Mike Heller

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American drummer

title: "Mike Heller" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["american-heavy-metal-drummers", "american-jazz-drummers", "american-death-metal-musicians", "jazz-fusion-drummers", "jewish-american-musicians", "jewish-heavy-metal-musicians", "living-people", "fear-factory-members", "jazz-musicians-from-new-york-(state)", "21st-century-american-drummers", "industrial-metal-musicians", "21st-century-american-jews", "american-male-drummers", "drummers-from-new-york-city", "year-of-birth-missing-(living-people)"] description: "American drummer" topic_path: "arts" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike_Heller" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary American drummer ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox musical artist"]

FieldValue
nameMike Heller
imageRaven-8 (53072008755) (cropped).jpg
landscapeyes
captionHeller performing with Raven in 2023
genre{{flatlist
occupationDrummer
years_active2002–present
current_member_of{{flatlist
past_member_of{{flatlist
associated_acts{{flatlist
::

| name = Mike Heller | image = Raven-8 (53072008755) (cropped).jpg | landscape = yes | caption = Heller performing with Raven in 2023 | birth_name = | alias = | birth_date = | birth_place = | genre = {{flatlist|

Mike Heller is an American drummer known as a former member of the industrial metal band Fear Factory, member of the technical death metal band Malignancy, the British heavy metal band Raven, and rock band The Lucid alongside bassist David Ellefson (ex Megadeth), guitarist Drew Fortier, and vocalist Vinnie Dombroski (Sponge). Heller also formed the band System Divide and is a session drummer with credits in many genres.

Biography

Heller traces his musical and drumming influences across many genres, including gospel, Latin jazz and funk. He has been known to incorporate these styles into his death metal compositions, although they can be difficult to recognize when played at death metal tempos. Heller teaches current and aspiring extreme metal drummers and writes columns for Sick Drummer magazine. He is known as a talented linear player, a style which involves the use of two or more limbs, with no two limbs playing the same thing at the same time. Heller plays session drums and has collaborated with artists in disparate styles. He joined the Yonkers, New York-based technical death metal band Malignancy in 2003, replacing Roger J. Beaujard. In 2008, he started the band System Divide with the Aborted vocalist Sven de Caluwé and the ex-Distorted vocalist Miri Milman. Heller joined Fear Factory in 2012 after the departure of Gene Hoglan. Heller performed on the 2020 debut album by Amahiru, a musical project led by Frédéric Leclercq and Saki.

Discography

  • [[File:Mike Heller 2013 (cropped).jpg|thumb|Heller with [[Fear Factory]] in 2013]]Fear Factory
  • Malignancy
    • Inhuman Grotesqueries (2007)
    • Eugenics (2012)
    • Epilogue (2014)
    • Malignant Future EP (2016)
    • Intrauterine Cannibalism Re-Recording (2019)
    • …Discontinued (2024)
  • Raven
    • Screaming Murder Death From Above: Live In Aalborg (2019)
    • Metal City (2020)
    • All Hell’s Breaking Loose (2023)
  • Abigail Williams
    • Walk Beyond the Dark (2019)
  • The Lucid
  • Aerosol
    • Murmurations (2021)
  • Amahiru
    • Amahiru (2020)
  • Black Hole Deity
    • Lair of Xenolich (2021)
    • Profane Geometry (2024)
  • Ol Drake
    • Old Rake (2015)
  • Gorepunch
    • Give Em Hell (2015)
  • Control/Resist
    • Gods By Design (EP) (2014)
  • System Divide
  • Success Will Write Apocalypse Across the Sky
    • The Grand Partition, and the Abrogation of Idolatry (2009)
  • Secrets She Kept
    • Le Fin Absolue du Monde (2011)
  • Azure Emote
    • The Gravity of Impermanence (2013)
    • The Third Perspective (2020)
  • The Cosmos
    • *Imbecile *(2013)
  • In the Fire
    • The Living Horror Show (2020)
  • Beneath
    • Ephemeris (2017)
  • Excommunicated
    • Death Devout (2018)
  • Kalopsia
    • Death Starts the Horror (2011)
    • Amongst the Ruins (2012)
  • Zillah
    • Not All of Me Shall Die / Man Son of Swine (2011)
  • Sigh
    • Shiki (2022)
  • ZFM

Heller has also recorded with bands and artists including Edei, Ryann, 208 Talks of Angels, Measure, Razorcult, Chikatillo, Pseudo Supremacy, Hollow, Death Dealer and Cryosaur.

References

References

  1. (October 6, 2007). "Mike Heller". Sick Drummer.
  2. (October 22, 2007). "Mike Heller – Malignancy – Rehearsal Drum Cam". YouTube.
  3. Childers, Chad. (September 8, 2021). "David Ellefson Launches New Band The Lucid, Reveal First Song + Album Details".
  4. (April 20, 2012). "Mike Heller Confirmed As New Fear Factory Drummer". Sick Drummer.
  5. (October 21, 2008). "SWWAATS in Studio, Episode 2".
  6. (February 6, 2012). "Mike Pistone – OKOSU – Carrion Feeders".
  7. (January 20, 2011). "Sick Drummer Magazine – NAMM 2011 – Mike Heller Interview".
  8. (January 22, 2011). "SDM Lesson: Linear Drumming In a Death Metal Context". Sick Drummer.
  9. "Mike Heller Drums".
  10. (June 9, 2012). "An Interview With Fear Factory". Tone Deaf Network.
  11. (September 25, 2020). "KREATOR/Ex-DRAGONFORCE Bassist FRÉDÉRIC LECLERCQ Releases 'Hours' Music Video From AMAHIRU Project". [[Blabbermouth]].
  12. Blabbermouth. (2022-12-23). "DAVID ELLEFSON's THE LUCID Collaborates With INSANE CLOWN POSSE's VIOLENT J On 'Saddle Up And Ride' EP".
  13. Team, Editorial. (2025-05-30). "ZFM Feat. KIK TRACEE, ENUFF Z'NUFF, RAVEN, THE LUCID Members To Release anthology Album In July; "Poppy" Single Streaming (Audio)".

::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::

american-heavy-metal-drummersamerican-jazz-drummersamerican-death-metal-musiciansjazz-fusion-drummersjewish-american-musiciansjewish-heavy-metal-musiciansliving-peoplefear-factory-membersjazz-musicians-from-new-york-(state)21st-century-american-drummersindustrial-metal-musicians21st-century-american-jewsamerican-male-drummersdrummers-from-new-york-cityyear-of-birth-missing-(living-people)