn’t play that. You’re a monster Rudes.

[Xibalba]

So Sick that Dallas recorded the guitars for you! What a stand-up guy :)

[mahirdaiyankhan]

When I saw Rudi covering Nile I clicked the like button even before hitting the play.

[keithkleinhampl]

Who in the hell are the 4 people who gave this a thumbs down??? Seriously??? This is precision and stamina perfected.

[stevewade]

Rudi's finger work on those blast beats would make even the most ardent of lesbian's jealous.

[bacobill]

Good God there is no other.. We are now in another dimension of timekeeping.. and I love it (68 yrs old today :)

[FigNeutered]

Absolutely insane how you switched hands blasting on the snare but they all sounded the same. Such a minor detail that took a crazy amount of work. Respect 🤟

[scottkingsley]

George Kollias is an absolute machine.

[neilkennethofficial]

You may say that this song's slower than their usual stuff, but playing constant double bass at 190BPM for 4 minutes, plus the tempo shift to 220BPM @ 2:20 is definitely no joke!

[RTSRAZORBACK]

Some say that when drums are programmed because no human could play it so well and accurately, it actually summons a recording and tracking session by Rudi

[nirmalvarma]

Your corruptible bodies shall be cut to pieces... What a line! Excellent drum cover. Wow!

[marcuscramus]

It cant be better than this.
This guy is one of the new classics.

[mattwatson]

Absolutely unreal playing. Beautiful. That tempo switch at 2:20 is NASTY stuff!

[hellsweethell]

You guys remember that time when you had a 256mb mp3 player with only your favourite songs and you listened to it on the bus to school or between classes? With those cheap headphones your mom bought you because they were on sale for 3 bucks? Alex hast already covered ~70% of my playlist (only missing Belphegor, Death and Kataklysm). Incredible how taste can correlate. Thanks for the memories!