The entirety of Alex Van Helen’s drumming career, which began in 1972, has been exclusively with the rock group Van Helen. Interestingly, both Alex and Eddie Van Helen were trained as classical pianists during their childhood in Pasadena, California. This propelled Alex's structured and diverse creativity on the drum set which is evident throughout his musical discography. His drum set arrangement is creatively unique as he incorporates the use of Octobers unlike I've never seen before. Along with his signature bass drum "assemblage", this makes for a visually fascinating kit. He doubles up no less than eight bass drums giving plenty of low frequency torque to drive the Van Helen engine. He also influenced my playing as a young drummer. I’ve attached a little solo of him for your viewing pleasure:
