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Drummer

Brad Wilk: Rage Against the Machine + Audioslave drummer, decoded

Brad Wilk has anchored Rage Against the Machine since 1991 and Audioslave (2001-2007). DW Drums kit, Zildjian cymbals, Vater Brad Wilk signature drumstick. The rap-rock + alt-metal canon's defining pocket.

Rage Against the Machine / Audioslave · reviewed by the Change Your Strings editorial team ·

Brad Wilk (born September 5, 1968, Portland, Oregon) co-founded Rage Against the Machine in 1991 and has been the band's only drummer across all four studio records (Rage Against the Machine, 1992; Evil Empire, 1996; The Battle of Los Angeles, 1999; Renegades, 2000). Co-founded Audioslave (2001-2007) with Chris Cornell + Tom Morello + Tim Commerford. Played drums on Black Sabbath's 13 (2013), the band's first record with Ozzy Osbourne since 1978. DW kit, Zildjian cymbals, Vater Brad Wilk signature stick. The rap-rock + alt-metal canon's defining pocket.

At a glance

Role

Drummer

Also known as

Bradley J. Wilk

Active

1991–present

Based

Los Angeles, California

Genres

Affiliations

Notable credits

  • Rage Against the Machine, Rage Against the Machine (1992)
  • Rage Against the Machine, Evil Empire (1996)
  • Rage Against the Machine, The Battle of Los Angeles (1999)
  • Audioslave, Audioslave (2002)
  • Audioslave, Out of Exile (2005)
  • Audioslave, Revelations (2006)
  • Black Sabbath, 13 (2013)
  • Prophets of Rage, Prophets of Rage (2017)
Sourcing3 citations · reviewed 2026-04-28· by Change Your Strings editorial team

Who Brad Wilk is

Bradley J. Wilk, born September 5, 1968, in Portland, Oregon, co-founded Rage Against the Machine with Tom Morello, Tim Commerford, and Zack de la Rocha in 1991. Across all four RATM studio records (Rage Against the Machine, 1992, through Renegades, 2000), his pocket has anchored the band's catalog. He co-founded Audioslave (2001-2007) with Chris Cornell and played drums on Black Sabbath's 13 (2013).

Style signatures

Three things across his RATM + Audioslave catalogs you can identify as Wilk's:

  1. Hip-hop swing applied to rock. The 'Killing in the Name' pocket is canonical; the behind-the-beat feel inherits from hip-hop production rather than from rock-drumming tradition.

  2. Tom-led arrangement-pivot fills. RATM songs move through riff-based structures; Wilk's fills navigate the transitions cleanly without showing off.

  3. Deliberate space inside the kit work. Hi-hat eighth-note pulse leaves room for Morello's guitar + de la Rocha's vocals; the discipline is closer to Charlie Watts than to most alt-metal drummers.

Related

The catalog. Rage Against the Machine, Rage Against the Machine (1992) through Renegades (2000). Audioslave, Audioslave (2002) through Revelations (2006). Black Sabbath, 13 (2013).

Drummer hub. Drummers index. Alt-metal canon parallel: Dave Grohl (Foo Fighters / Nirvana), Chad Smith (Red Hot Chili Peppers).