Dennis Leeflang
Encyclopedia
Dennis Leeflang is a rock
drummer
, currently living in New York City
. He's most known for his work with Bumblefoot
(Guns N' Roses
). Other artists he has worked with include Lita Ford
, Within Temptation
, Sun Caged
, Epica
and The Saturnine
.
s between ages 8 and 12, Dennis Leeflang started playing the drum set at age 13, playing along with records of bands such as Nirvana
, Guns N' Roses
, Metallica
and Iron Maiden
. He started playing with local hard rock bands practically immediately.
After mixed successes with local Dutch bands, Leeflang's career officially took off in 1996, when he joined Dutch gothic rock legends Within Temptation
at age 17 as their first official drummer. With Within Temptation, Leeflang recorded the legendary "Enter" demo tape at his home rehearsal studio, which made a huge impact on the Dutch and later also the international metal scene and proved to be the official start of a major new movement in rock and metal music.
Leeflang played with various other successful Dutch rock and metal bands between 1997 and 2004, including Epica
and The Saturnine
, before relocating from The Netherlands to New York City, shortly after having departed his band Sun Caged
, of which he was a founding member.
In 2006, Dennis re-joined The Saturnine. The band would continue as an inter-continental recording project with occasional live performances in Europe.
Leeflang had been Bumblefoot
's live drummer for European tours since 2002, but became his full-time drummer once having moved to New York in 2004. Though having recorded a song for a Jimi Hendrix
tribute album with him in 2003, Dennis's album debut with Bumblefoot
was the 2005 "Normal
" album, followed by the 2008 "Abnormal" album. Throughout 2011, Dennis has released one song a month with Bumblefoot of which several were renditions of classic songs such as The Beatles
' Strawberry Fields Forever
, as well as original songs which Thal and Leeflang co-wrote at Leeflang's studio in 2009, just before embarking on the Lita Ford tour together.
Next to recording and touring with Bumblefoot, Leeflang has been recording drums for numerous albums since 2004, both from his own studio and at various studios in the New York area and in Europe for many known and up-and-coming artists, including Anneke van Giersbergen
, Milan Polak, Indestructible Noise Command, Tiffany Giardina
, Ted Poley
(Danger Danger
), Shane Gibson
(Korn
) and Angus Clark
(Trans-Siberian Orchestra
).
In the summer of 2009, Dennis was asked to join Lita Ford
's band, with less than 48 hours to learn her set list. With Ford, Leeflang toured all over Europe and the US throughout the summer and fall of 2009, including performances at prestigious events such as the Bang Your Head!!! festival in Balingen, Germany, the Gods Of Metal
festival in Milan, Italy, and the annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally
in Sturgis, SD.
Leeflang is known for mixing powerful hard rock drumming with funk and jazz influences, and the use of a wide range of dynamics in his playing. Especially in New York, he has done sessions in many different genres, adding more influences to his palette. He's also a drum teacher and clinician, performing drum demonstrations in Europe, Russia and the US regularly. In his home country of The Netherlands, Leeflang has become one of the most influential rock drummers of recent years. He reaches high positions in the readers polls of Slagwerkkrant
magazine in The Netherlands annually.
When not on the road, Dennis works out of his own recording studio in the New York City area from where he collaborates with musicians all over the world. He has also become an active producer and recording engineer in the New York area.
, Stewart Copeland
, Chad Smith
, Josh Freese
, Steve Jordan
, Jeff Porcaro
, Dave Abbruzzese
and John Bonham
.
Dennis plays Drum Workshop
drums, live as well as in the studio. His most common setup consists of an 18"x24" bass drum (VLX), a 9"x13" tomtom (VLT) with a 13"x15" (X-shell) and a 14"x16" (VLX) floor tom.
He has a large collection of snare drums but is mostly seen with either a 6.5"x14" solid brass DW snare, a 6.5"x14" PDP Ace snare, or a 6"x14" Ahead black nickel over brass snare drum. Dennis often incorporates a 1990's 3"x12" Tama metal piccolo snare on the left side of his hi-hat.
