Perhaps surprisingly, metal drummers were the secret pioneers of the modern-day hybrid kit. It’s all about that fast double kick and creating a sound that punches through the wall of guitars and vocals. Since the ‘80s, metal drummers have been using electronic drum modules and triggers to allow their drums to be heard clearly—and with some serious power. Listen to three metal drummers who show how it’s done.

ENHANCE YOUR METAL KIT

Metal bands don’t come much bigger than ‘the big four’. One of the pioneering metal and thrash drummers, Charlie Benante of Anthrax, was an early adopter of electronic samples to enhance his acoustic kick drum sound. Charlie explains the background of how he got into hybrid drumming and shows us his hybrid drum setup.

LAYER YOUR METAL KIT

Some drummers layer samples across the whole of their acoustic kit—including the snare and toms—but when it comes to metal music, the kick drum is king. Daniel Erlandsson of Arch Enemy explains how he uses a hybrid setup to help his kick drum cut through the mix.

EXPAND YOUR METAL KIT

Drummers from all music genres sometimes need a sound from an instrument they don’t have at the gig. It could be something straightforward like a second snare, but it could be an effect sound, a vocal sample or even an entire backing track. Expanding the range of available sounds is a simple case of adding some pads to the kit. Adrian Erlandsson, of Swedish death metal merchants At the Gates, shows how using the SPD-SX Sample Pad with his acoustic drums gives him the extra sounds he needs.