Raymond Lee Luzier (born June 14, 1970) is an American musician. He is the drummer of

nu metal Nu metal (sometimes stylized as nü-metal, with a metal umlaut) is a subgenre of that combines elements of heavy metal music with elements of other music genres such as hip hop music, hip hop, funk, industrial music, industrial, and grunge. Nu ...

band

Korn Korn (stylized as KoЯn) is an American nu metal band from Bakersfield, California, originally formed in 1993 by James Shaffer, James "Munky" Shaffer, Reginald Arvizu, Reginald "Fieldy" Arvizu and David Silveria, who were members of the band ...

, having become a full-time member of the band in April 2009.

Life and career

Luzier was raised in

West Newton, Pennsylvania West Newton, located southeast of Pittsburgh, is a borough in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, Westmoreland County in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. Formerly, the manufacture of radiators and boilers were the chief industries. The population ...

, a small town an hour outside of

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, second-most populous city in Pennsylvania (after Philadelphia) and the List of Un ...

on a 118-acre farm. He began playing drums at age five, and participated in high school jazz, concert, and marching bands. After graduating in 1988, Luzier moved to

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

, to pursue an education at the

Musicians Institute Musicians Institute (MI) is a private for-profit music school in Los Angeles, California. MI students can earn Certificates and – with transfer of coursework taken at Los Angeles City College – Associate of Arts Degrees, as well as Bachelor ...

. He graduated in 1989 with a degree from MI's Percussion Institute of Technology. Luzier later returned as an instructor at

(1992–2001), where he taught rock-style drumming classes and gave private lessons. Luzier is well known for his work with

David Lee Roth David Lee Roth (born October 10, 1954) is an American rock singer. Known for his wild and energetic stage persona, he was the lead vocalist of the hard rock band Van Halen for three stints: from 1974 to 1985, during 1996, and from 2006 to when ...

, for whom he played drums from 1997 to 2005. Luzier has also played with the Hideous Sun Demons, a progressive-rock/fusion trio formed with DLR bandmembers, guitarist Toshi Hiketa and bassist James LoMenzo. Luzier became the drummer for

Steel Panther Steel Panther is an American comedic glam metal band from Los Angeles, California. Fronted by lead singer Michael Starr, the band formed in 2000 as Metal Shop and was also known as Metal Skool before adopting the name Steel Panther in 2008. The ...

shortly after the band formed in 1997. He remained with

for six years until his DLR touring schedule inter. In 2004, Luzier released an instructional DVD. It features a wide variety of lessons, including double-kick technique, drum fills, motion exercises, and warm-ups. It was released through Hal Leonard Publishing Co. In January 2006, Luzier appeared at the

NAMM Show The NAMM Show is an annual trade show in the United States organized by the National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM), which describes it as "the industry’s largest stage, uniting the global music, sound and entertainment technology commun ...

Anaheim, California Anaheim ( ) is a city in northern Orange County, California, United States, part of the Greater Los Angeles area. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a population of 346,824, making it the most populous city in Orang ...

with Hiketa and

Billy Sheehan William Sheehan (born March 19, 1953) is an American musician known for playing bass guitar with acts such as Talas, Steve Vai, David Lee Roth, Mr. Big, Niacin, and The Winery Dogs. He is also known for his "lead bass" playing style, includ ...

. Robert DeLeo and

Dean DeLeo Dean DeLeo (born August 23, 1961) is an American guitarist known for his work with rock band Stone Temple Pilots. DeLeo is also known for his role in the short-lived bands Talk Show and Army of Anyone. He is the older brother of Robert DeLeo ...

Stone Temple Pilots Stone Temple Pilots, commonly abbreviated as STP, is an American Rock music, rock band formed in San Diego, California, in 1989. Originally consisting of lead vocalist Scott Weiland, guitarist Dean DeLeo, bassist Robert DeLeo, and drummer :Songs ...

appeared at the same NAMM venue as part of an impromptu band put together by

Steve Ferrone Stephen A. Ferrone (born 25 April 1950) is an English drummer. He is known as a member of the rock band Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers from 1994 to 2017, replacing original drummer Stan Lynch, and as part of the "classic lineup" of the Aver ...

