Gene Hoglan - Biography

Biography

Hoglan got his first drum kit when he was 13 and he is completely self-taught. He started jamming along to his Kiss and Rush records, with Peter Criss and Neil Peart being his early influences on his style. Later Cozy Powell, Tommy Aldridge, Rob Reiner of Anvil, Rob "Wacko" Hunter of Raven and Phil "Philthy Animal" Taylor got him into the double bass drumming. Other influences include Stevie Wonder, Alex Van Halen, Steve Smith, Deen Castronovo, Mark Craney, Terry Bozzio, Bill Bruford, Steve Gadd, Sonny Emory, Rick Colaluca of Watchtower, Bobby Jarzombek, Dave Culross, Nick Mason.

In 1983, Hoglan began his music career as a roadie (lights engineer) for the thrash metal band Slayer, where he also played the drums during concert soundchecks. He did also backing vocals in the song Evil Has No Boundaries, from the first Slayer record Show No Mercy. He contributed in the recording of Haunting the Chapel (1984), holding Dave Lombardo's drumkit together, while recording "Chemical Warfare", because there was not a carpet in the studio. He became an influence in Lombardo drumming style and speed, although Hoglan said he gave him a bunch of tips, never really gave him lessons and the first double bass kit he ever played was Lombardo's.

In 1984, he was part of the band War God with Michelle Meldrum. At the end of the same year he was asked to join the thrash metal band Dark Angel as the drummer. He penned most of the lyrics for Dark Angel's next three albums. He achieved greater fame during the mid-1990s playing with Death, at the same time that bandleader Chuck Schuldiner was taking that group into a more progressive style. Subsequently, he recorded one album with the thrash metal band Testament, and made the acquaintance of Canadian multi-instrumentalist Devin Townsend, forging a lasting friendship. He has since recorded several albums with Townsend, both as part of the speed/industrial/death metal band Strapping Young Lad and under Devin Townsend's name.

Hoglan was also part of thrash metal band Tenet, a side project of Strapping Young Lad guitarist Jed Simon, from 2003 to 2007. Hoglan left the band on amiable terms in January, 2007. He was replaced by Adrian Erlandsson only to return to the group in June of the same year. Hoglan recorded his drum parts for the entirety of the following album in a mere two days.

In 2004, for the Vancouver, British Columbia show of progressive metal band Opeth's Lamentations tour, Hoglan stood in for Martin Lopez, who was said to be having panic attacks. Opeth's drum tech had filled in for the two previous dates on the tour and Lopez rejoined the band for the Seattle, Washington show.

In 2005, Hoglan stood in once again for Lopez for the majority of the Sounds of the Underground tour when Lopez began having more panic attacks. Hoglan played double duty by playing a set with Strapping Young Lad then later that night performing with Opeth. It was later announced Lopez had a rare blood disorder and was seeking treatment. Hoglan also appears in Opeth's music video "The Grand Conjuration" as they filmed it on the tour while in Los Angeles, California.

Other bands have also recruited Hoglan as a session drummer. He has recorded albums with the Norwegian black metal band Old Man's Child and the Danish death metal band Daemon. Additionally he has done production and engineering work for other albums and demos. He was also asked to do drums for death metallers Nile on their album In Their Darkened Shrines, but he turned this down, citing Tony Laureano for a better choice. He was then asked again to drum with them, but (along with Derek Roddy) recommended Greek drummer George Kollias to drum with them, citing that Nile was "not of his musical tastes". Since then, Hoglan and Kollias have been close friends, and both are well respected drummers within the extreme metal community. Hoglan also was recruited by the Vancouver Groove Metal band, The Almighty Punchdrunk, and appeared as a band member for their only album to date, Music for Them Asses, which was released in 2001.

Hoglan is working with Dethklok, the band from the animated TV show Metalocalypse. The show was co-created by stand-up comedian/actor/musician Brendon Small, who also composes or performs all of the music. Hoglan features in Dethklok's debut album, The Dethalbum, which was released on September 25, 2007. He toured during the summer of 2008 with the live band as the drummer. He later performed on Dethalbum II, the sequel album released on September 29, 2009, and has toured with Brendon Small performing as Dethklok. The two later collaborated to make Brendon Small's Galaktikon using extra studio time from the Dethklok studio sessions. Hoglan filled in as the drummer for Unearth when their then drummer, Mike Justian, quit on tour. He has also joined the metal band Pitch Black Forecast, with former Mushroomhead singer Jason Popson, as the band's permanent drummer. Even more recently, Hoglan was announced as the drummer for the reunited Bay Area Thrash metal band Forbidden's reunion tour, replacing original Forbidden drummer Paul Bostaph.

Hoglan played drums for Zimmers Hole's third studio album When You Were Shouting at the Devil...We Were in League With Satan in 2008.

In June 2011, he temporarily rejoined Testament, where he recorded their tenth studio album The Dark Roots of Earth. On that album, he filled in for Paul Bostaph, who was unable to participate in the recording sessions because of a "serious injury". In 2012, he began touring with Testament, and on January 27, he filled in for Charlie Benante for Anthrax. Gene was the drummer for Fear Factory, from 2009-2012, and played on their release Mechanize.