Gravequake


The Black Metal Drumset

The most desirable drumset for Black Metal drumming can be very expensive, even if you get a used set. Fortunately, there are alternatives for beginning drummers that will leave your wallet somewhat unscathed.


First, I will discuss the ideal setup. If you are on Parental Funding, or are independently wealthy, this set is for you. There are two major concerns for this set:
1) - There must be two bass drums
2) - Every drum must sound very good


Both of these requirements make the set expensive. Double-Bass drumsets start in the $1000 range and can go up in price from there almost without limit. Drums that sound good are even more expensive, but don't get carried away. You don't need the top of the line beautiful maple hardwood studio set, so you can save that money. What you need are big drums. The bass drums should be 22 or 24 inches, the toms should be the elongated "power toms" (as Ludwig calls them), and the snare drum should be at least 8 inches deep. You need good sounding cymbals, since bad cymbals will ruin the sound of the whole band, and you need a solid suspension system for these heavy drums. I suggest a big Gibraltar drum cage. So, to break it down drum-by-drum:
Bass Drums - 22 or 24 inches

Toms - preferably four toms and one or two floor toms, in the sizes 11", 12", 14", 15", 16", 18", respectively. These should be the extra-long "power toms;" that is, each tom's height should be about one and a half its diameter, whereas standard toms normally have approximately equal height and diameter.
Snare - the bigger the better. Thin snares give a thin, wimpy sound (listen to the band 311 for a thin snare sound). Thick snares give a good solid punch that kicks through the rest of the band.

Cymbals - You will need at least one crash, at least one ride, and preferably two sets of high-hats. The crash should be big but not boomy, I've found a Zildjian 18" thin crash to be just about perfect. Be careful not to get too thin a cymbal because they are remarkably easy to break. The ride should be a heavy and solid cymbal, preferably a jazz ride. You want a ride cymbal with a fast decay because you are going to be hitting it fast and hard -- you don't want the sound to "swell," growing each time you hit it until it's a big, clashing mess of noise. I use a Zildjian ping ride - it produces a cutting "ping!" which is easily heard even through the densest guitars, and decays almost instantly. The sound you want is something like Dave Lombardo's ride cymbal on Slayer's album "South of Heaven." Finally, you will probably want two high-hats; one on the left, and one on the right. I usually place the left one so that the pedal is just to the left of the left bass drum pedal. You will have to do some tricky maneuvering to keep it out of the way of the higher toms, but once it's placed in that area it will be easy to use. I suspend the right high-hat in a permanently-closed position, and hanging a little over the ride cymbal. You want this hat to be opened just barely so that you get a splash sound rather than a tick when you hit it.

Pedals - You want good heavy pedals. You may be able to play a little faster with light pedals at first, but if you baby your legs they will never be strong enough. You want to play both fast and hard, so teach your legs early.

Heads - You need heads that can take a beating on the tops of the drums, and thin heads that will resonate on the bottoms. Most important are the bass drum heads. Use this rule of thumb: if you have a pillow, a towel, or anything else inside your bass drum, then you have done a lousy job of tuning it, and you can make it sound better. Start with Evans bass drum heads. When I first set up and hit one of my bass drums, a couple of people usually start (and one time, someone screamed!), because the bass drums sound like shotguns. I'm not kidding. The best part is: yours can, too! I've had the best results with Evans EQ1 bass drum heads. Note that if you are going to record these you will need to use an internal mic -- that is, permanently mount a microphone inside the drum. One of the reasons the EQ1 sounds so good is that it doesn't have a mic hole. Unfortunately, you can ruin the sound by cutting your own. If you don't want to fool with permanent internal mics, use the Evans EQ3, which has a mic hole built in.

I would assume that if you don't have this kind of set already, you may feel a little daunted. I described the ideal set primarily as a guide for you on the occasions that you go out to buy drum stuff. For just playing around with a band, and even playing out occasionally, you can get away with a smaller set. Most people have single-bass sets, and whereas this limits your ability to play, you can get by.


If you have a single-bass set, you need one piece of equipment to bring it up to the minimum requirements to play Black Metal: A double-pedal. This is a device that hooks onto your bass drum like a normal pedal, but has two beaters on it. One is controlled by the regular old foot pedal, and the other is controlled by a second remote pedal located a couple of feet away, where the left bass drum pedal of a double-bass set would be. These pedals can be pretty expensive (the suggested retail is usually about $400), but you can get used double-pedals for much less. Also, DW offers the DW7002 double-pedal for about $250. Take your time and look for a serviceable used double-pedal; if you're not in a hurry you can save a lot of cash.


You might also consider upgrading your bass drum heads as mentioned above. I have never found a bass drum head equal to the Evans heads, and though they are expensive ($50-$60 for the front and back pair), they are well worth the money.