. After seeing Luzier's performance, the DeLeo brothers invited Luzier to join Army of Anyone, the band they were putting together with vocalist Richard Patrick of the band Filter. In 2007, after original drummer

David Silveria David Randall Silveria (born September 21, 1972) is an American musician, best known as the original drummer for nu metal band Korn from 1993 until leaving the band in 2006. He then became the drummer for Infinika, which was formed in 2012 and ...

had left (in 2006),

hired many touring drummers including

Joey Jordison Nathan Jonas "Joey" Jordison (April 26, 1975 – July 26, 2021) was an American musician. He was the original drummer of the nu metal band Slipknot (band), Slipknot, in which he was designated #1, and the guitarist for the horror punk Supergroup ...

of Slipknot. Jordison left due to preparation for the recording of Slipknot's new album ''

All Hope Is Gone ''All Hope Is Gone'' is the fourth studio album by American heavy metal band Slipknot, released on August 26, 2008 by Roadrunner Records. The album was published in two versions: the standard album in a CD case and a special edition packaged ...

''. Consequently, Korn was then looking for a new drummer; and Luzier reportedly flew to

Seattle Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...

to audition for Korn with James "Munky" Shaffer and Reginald "Fieldy" Arvizu. When told to learn only five of their songs, Luzier learned 30. At his audition, Luzier was immediately invited to join Korn. Luzier played his first show with

on January 13, 2008, in

Dublin, Ireland Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...

, and played with the band throughout 2008.

recorded their ninth studio album together with Luzier and their original producer Ross Robinson. Korn frontman

Jonathan Davis Jonathan Howsmon Davis (born January 18, 1971), also known as JD, is an American singer, songwriter, and musician. He is the lead vocalist and frontman of nu metal band Korn, which is considered a pioneering act of the nu metal genre. Davis's ...

said in March 2009 that Luzier was now an official member of the band. Luzier made "UltimateRockGods" Artist Of The Month for July. Luzier also played live with

for a couple of the band's shows on their reunion tour in October filling in for drummer Eric Kretz, who took time off due to the death of his father. In November 2010, Luzier played drums for the Japanese pop group

KAT-TUN was a Japanese boy band under Starto Entertainment. Their formation under Johnny & Associates was in 2001. The group's name was originally an acronym based on the first letter of each member's family name: Kazuya Kamenashi, Jin Akanishi, Junnos ...

on their song "Change UR World." It was Kat-Tun's thirteenth number one single on the Oricon charts. In 2014, he released the self-titled CD,"KXM" with his side project KXM, which consisted of Luzier, ex-

Dokken Dokken is an American heavy metal band formed in Los Angeles in 1978. It split up in 1989 and reformed four years later. The band has had several hit singles which charted on the Billboard Hot 100, such as " Alone Again", " In My Dreams", and ...

and Lynch Mob guitarist George Lynch, and

King's X King's X is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Springfield, Missouri, in 1979. They were first called the Edge and later became Sneak Preview before settling on its current name in 1985. The band's current lineup has remained intact fo ...

vocalist and bassist

Doug Pinnick Douglas Theodore Pinnick (born September 3, 1950), sometimes stylized as dUg Pinnick or simply dUg, is an American musician best known as the bass guitarist, co-lead vocalist, and songwriter for the hard rock and progressive metal band King's X. ...

. Luzier has two sons, born in 2011 and 2015.

Equipment

Luzier's kit changes to fit the style of the artist he performs or records with. He currently endorses

Pearl Drums , simply known as Pearl, is a multinational corporation based in Japan with a wide range of products, predominantly percussion instruments. History Time! Pearl was founded by Katsumi Yanagisawa -who began manufacturing music stands in Sumida, T ...

, Sabian cymbals, Evans drumheads, DW hardware,

Vic Firth Everett Joseph "Vic" Firth (June 2, 1930 – July 26, 2015) was an American musician and the founder of Vic Firth Company (formerly Vic Firth, Inc.), a company that makes percussion sticks and mallets. He was also known for his association ...

drumsticks, and Factory Metal Percussion Cymbals. He previously endorsed

ddrum ddrum ( ) is an American-based Sweden, Swedish company, currently a division of Armadillo Enterprises, Inc. that manufactures Drum kit, acoustic drum sets, Electronic drum, electronic drum sets, and Electronic Triggers. Ddrum was originally a br ...

Orange County Drum and Percussion Orange County Drum and Percussion (abbreviated OCDP) is an American custom drum manufacturer located in Orange County, California. The company began as a retail drum shop and eventually started custom-building drums for several influential drum ...

(OCDP),

Remo Remo Inc. is an American musical instruments manufacturing company based in Valencia, California, and founded by Remo Belli in 1957. Products manufactured include drum kits, drumheads, drums, and drum hardware, hardware, and various percussio ...

drumheads and Promark drumsticks.

