Education
Heller studied the drums at the Collective School of Music in New York City.
Heller studied the drums at the Collective School of Music in New York City.
Mike also formed the band and is a session drummer with credits in many genres. He 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.
Mike 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 at the same time. Mike plays session drums and has collaborated with artists in many disparate styles.
He joined the Yonkers, New York-based technical death metal band in 2003, replacing Roger J. Beaujard. In 2008, he started the band with Aborted vocalist Sven de Caluwé and ex-Distorted vocalist Miri Milman.
Mike joined in 2012 after the departure of Gene Hoglan.