Jason Bittner |
Jason Bittner (born January 11, 1970 in Niskayuna, New York) is an American drummer, best known as the drummer for American metal band Shadows Fall. He has been the drummer for New Jersey Thrash Legends, Overkill since April 2017, and played with thrash metal bands Toxik from 2013 to 2014 and Flotsam And Jetsam from 2014 to April 2017. He has won numerous awards including the Modern Drummer Magazine reader poll for #1 Up and Coming Drummer of 2004, and in 2005, #1 Best Recorded Performance for the Shadows Fall album The War Within, #1 Metal drummer (2005/2006) #2 Clinician DRUM! magazine 2011. He is recognized for his tight playing, extensive skill with double bass drumming, particularly his ability to play complex patterns at high speeds, and his familiarity with numerous styles of drumming, including Latin and jazz. Bittner started taking formal drum lessons at the age of ten years, however he has stated that he "had been banging on pots, pans, and garbage cans since he was about five." A native of Schenectady, New York, he continued to take lessons and perform in his middle school and Linton high school jazz and orchestra ensembles before attending Berklee College of Music in 1988. After a year of intensive study, he left Berklee to pursue his musical career outside the educational environment. This led to playing in various metal and hard rock bands throughout the late eighties and early nineties. In the fall of 2013, Bittner also joined thrash metal band Toxik as their new drummer, but left the band due to if not being as productive as he was looking for as far as touring potential. On December 19, 2014, it was announced that Bittner had joined thrash metal band Flotsam and Jetsam as their new drummer. On May 4, 2017, Bittner officially joined Overkill, replacing Ron Lipnicki as the band's drummer. His subsequent departure from Flotsam and Jetsam was announced soon after, in order for the drummer to concentrate solely on OVERKILL. |
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