Matt Thompson

Biography

Matt Thompson started formal percussion training at the age of nine, although he has been tapping and hitting things for as long as he can remember. With a classical violinist for a mom and a jazz trumpeter/pianist as a dad, he was exposed to a wide variety of music from an early age. Two pivotal concerts solidified his desire to become a drummer. The first was Chick Corea with Roy Haynes on drums, the second was Rush on their Signals tour in 1982. In 1988 Matt won a scholarship to Berklee College of Music but instead chose to tour and perform throughout the late '80s and early '90s. His travels brought him to Dallas, TX where he discovered Ed Soph, Keith Carlock, Dan Wojciechowski and the University of North TX jazz program. He attended from 1996 - 2000, earning a Jazz Studies degree. At UNT Matt studied with Ed Soph, Bob Schietroma, Ron Fink, Henry Okstel, Mike Drake, Srini Poovalar and others, learning drumset, classical percussion, Indian, African and a multitude of Afro-Cuban styles. Two weeks after graduating, Matt got a call from heavy metal icon King Diamond with an offer to tour the world as part of the group. Matt still holds the drum chair for King, longer than any other drummer. With King, Matt has shared the stage with hundreds of bands, including top acts such as Lynyrd Skynard, Motley Crue, Megadeth, Slayer, Hellyeah, Exodus, Ghost, Volbeat, Testament, Nightwish, Behemoth, Nile, and many others. During the Mayhem festival in 2015 Kerry King (Slayer) performed with King Diamond for the 2nd half of the tour on the song "Evil" (Mercyful Fate). With Legacy of Disorder, Matt has toured with Gwar, Municipal Waste, Ghoul, Kylessa, Fear Factory, Shadows Fall, and others. Shaolin Death Squad has played shows with Sleepytime Gorilla Museum, Estradasphere, The Invincible Czars, Opposite Day, Dillinger Escape Plan, and many others. In 2007 Matt was nominated for two Grammys, one for Best Metal Performance for King Diamond's "Never Ending Hill" and one for Best Polka Album for Brave Combo's "Polka's Revenge." Matt also drums for Shaolin Death Squad, Aghora, Legacy of Disorder and Synkronizity. In 2010 he was invited to be a guest clinician at Croatia Drum Camp in Groznjan, Croatia alongside Mike Mangini and Petar Curic.