Discography

David Lee Roth

Studio Albums * 1998: ''

DLR Band ''DLR Band'' is the fifth full-length studio album by David Lee Roth, the former vocalist of Van Halen, and the first and only credited to the DLR Band. It was released in 1998 and remains the only installment on Roth's own Wawazat!! label. Info ...

'' * 2003: '' Diamond Dave''

Army of Anyone

Studio Albums * 2006: '' Army of Anyone''

Korn

Studio albums * 2010: '' Korn III: Remember Who You Are'' * 2011: ''

The Path of Totality ''The Path of Totality'' is the tenth studio album by American nu metal band Korn. It was released on December 2, 2011, in Europe and December 6, 2011, in the US. The album is a departure from Korn's usual sound and was produced by various Elect ...

'' * 2013: '' The Paradigm Shift'' * 2016: '' The Serenity of Suffering'' * 2019: '' The Nothing'' * 2022: ''

Requiem A Requiem (Latin: ''rest'') or Requiem Mass, also known as Mass for the dead () or Mass of the dead (), is a Mass of the Catholic Church offered for the repose of the souls of the deceased, using a particular form of the Roman Missal. It is ...

'' EPs * 2009: Korn Digital EP #1 * 2010: Korn Digital EP #2 * 2010: Korn Digital EP #3 Compilation albums * 2008: Nightmare Revisited, (track 10 "Kidnap the Sandy Claws")

Jonathan Davis and the SFA

* 2011: "Alone I Play / Live at the Union Chapel"

KXM

Studio albums * 2014: '' KXM'' * 2017: '' Scatterbrain'' * 2019: '' Circle of Dolls''

Other releases

* 2018: '' Black Labyrinth'',

* 2010: Change Ur World - Kat-Tun with Luzier on drums * 2009: A Song for Chi, Various artists * 2008: Billy Sheehan "Holy Cow" * 2008: Repo! The Genetic Opera Official Soundtrack * 2008: Goaded "To Die Is Gain" * 2006: Billy Sheehan "Cosmic Troubadour" * 2005: Goaded "Goaded" * 2003: "Hideous Sun Demons" * 2002: "Honky MoFo" (featuring Ricky Wolking) * 2002:

Tracy G Tracy Grijalva (born January 3, 1959), known as Tracy G, is an American heavy metal guitarist best known for his time with Dio from 1993 to 1999. Early life Tracy's first band experience was in band called the Grijalva Brothers with his ...

"Deviating from the Setlist" * 2001:

"Katt Gutt" * 2001: Zac Maloy Band * 2001: Jason Becker Tribute CD * 2001: Freak Power Ticket "Rock Hard Compilation" * 2000: Driven 4 Song Promo Cd With Tracy G * 1999:

's "Driven" * 1998: Medicine Wheel "Small Talk" * 1998: Mike Hartman "Black Glue" * 1998: Freak Power Ticket * 1997: Medicine Wheel "Immoral Fabric" * 1996: Jeffology (Tribute to Jeff Beck) with Jake E. Lee * 1995: Darren Housholder "Symphonic Aggression" * 1994: Hard Rock Magazine Compilation CD. Band: Medicine Wheel * 1994: Wicked Alliance "Twisted Beatuty Demos" * 1994: Michael Lee Firkins "Howling Iguanas" * 1994: Metal Edge Compilation "Best of L.A." * 1994: Medicine Wheel "First Things First" * 1993: T.J. Martell Foundation Benefit CD. Band: Ivory Tower * 1993: Darren Housholder "Generator Man" * 1993: Toby Knapp "Guitar Distortion" * 1993: Tony Fredianelli "Breakneck Speed" * 1993: Shrapnel Guitar Greats Compilation * 1993:

Concrete Concrete is a composite material composed of aggregate bound together with a fluid cement that cures to a solid over time. It is the second-most-used substance (after water), the most–widely used building material, and the most-manufactur ...

Foundations Forum Compilation * 1992: Darren Housholder * 1990: 9.0 "Too Far Gone"

References

External links

Army of Anyone's official website

Ray Luzier on Drum Channel

Musician's Institute official website

Orange County Drum & Percussion
{{DEFAULTSORT:Luzier, Ray American heavy metal drummers Living people Drummers from Pittsburgh Musicians Institute alumni People from West Newton, Pennsylvania 20th-century American drummers American male drummers Korn members 21st-century American drummers Army of Anyone members Jonathan Davis and the SFA members 20th-century American male musicians 21st-century American male musicians The David Lee Roth Band members Year of birth missing (living people)