To his credit, Max Portnoy, drummer with Pennsylvania proggers Next To None isn't about to hide from his enviable pedigree.

As well as supporting his esteemed drummer father Mike Portnoy's Shattered Express on their current tour, he's previously talked about how "it all kind of just came naturally for me".

Speaking to Team Rock in 2015, he said "Growing up with dad, and always being with him when he was recording with his bands and listening to the demos, it showed me what to do in those sorts of scenarios".

That was on the release of the band's debut A Light In The Dark, also produced by Portnoy Sr, but Max has been playing since the age of three, and grew up on the road with his dad.

Now, two years on, at a worldly 18, Max - joined by bandmates Kris Rank, Thomas Cuce and Derrick Schneider - is about to unleash Next To None's self-produced second album, Phases.

“We actually began to write songs for the new record as soon as we finished the first one,” explains Max.

"We're so excited to finally be releasing our new album. We feel it's a huge step forward for the band and shows a much heavier and much more technical side.

"This album is very special to us because it's the first time we recorded and self-produced our entire album. We were able to create music that it completely our own.

"Every note, every sound, every word, came from us and we can't wait for you all to hear it."

When we caught up with Max he picked the 10 drummers that have most profoundly influenced his nascent career, plus some of their primest cuts. First up...

Next To None are currently on tour, and their new album Phases is released 7/7/2017. For more details, head over to nexttonone.net