Trivium – Studio Drum Approach & Playthrough Breakdown

Songwriting Philosophy, Production Insights & Complete Kit Specifications

Drum Philosophy & Album Approach

"I really only had one goal for the drums on this album: Write for the song. That doesn't mean there isn't some tough stuff on the album — there is. But writing tech stuff just for the sake of doing so didn't really make sense to me."

"This band has a versatile back-catalogue, spanning several different drummers, all with their own style. Those styles have all played a part in Trivium's sound. So other than writing for the song, if there was any other goal that I had in mind, it was to try and write parts that I felt reflected ALL of the previous drummers (in some capacity). Of course, I also wanted to bring my own feel, & my own ideas — but that kind of just happens naturally. So to put it simply: I tried my best to write parts that I felt stayed true to the band's history, while still doing my own thing, all while keeping my main focus on writing for the song."

"So I hope you dig this first single, & I truly cannot wait for you all to hear the rest of this album. It's the best songwriting I've been a part of."

Tracking Process & Audio Production

Mix & Engineering: Mixed by Declan White, tailored specifically to highlight the drum performance while preserving the atmospheric weight and sonic profile of the official album mix.
Performance Methodology: This video document represents a dedicated post-album tracking session rather than in-studio tracking takes:

"BTW: This is NOT the album take of the song. I mean, I basically played it verbatim to the album take, but this video / song was re-recorded after the album was already finished. When I was younger, I tried to film the entire recording process, & make drum videos using the actual takes from the album tracking. But I've long since stopped trying to do that. Worrying about video takes the fun & energy out of recording. Not to mention, when tracking an album, you need to be focused on getting the best sounding takes — nothing else matters. So these days (& for a long while now), if I'm tracking for an official release, I focus on the audio only, & then if I want to record a drum video for something later, I just re-record the song."

Complete Drum Kit & Cymbal Specifications

Drums: Tama STAR Maple (Smoky Black Finish)

Rack Toms: 10"×6.5", 12"×7"
Floor Toms: 14"×11", 16"×13", 18"×15"
Bass Drums: 20"×16" (x2)
Snare Drum: 14"×6.5" Tama 50th Anniversary Bell Brass Re-Issue

Cymbals: Meinl Cymbals (Left to Right Player Perspective)

18" Classics Dark Mega Bell Ride
18" Classics Dark Heavy China
18" Byzance Brilliant Medium Crash
14" Byzance Traditional Medium Hi-Hats
12" Classics Custom Dual Trash Splash
10" Classics Custom Extreme Metal Splash
13" Byzance Traditional Medium Hi-Hats
19" Byzance Traditional Medium/Thin Crash
18" Classics Custom Extreme Metal China
20" MB20 Heavy Bell Ride
18" Artist Concept Model Thomas Lang Super Stack

Note: The secondary right-side hi-hats and left-side ride cymbal remain unplayed for this specific arrangement.

Drumheads: Evans

Toms: Clear G2 (Batter) / Clear G1 (Resonant)
Snare: Coated UV2 (Batter) / Snare Side 300 (Resonant)
Bass Drums: Clear EQ4 (Batter) / Custom INKED Resonant Head with Center Port

Hardware, Electronics & Endorsements

Bass Drum Pedals: Czarcie Kopyto Pedals
Triggers: OnTrigger Bass Drum Triggers
Microphones: sE Electronics
In-Ear Monitors: 64 Audio
Footwear: Vratim Drum Shoes
Cases: Gator Cases

"Dead Inside Of Me" is the first single from our new album (album titled coming soon 😉). Stream it now on Spotify, AppleMusic, or wherever you stream your music! Also check out the music video we released earlier this week -