His hardware is all DW 9000 series, with a 5002 double bass drum pedal.
Drum heads are all Remo
: Clear Emperors on toms, Clear Powerstroke3 on bass drum, Coated Controlled Sound or Controlled Sound X on snare.
Dennis' cymbal setup varies per situation, but his most common setup is (left to right, viewed from behind the kit):
- 19" Signature Full Crash
- 8" Twenty Splash
- 14" Signature Dark Crisp hi-hats
- 20" Signature Full Crash
- 22" Signature Reflector Bell Ride
- 20" Signature Reflector Heavy Full Crash
- 20" 2002 NOVO China
- 19" Signature Reflector Heavy Full Crash
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
drummer
Drummer
A drummer is a musician who is capable of playing drums, which includes but is not limited to a drum kit and accessory based hardware which includes an assortment of pedals and standing support mechanisms, marching percussion and/or any musical instrument that is struck within the context of a...
, currently living in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. He's most known for his work with Bumblefoot
Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal
Ronald Jay Blumenthal , better known by his stage name Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal, is a Jewish-American guitarist, songwriter, recording artist and producer. Thal adopted the name Bumblefoot from the bacterial infection of the same name, which he learned about while helping his wife review for her...
(Guns N' Roses
Guns N' Roses
Guns N' Roses is an American hard rock band, formed in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, in 1985. The band has released six studio albums, three EPs, and one live album...
). Other artists he has worked with include Lita Ford
Lita Ford
Lita Ford is a British-born, American rock musician and singer who was the lead guitarist for The Runaways and achieved popularity for her solo career between the 1980s and late 2000s.-Early life:...
, Within Temptation
Within Temptation
Within Temptation is a Dutch symphonic gothic metal/rock band founded in 1996 by vocalist Sharon den Adel and guitarist Robert Westerholt. Their music is described as symphonic metal, although their earlier material, such as Enter, was gothic metal. In an interview, Den Adel said they fell into a...
, Sun Caged
Sun Caged
Sun Caged is a progressive metal band originating in The Netherlands. Sun Caged was formed by ex-Lemur Voice guitarist Marcel Coenen and drummer Dennis Leeflang in the spring of 1999. Taking influences from artists in the metal genre such as Dream Theater, and even Iron Maiden, Sun Caged has a...
, Epica
Epica (band)
Epica is a Dutch symphonic metal band founded by guitarist and vocalist Mark Jansen subsequent to his departure from After Forever. They are known for their symphonic sound and the use of female vocals and male growls performed by Simone Simons and Mark Jansen, respectively. All six members write...
and The Saturnine
The Saturnine
The Saturnine is a melodic melancholic rock band, originally formed in The Netherlands, but currently featuring musicians from The Netherlands, Germany and New York City.- History :...
.
History
After having laid a solid foundation through playing snare drum in several marching bandMarching band
Marching band is a physical activity in which a group of instrumental musicians generally perform outdoors and incorporate some type of marching with their musical performance. Instrumentation typically includes brass, woodwinds, and percussion instruments...
s between ages 8 and 12, Dennis Leeflang started playing the drum set at age 13, playing along with records of bands such as Nirvana
Nirvana (band)
Nirvana was an American rock band that was formed by singer/guitarist Kurt Cobain and bassist Krist Novoselic in Aberdeen, Washington in 1987...
, Guns N' Roses
Guns N' Roses
Guns N' Roses is an American hard rock band, formed in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, in 1985. The band has released six studio albums, three EPs, and one live album...
, Metallica
Metallica
Metallica is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 1981 when James Hetfield responded to an advertisement that drummer Lars Ulrich had posted in a local newspaper. The current line-up features long-time lead guitarist Kirk Hammett and bassist Robert Trujillo ...
and Iron Maiden
Iron Maiden
Iron Maiden are an English heavy metal band from Leyton in east London, formed in 1975 by bassist and primary songwriter Steve Harris. Since their inception, the band's discography has grown to include a total of thirty-six albums: fifteen studio albums; eleven live albums; four EPs; and six...
