Germany has some great drummers, but most are not well-known to most proggers except for Jaki Liebezeit and perhaps Mani Neumeier, Christian Burchard or Jan Fride Wolbrandt. But there are many more. Listen to the example tracks (they are all definitely worth listening to) and choose. The drummers are listed with the artists they appear with in the example tracks in brackets.

Carsten Bohn (Frumpy):

Michael Bruchmann (Hoelderlin):

Christian Burchard (Embryo):

Freddy Setz (Roman Bunka Band):

Don't know all of these, but damn is it hard o choose between Jaki and Mani. 

I'll go the latter this time. 

Many very good drummers there but Jaki is the one who stands out as being totally distinctive and unique.

Followed by Jan Fride, Harald Grosskopf, Bernd Noske. And I agree that Marco Minnemann should be on the list (probably he's too young?).  

Eroc, Liebezeit, Neumaier, Burchardt are my tops.

Eroc is Tops

Tom Ozric wrote: how about Jurgen Rosenthal and Fritz Randow ?? Indeed, Germany has some talent.

Hadn't thought of these but you're right, both also great.

Jaki certainly is unique, but so is Christian Burchard. You never know what he is going to do next, but it always goes with the flow and feels natural, and it grooves like hell. He is in my opinion one of the most underappreciated drummers here (together with John Densmore of The Doors).

I must admit I never heard the name Marco Minnemann before; probably because he is born 1970 and thus plays drums in an era that interests me less (I am focused on artists that started playing in the 60s and 70s). Fritz Randow (Eloy) and Jürgen Rosenthal (Sahara) are well-known to me and very appreciated too; I just didn't think of them when making this poll.

First name I thought of upon reading the thread's title. It would also be my choice.

I am currently listening to Steven Wilson's second solo album "Grace For Drowning", on which Marco Minnemann plays the drums. The drumming is indeed excellent. The album itself is a mixed bag; I dislike the singing (at least on first hearing; I might get used to it), and the sound of the keyboards is just horrible. And some of the musical changes feel forced and abrupt.

Oy yes, sorry. I misread the information in Wikipedia; Marco Minnemann played drums on the tour for that album, not the album itself. I am now listening to the third solo album of Steven Wilson, "The Raven that Refused to Sing and other Stories", on which he does play.

Wow ... a poll with my heart in mind!

Jaki, Mani, Christian and Eroc ... all of them have done magnificent stuff and Eroc has gone so far as to remaster the Grobschnitt albums and make them even better, and showing what a drummer can do ... something that has been a rarity for some time.

Jaki is probably the best and the one that knows how to use touches in quiet moments ... Mani, I specially like when he said he doesn't play drums for no bass player ... he's playing for the guitar player! It shows in really early Guru Guru with Ax Genrich. Christian was in a band where the mixes of music were the important part and being able to play different things and move back and forth was important ... and he does it very well.

And I do wish that people listened to these things with a much more open ear ... I would even have included the two drummers in Amon Duul 2 that gave the whole thing such a sonic sound in the early days ... and even in that clip from Portugal many years later, the band is comfortable with 2 drummers and they both did great. 

Marcus, for me, is already into a completely different era in music and the IMPROVISATIONS that most of these drummers have done in the past, and with, is nowhere near the quality of the material that Marcus has shown, in playing with people whose music is so detailed as to almost prevent any extra touch or movement ... but it is to his credit that he can make them better and not bring them down with just a counting of the beat and the same snare drum touch on the 4th for example. The good drummers, do not need to rely on a snare to keep time! It was even said once, that Moonie did his "clock" by the cymbals!

I only named drummers I am familiar with, and I never heard the name Alex Holzwarth before. I looked him up, and it appears he is a prog metal drummer. That explains why I didn't know his name because prog metal is not my cup of tea.

ALex and his brother were the rhythm section for Seiges Even and calling them Prog Metal is a bit of a stretch. Just listen to Navigating by the Stars and you will appreciate him. Just saying, not trying to say the others aren't good. And I have not heard Rhapsody of Fire. I know he is their drummer.

Tom Ozric wrote: ^ .....and you should appreciate it !! And with Nick Beggs on Bass / Chapman Stick - yes, he from Kajagoogoo !!

 

Iona. 

Jurgen of course

 

multiple votes are possible, so feel free to give Christian, Jaki and Mani a vote each

"A guy came to me and said: `You must play monotonous!'"

Another (to me) excellent German drummer not on the list is Wolfgang Dziony, another Scorpions drummer played on first Scorpions album Lonesome Crow. 

Jaki by several lengths. Mani Neumeier second. No Klaus Dinger? He'd be my third choice. Peter Leopold would be my fourth.

I think there are two schools of German drummers-ones who are technically brilliant a la Peart and Bruford, and ones where the  eal strength is in their ability to play insanely well while 'in the pudding' and shift with the cosmos like the four guys above do very well.