EDM DJ Zedd Plays Pantera’s “Cowboys From Hell” on Drums as He Hears It for First Time: Watch

Zedd is internationally known for his work as an EDM DJ/producer, but he is also an astute drummer, having played since he was a child.

His skills were put to the test by Drumeo as part of the platform’s recurring series in which drummers attempt to play their own parts to songs after hearing them for the first time.

For Zedd’s appearance, the Drumeo team cooked up a real test in the form of Pantera‘s iconic anthem “Cowboys From Hell,” which features a concussive performance from late stickman Vinnie Paul.

The problem for Zedd is that he’s never heard “Cowboys From Hell” or Vinnie’s drum part, so he has to come up with his own drum arrangement while listening a drumless, skeletal version of a song he’s never heard before. No small feat.

“There’s a lot of parts; that’s a lot to remember,” Zedd says with a stunned look. Admittedly, the song almost sounds abstract without the drums, leaving Zedd to craft his part around Dimebag Darrell’s riffs and Phil Anselmo’s vocal cues.

Remarkably, Zedd falls in with the groove during his initial playthrough despite botching some of more complex riff syncopations, rests, and breakdown transitions.

“The structure of the song is what I’m trying to figure out,” he says. “Definitely a half-time part [in there], I know that for sure.”

Zedd makes some competent deductions during his post-first-play interview with the Drumeo engineers, talking through his approach.

“I feel like playing-wise, this is not the most complicated song, but it’s more so memorizing and figuring out where am I supposed to be quiet,” he says.

By the second take, Zedd figures out that his kick drums should almost mimic Dimebag’s riffs, re-adding the sonic weight that was nixed by extracting the original drum take. He then nails down Vinnie Paul’s memorable ride cymbal work, and by the final take, things are sounding a lot closer to the original — which Zedd finally hears at the end of the video.

“I survived … it wasn’t intuitive to me,” he says in exasperation before admitting that he’s never heard of Vinnie Paul, inciting a chorus of laughter from the Drumeo team (“Zedd’s been living under a rock!”).

“I’m sorry for what I just did to your song,” jokes Zedd after it’s revealed that he was just playing “Cowboys From Hell” by Pantera.

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.

Watch the full clip of Zedd learning and performing “Cowboys From Hell” below.