. He started playing with local hard rock bands practically immediately.
After mixed successes with local Dutch bands, Leeflang's career officially took off in 1996, when he joined Dutch gothic rock legends Within Temptation
Within Temptation
Within Temptation is a Dutch symphonic gothic metal/rock band founded in 1996 by vocalist Sharon den Adel and guitarist Robert Westerholt. Their music is described as symphonic metal, although their earlier material, such as Enter, was gothic metal. In an interview, Den Adel said they fell into a...
at age 17 as their first official drummer. With Within Temptation, Leeflang recorded the legendary "Enter" demo tape at his home rehearsal studio, which made a huge impact on the Dutch and later also the international metal scene and proved to be the official start of a major new movement in rock and metal music.
Leeflang played with various other successful Dutch rock and metal bands between 1997 and 2004, including Epica
Epica (band)
Epica is a Dutch symphonic metal band founded by guitarist and vocalist Mark Jansen subsequent to his departure from After Forever. They are known for their symphonic sound and the use of female vocals and male growls performed by Simone Simons and Mark Jansen, respectively. All six members write...
and The Saturnine
The Saturnine
The Saturnine is a melodic melancholic rock band, originally formed in The Netherlands, but currently featuring musicians from The Netherlands, Germany and New York City.- History :...
, before relocating from The Netherlands to New York City, shortly after having departed his band Sun Caged
Sun Caged
Sun Caged is a progressive metal band originating in The Netherlands. Sun Caged was formed by ex-Lemur Voice guitarist Marcel Coenen and drummer Dennis Leeflang in the spring of 1999. Taking influences from artists in the metal genre such as Dream Theater, and even Iron Maiden, Sun Caged has a...
, of which he was a founding member.
In 2006, Dennis re-joined The Saturnine. The band would continue as an inter-continental recording project with occasional live performances in Europe.
Leeflang had been Bumblefoot
Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal
Ronald Jay Blumenthal , better known by his stage name Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal, is a Jewish-American guitarist, songwriter, recording artist and producer. Thal adopted the name Bumblefoot from the bacterial infection of the same name, which he learned about while helping his wife review for her...
's live drummer for European tours since 2002, but became his full-time drummer once having moved to New York in 2004. Though having recorded a song for a Jimi Hendrix
Jimi Hendrix
James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix was an American guitarist and singer-songwriter...
tribute album with him in 2003, Dennis's album debut with Bumblefoot
Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal
Ronald Jay Blumenthal , better known by his stage name Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal, is a Jewish-American guitarist, songwriter, recording artist and producer. Thal adopted the name Bumblefoot from the bacterial infection of the same name, which he learned about while helping his wife review for her...
was the 2005 "Normal
Normal (album)
- Credits :*Ron Thal – vocals, guitars, bass*Dennis Leeflang – drums*24-7 Spyz and SupaKDB – Backing vocals...
" album, followed by the 2008 "Abnormal" album. Throughout 2011, Dennis has released one song a month with Bumblefoot of which several were renditions of classic songs such as The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
' Strawberry Fields Forever
Strawberry Fields Forever
"Strawberry Fields Forever" is a song by The Beatles, written by John Lennon and attributed to the Lennon–McCartney songwriting partnership. It was inspired by Lennon's memories of playing in the garden of a Salvation Army house named "Strawberry Field" near his childhood home."Strawberry Fields...
, as well as original songs which Thal and Leeflang co-wrote at Leeflang's studio in 2009, just before embarking on the Lita Ford tour together.
Next to recording and touring with Bumblefoot, Leeflang has been recording drums for numerous albums since 2004, both from his own studio and at various studios in the New York area and in Europe for many known and up-and-coming artists, including Anneke van Giersbergen
Anneke van Giersbergen
Anneke van Giersbergen is the former lead singer of the Dutch progressive/alternative rock band The Gathering which she departed in August 2007. Since then, she has been involved in a solo project called Agua de Annique which also included her husband & drummer of the band, Rob Snijders...
