Drummer of the Week: Joan Massing (Thundermother), the Second Entry in Metal Addiction’s New Series

Drummer of the week #2 – Versión en Español

Second entry of Drummer of the Week, Metal Addiction’s space dedicated to drummers on the scene — the instrument that, as Jaime already pointed out in the series opener, almost never gets the recognition it deserves. This week we spoke with Joan Massing, drummer of Swedish hard rock band Thundermother, who in recent years have shared stages with Scorpions themselves. Here’s what she told us, straight up.

From guitar to drums: “At 19 I had a strong feeling”

Joan didn’t grow up surrounded by drums, or much music at all — she actually played guitar for several years before touching a single drumhead. The switch came almost out of nowhere:

“No drumkit around when I was a kid and teen, and not much music actually. But I played the guitar for few years. When I was 19 I had a strong feeling that I wanted to play the drums so I reached out to a drum teacher and went there for a try.”

No early calling, no “born with sticks in hand” story — just a decision made in young adulthood that, years later, put her on European stages with one of Sweden’s most active hard rock bands.

Influences: from Taylor Hawkins to the drummers nobody names

Asked which drummer made her say “I want to do that,” Joan doesn’t pick just one — and her reasons go beyond technique:

“Taylor Hawkins (RIP) & Jon Theodore give me a lot of ‘I want to do that’ feeling, for the passion and emotional approach they bring to their playing.”

But she notes her references shift depending on the skill in question: for flow, Hux Nettermalm is an absolute reference; for groove, she often thinks of Olivier Baldissera and Jean-Paul Gaster (Clutch).

On who’s underrated today, her answer points straight at a structural problem in the scene rather than a personal taste:

“I think many drummers are underrated because of the lack of exposure they can suffer, depending where they live and play. I’ve seen so many amazing drummers since I moved to Sweden, it’s crazy!!! Someone like Sebastian Sippola for example! (Prins Svart, Plankton, Grand Magus).”

Her role in Thundermother: “Give 100% on every song”

On what she specifically brings to the band’s sound, beyond what’s obvious on first listen:

“My role in Thundermother is to kick ass and give 100% on every song. It might not be obvious on first listen, but I try to have more texture in my grooves. I have a wider range of dynamics in my playing than one or two years ago and it helps to shape better what I wanna provide for every song.”

The setup: Ludwig Vistalite, Paiste, and a snare she’d never trade

Here Joan gets into gear detail — pure gold for the site’s drummer audience:

• Kit: a blue transparent 70s Ludwig Vistalite, in 12″, 16″, 18″ and 22″ sizes.
• Cymbals: she just signed with Paiste and will be playing their legendary 2002 series (15″ hi-hat, 22″ ride, 19″ and 20″ crashes).
• Sticks: endorsed by Wincent Drumsticks since 2023, with her own signature model.
• Hardware: Tama. Bass drum pedal: Pearl.

And the one piece she’d never trade:

“I would never trade my snare! A beautiful PorkPie Percussion BoB 14″x6,5″. It was a gift for my 30th birthday, from my friends and bandmates in Honey Creek (Michael, James and Constantin). They signed the inside of the shell. It was and still is a very special gift to me, and I’m in love with the sound of it.”

Her first kit: a Pearl Export, “Dave Grohl style”

“My first kit was an old Pearl Export from early 2000 that I bought from my drum teacher. Very big rack toms, Dave Grohl style!”

Tuning and sound: no tricks, just practice

Asked whether she has a tuning or muffling trick that changed her sound, her answer is refreshingly honest for this kind of feature:

“No tricks, just practice and learn. Find tuning(s) that you like and work for you and the musicians you play with. I love open sound so I rarely use muffling. And I would say that your movements and the way you play are as important as the tuning itself when it comes to the sound of your drumming.”

Worst live situation: an entire show with no monitors

Every good musician-feature needs its disaster story, and Joan delivers a classic one:

“A festival in Sweden few years ago. The monitor guy didn’t check / change the batteries of the belt packs, so mine died during the show. No monitors, amps far away, only in-ears with no sound and no clic. Of course he didn’t care to notice! Haha! So I finished the show hoping for the best and it went well in the end. The band and audience didn’t notice. Stressful moment but also good challenge!”

The story she always ends up telling: Hannover, Scorpions and Mikkey Dee’s tech

This is, without a doubt, the best story in the whole questionnaire — and one that connects directly with the site’s classic rock/metal audience:

“In 2025 we played in Hannover at the same time the Scorpions were having rehearsals days there with their crew members. Few of them came to our show (an amazing venue named Capitol) and my friend Leo Soarès (Mikkey Dee drum tech) stayed on the side of the stage to watch the gig. While playing my drum solo, a piece broke inside my snare. While we quickly switched to the spare snare, he took it and worked on it right away. I spent the rest of the show playing and watching him fixing my snare on the side of the stage. Incredible moment and honestly one of my favorite on this tour.”

The story has an earlier chapter, too:

“When we opened for the Scorpions in 2023, he also fixed my hi hat stand… Probably one of the best drum techs out there!”

Recording: “If you prep well, nothing will be hard”

On which of the band’s songs was hardest to record, Joan’s answer doubles as work advice:

“I’ve been surrounded by amazing musicians and people in studio so far, so it’s never been such a struggle to record. And I’m very grateful for that. If you prep well for a session, nothing will be hard.”

Why drummers are a band’s least recognized members

We asked her directly about the very problem that inspired this series, and her answer draws a line between genres:

“I actually don’t know… My guess would be that drummers are most of the time in the back and not the most visible. You love what you hear but you have no idea how the drummer looks like. I also do think that it might be different depending on the kind of music we’re talking about. I would say that in rock and metal for example drummers get more recognition and awareness because the crowd itself is made of musicians.”

Albums to study, advice, and the double-pedal question

We close with the usual rapid-fire questions:

Three albums every metalhead should study for the drumming: any album by Gojira, Tool and Porcupine Tree — for the groove, creativity and use of the double pedal.

Advice for someone starting out on metal drums: with some humor, Joan admits she considers herself more of a rock drummer and is starting out herself in that territory — “so any tip is welcome!”

Double pedal or double bass drum? No ambiguity here: she just bought a double pedal, but if she could choose, it’d be a double bass drum — “and a good drum tech!” — for playing metal.

FAQ: Joan Massing

Drummer of the Week: Jaime Díaz Otero Núñez, the Multi-Band Drummer Who Opens Metal Addiction’s New Series