DUFF MCKAGAN Praises New GUNS N' ROSES Drummer ISAAC CARPENTER: 'He's The Best Drummer I Know'

In a new interview with Colombia's Radioacktiva, GUNS N' ROSES bassist Duff McKagan was asked what he has learned from playing with such a wide variety of musicians, including his GN'R bandmates, as well as members of ALICE IN CHAINS and JANE'S ADDICTION, among others. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I take it all in. I love playing with the guys I play with right now, with GUNS. I mean, playing with Slash. And we have a new drummer, Isaac [Carpenter]. And Richard Fortus and Axl [Rose], of course, and Melissa [Reese] and Dizzy [Reed], I learned so much from those players. When I played with Jerry Cantrell, I learned a lot. When I played with Joe Perry and Alice Cooper — I always learn and I watch. I observe, like I do when I tour — I observe and learn and soak in their talent, and try to learn something from it."

Duff also spoke in more detail about Isaac, who replaced longtime GUNS N' ROSES drummer Frank Ferrer in March. He said: "So, Isaac I've known since he was 19. He's 45 now. So, I knew him when he was in [late 1990s / early 2000s band] LOUDERMILK. I'm from Seattle. LOUDERMILK's from the same region. So they were about to make it big. Everybody thought they were great. They put out that record. It was on Interscope. Nothing really happened for them. And Isaac and I, we started — he was in [Duff's band] LOADED for a record. He toured with LOADED. He started playing with Adam Lambert and then AWOLNATION. He plays on TOOL records. He plays on a lot of stuff. And he's just the best drummer I know. And so when we were trying out drummers, I said, 'We've gotta put Isaac in there.' We're his favorite band, so he knows every song better than us."

Duff previously talked about Isaac this past May in a video on his YouTube channel in which he answered a number of fan-submitted questions. Asked how long he has known Isaac, Duff said: "I have known Isaac since he was in his first band called LOUDERMILK. They were in high school. They're from Washington state, so not far from Seattle. And I'd heard about the band. They got signed to American Records — Def Jam, basically, Rick Rubin's label. And they made a record. And they were, like, 18 years old. I think I met Isaac when he was 19. And I loved his band LOUDERMILK. A bunch of years — a few years later, like nine years later, I needed a drummer for LOADED and Isaac's name came up. He was coming through somewhere I was at, and he came and we played together. And [I told him], 'I have this tour. Would you wanna do it?' And he was in. Then he and I made 'The Taking' record. He and I wrote a lot of the songs for that record together in his garage. And I wrote a lot of my book, believe it or not… He had this couch in his garage that was really old and it would hurt my back. And it's where I found I could write my darker sections of my book better 'cause I was in physical pain. So I'd actually come over to his house just to use his garage and that couch to write. So I've known him for a long time, I guess. Now that I think about it — 25 years. And it's great to have him in the band. It's fucking awesome."

Asked what Isaac brings to GUNS N' ROSES that might have been missing before, Duff said: "I'll tell you what Isaac brings to the band. No commentary on Frank, 'cause Frank's a lovely guy. Isaac has got this ability, though, to swing and groove that only a few drummers have. [Former GUNS N' ROSES drummer] Steven had it as well, Steven Adler, and [former GUNS N' ROSES drummer] Matt [Sorum] is a great, solid drummer with amazing fills — and Matt's amazing. They're both amazing drummers. And Isaac somehow blends both of those two guys and adds his own thing. So he adds a new sort of excitement to the songs. And the groove and swing of the songs right now with Isaac is super impressive and super fun."

GUNS N' ROSES kicked off its 2025 world tour on May 1 at Incheon, South Korea's Songdo Moonlight Festival Park. The concert marked the band's first live appearance with Carpenter.

Carpenter, born in Washington's Tri-Cities, is an accomplished American drummer and songwriter known for his dynamic contributions to alternative, hard rock, and beyond. He rose to prominence in 1995 by co-founding LOUDERMILK while in high school, only to be signed to Rick Rubin's label American. Carpenter's career spans an impressive roster of acts, including live and studio work with Duff McKagan's LOADED, AWOLNATION, Adam Lambert, the hardcore metal outfit BARBARIANS OF CALIFORNIA, A PERFECT CIRCLE, THE EXIES, OURS and BLACK LAB, in addition to his large session film and TV roster. Carpenter has made a name for himself by uniquely blending versatility and groove with crushing force and technical skill, cementing his reputation as a multifaceted drummer in the industry.

Frank first joined GUNS N' ROSES during a show in June 2006, helping anchor the rhythm section during subsequent tours, including their recent outings featuring the reunited trio of singer Axl Rose, guitarist Slash and McKagan. Ferrer's last show with the band took place November 5, 2023 in Mexico.

Ferrer laid down drums tracks on five songs on GUNS N' ROSES' most recent studio album, 2008's "Chinese Democracy". He also appeared on the live portion of 2022's "Hard Skool" EP, with former drummer Bryan "Brain" Mantia appearing on the studio tracks and GUNS' ROSES' 2023 singles "Perhaps" and "The General".