, Milan Polak, Indestructible Noise Command, Tiffany Giardina
Tiffany Giardina
Tiffany Kathryn Giardina better known as her new stagename, Gia , is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and model. Her debut full-length album No Average Angel was released in 2009. She also appeared on the soundtrack of Tinker Bell, with the song "Shine"...
, Ted Poley
Ted Poley
Ted Harris Poley is a rock singer and drummer most famous for being in the band Danger Danger.-Biography:...
(Danger Danger
Danger Danger
Danger Danger is an American glam metal band, formed in 1987 in Queens, New York. Despite enjoying moderate success in the U.S. with their debut album Danger Danger, the band vanished from the radar due to legal problems and changes in its line-up....
), Shane Gibson
Shane Gibson
David Shane Gibson is a Member of Parliament and former Cabinet Minister of Immigration, Labour and Training of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas. He is the son of Bahamian entertainer and "King" Eric Gibson.-Early career:...
(Korn
Korn
Korn is an American nu metal band from Bakersfield, California, formed in 1993. The current band line up includes four members: Jonathan Davis, James "Munky" Shaffer, Reginald "Fieldy" Arvizu, and Ray Luzier. The band was formed as an expansion of L.A.P.D.The band released their first demo album,...
) and Angus Clark
Angus Clark
Angus Clark is a guitarist, singer, songwriter, and producer. He has toured with the internationally renowned and Grammy-winning New Age artist Kitaro, as well as with the hard rock acts Drill and Naked Sun, and is currently touring with the Trans-Siberian Orchestra and DareDevil Squadron...
(Trans-Siberian Orchestra
Trans-Siberian Orchestra
Trans-Siberian Orchestra is an American progressive metal band founded in 1993 by producer, composer, and lyricist Paul O'Neill, who brought together Jon Oliva and Al Pitrelli and keyboardist and co-producer Robert Kinkel to form the core of the creative team. Since then, TSO sold nearly 8...
).
In the summer of 2009, Dennis was asked to join Lita Ford
Lita Ford
Lita Ford is a British-born, American rock musician and singer who was the lead guitarist for The Runaways and achieved popularity for her solo career between the 1980s and late 2000s.-Early life:...
's band, with less than 48 hours to learn her set list. With Ford, Leeflang toured all over Europe and the US throughout the summer and fall of 2009, including performances at prestigious events such as the Bang Your Head!!! festival in Balingen, Germany, the Gods Of Metal
Gods of Metal
Gods of Metal is the biggest Italian metal festival, held annually since 1997. It takes place in early summer, usually on the first or second weekend of June...
festival in Milan, Italy, and the annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally
Sturgis Motorcycle Rally
The Sturgis Motorcycle Rally is an American motorcycle rally held annually in Sturgis, South Dakota, usually the first full week of August.-History:...
in Sturgis, SD.
Leeflang is known for mixing powerful hard rock drumming with funk and jazz influences, and the use of a wide range of dynamics in his playing. Especially in New York, he has done sessions in many different genres, adding more influences to his palette. He's also a drum teacher and clinician, performing drum demonstrations in Europe, Russia and the US regularly. In his home country of The Netherlands, Leeflang has become one of the most influential rock drummers of recent years. He reaches high positions in the readers polls of Slagwerkkrant
Slagwerkkrant
Slagwerkkrant is a Dutch bi-monthly magazine for drummers and percussionists. - History :Slagwerkkrant's first issue was printed in 1985. Despite being printed exclusively in the Dutch language, the magazine has built up a solid reputation in the international drumming community...
magazine in The Netherlands annually.
When not on the road, Dennis works out of his own recording studio in the New York City area from where he collaborates with musicians all over the world. He has also become an active producer and recording engineer in the New York area.
Influences
As some of his main influences, Leeflang names drummers such as Nicko McBrainNicko McBrain
Michael Henry "Nicko" McBrain is an English musician, best known as the drummer for Iron Maiden, which he joined in 1982, prior to which he had played for Streetwalkers, Pat Travers, and the French political band, Trust.-Biography:...
