Ray Luzier
Image source Chris Balow
Ray Luzier is an American rock and metal drummer best known as the powerhouse behind Korn, joining the band in 2009 and tracking standout albums like The Paradigm Shift and The Serenity of Suffering. Before locking down this long-term slot, Luzier built a solid reputation as a premier session player and high-profile sideman, notably spending eight years touring and recording with David Lee Roth, and playing with Army of Anyone and KXM. He also spent years teaching at the Musicians Institute (PIT), proving his deep technical background. His career is built on a rare combination of elite technical facility—especially his ghost-note integration—and a massive, stadium-sized backbeat.
His drumming style is defined by heavy, syncopated double-bass grooves, aggressive hand-to-foot combinations, and a highly visual performance style that never sacrifices solid metronomic timing.
On tour, Luzier plays a large Pearl kit with thick shells for deep projection, paired with loud, cutting Sabian cymbals that sit cleanly over Korn’s down-tuned guitars. He uses Vic Firth sticks for his heavy backbeats, and wraps his shells in Remo heads tuned for a punchy, controlled attack. His foot control and hardware setup rely on DW (Drum Workshop) pedals, while LP (Latin Percussion) cowbells and blocks provide his live syncopated accents. To feel his low-end accurately on loud stages, he uses a Porter & Davies tactile monitoring throne, and packs his entire rig in Humes & Berg cases for the road. Ray Luzier remains a definitive benchmark for nu-metal groove, high-impact performance, and pure session reliability.
