Coheed and Cambria Drummer Plays Black Sabbath Classic as He Hears It for the First Time: Watch

Coheed and Cambria’s Josh Eppard has taken Drumeo’s “first time” challenge, in which notable drummers are forced to compose and play a drum part to a song they’ve never heard before. In this case, it’s Black Sabbath‘s Master of Reality classic “After Forever.”

At first, Eppard is played a drumless version of the song and jams along, settling into the song’s groove with some bombastic kitwork before the challenge has really begun. The folks at Drumeo were still just trying to find a song Josh hadn’t heard before, and they succeeded: “Drumeo strikes again.”

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“It’s sounds very classic rock… I’m so terrified to hear what the the drums actually are,” Eppard says. “It’s going to be so different.”

The first hurdle he faces is playing without a click track, as Sabbath certainly didn’t track the song to one. Perhaps a necessary tool in Coheed, the click is actually a hindrance here, and the shifts and timing changes in the middle of the song prove frustrating for the drummer.

“Can I hear another song?” says an exasperated Eppard during his second and third takes, throwing his drum stick in the air. “This shit is… I’ll kinda get it but Jesus Christ!”

He adds, now dripping in sweat: “I’ve gotta let the energy of the ’70s take me there on this path.”

The final take combines the power of Bill Ward’s playing on the original and Eppard’s own animated style. He touts particular flare during the snare fills, which Drumeo host Brandon Toews‬ affectionately calls “greasy.”

“Not bad for like 40 minutes,” Toews‬ says, referring to how long Eppard took to lay down a final take. Josh then gets to hear the original with Ward’s drumming back in the mix.

“What?! That’s kinda crazy — that’s cool!” Eppard says, adding: “He’s bringing so much Bill Ward [to the drumming]. I’m glad [what I played] was different, because I can’t be Bill Ward.”

Meanwhile, if you’re looking to pick up the drums or improve your skills, Drumeo is offering a 30-day free trial for new members. Check out the clip with Josh Eppard below.