, Stewart Copeland
Stewart Copeland
Stewart Armstrong Copeland is an American musician, best known as the drummer for the band The Police. During the group's extended hiatus from the mid-1980s to 2007, he played in other bands and composed soundtracks...
, Chad Smith
Chad Smith
Chad Smith is an American musician, best known as the longtime and current drummer of Red Hot Chili Peppers. Smith is also the drummer of the hard rock supergroup Chickenfoot which includes Sammy Hagar, Joe Satriani, and Michael Anthony, former Deep Purple vocalist Glenn Hughes' backing band and...
, Josh Freese
Josh Freese
Josh Freese is an American session drummer and songwriter. He is a permanent member of A Perfect Circle, The Vandals, and Devo, having formerly played drums for Nine Inch Nails from late 2005 until late 2008, and for Guns N' Roses from mid-1998 to 2001. Freese has appeared on close to 300 records....
, Steve Jordan
Steve Jordan
Steve Jordan is the name of:*Steve Jordan , American multi-instrumentalist, songwriter and music producer from New York City*Esteban Jordan , American conjunto and Tejano musician...
, Jeff Porcaro
Jeff Porcaro
Jeffrey Thomas "Jeff" Porcaro was an American session drummer and a founding member of the Grammy Award winning band Toto. Porcaro was one of the most recorded drummers in history, working on hundreds of albums and thousands of sessions...
, Dave Abbruzzese
Dave Abbruzzese
David James Abbruzzese is an American musician who was the drummer for the American rock band Pearl Jam from 1991 to 1994. He replaced drummer Matt Chamberlain in 1991, shortly before the release of the band's debut album, Ten...
and John Bonham
John Bonham
John Henry Bonham was an English musician and songwriter, best known as the drummer of Led Zeppelin. Bonham was esteemed for his speed, power, fast right foot, distinctive sound, and "feel" for the groove...
.
Equipment
Leeflang is endorsed by:- PaistePaistePaiste, a Swiss manufacturer and designer, is the world's third largest manufacturer of cymbals, gongs, and metal percussion. Paiste is an Estonian/Finnish word which means "shine"...
(cymbals) - Vic FirthVic FirthVic Firth is an American musician and is the founder of Vic Firth Company , a percussion stick and mallet manufacturing company that he started in 1963. The company bills itself as the world's largest manufacturer of drum sticks and mallets...
(drum sticks) - S-Hoop (drum hoops)
- Ahead Armor cases (drum cases)
- Ahead snare drums
Dennis plays Drum Workshop
Drum Workshop
Drum Workshop is a drum and hardware manufacturing company based in Oxnard, California. Their slogan is "The Drummer's Choice".-History:...
drums, live as well as in the studio. His most common setup consists of an 18"x24" bass drum (VLX), a 9"x13" tomtom (VLT) with a 13"x15" (X-shell) and a 14"x16" (VLX) floor tom.
He has a large collection of snare drums but is mostly seen with either a 6.5"x14" solid brass DW snare, a 6.5"x14" PDP Ace snare, or a 6"x14" Ahead black nickel over brass snare drum. Dennis often incorporates a 1990's 3"x12" Tama metal piccolo snare on the left side of his hi-hat.
His hardware is all DW 9000 series, with a 5002 double bass drum pedal.
Drum heads are all Remo
Remo
Remo is a male given name of Latin origin - see Romulus and Remus.Remo may also refer to:* Remo, an American drum skin company* Remo , another name for the German wine grape Riesling* Remo language, a Panoan language of Brazil and Peru...
: Clear Emperors on toms, Clear Powerstroke3 on bass drum, Coated Controlled Sound or Controlled Sound X on snare.
Dennis' cymbal setup varies per situation, but his most common setup is (left to right, viewed from behind the kit):
- 19" Signature Full Crash
- 8" Twenty Splash
- 14" Signature Dark Crisp hi-hats
- 20" Signature Full Crash
- 22" Signature Reflector Bell Ride
- 20" Signature Reflector Heavy Full Crash
- 20" 2002 NOVO China
- 19" Signature Reflector Heavy Full Crash