Amon Amarth "Berserker" Drum Setup (Jocke Wallgren, 2019) | MetalForge
Jocke Wallgren recorded Berserker (2019) on a Tama Starclassic Performer B/B kit with a Tama Bell Brass or Starphonic Snare snare.
Complete breakdown of Jocke Wallgren's drum performance on Amon Amarth's Berserker (2019). Tama Starclassic Performer B/B, Meinl Byzance Vintage cymbals, and...
Frequently Asked Questions
What drum kit did Jocke Wallgren use on Amon Amarth's Berserker?
Jocke Wallgren recorded Amon Amarth's Berserker (2019) on his established Tama Starclassic Performer B/B kit — a birch/bubinga hybrid setup with double 22" x 18" bass drums, 10" and 12" rack toms, and 16" and 18" floor toms. The configuration is the same one he had used since Deceiver of the Gods (2013), chosen for the attack clarity and warmth needed to cut through Amon Amarth's dense two-guitar arrangements. See the full breakdown in [jocke-wallgren-drum-setup](/articles/jocke-wallgren-drum-setup).
What cymbals does Jocke Wallgren play on Berserker?
For Berserker, Wallgren moved to Meinl's Byzance Vintage sub-line — including 14" Vintage Pure hi-hats, 16" and 18" Sand crashes, a 20" Sand ride, and an 18" Byzance China. The Vintage series' drier, trashier lathing suits the album's heavier blast-beat passages better than the standard Byzance Traditional cymbals he used on earlier records, while still retaining the dark warmth central to Amon Amarth's melodic identity.
What makes the drumming on the Berserker title track distinctive?
The title track "Berserker" alternates extended blast-beat sections with Amon Amarth's signature triplet-based Viking groove — a structural contrast that pushes Wallgren into genuinely extreme-metal territory before resolving back into the band's core anthemic feel. The clean, non-stumbling transition between the two tempos and feels is the technical highlight of Wallgren's performance on the record.
Who produced Amon Amarth's Berserker and where was it recorded?
Berserker was produced by Jay Ruston (Anthrax, Stone Sour) and tracked at Sphere Studios in North Hollywood, California, with mixing at TRS West in Sherman Oaks. Ruston recorded songs largely in complete takes rather than isolating instruments, an approach that let Wallgren's dynamic performance drive the record. Released May 3, 2019 on Metal Blade Records, Berserker debuted at #1 in Germany and reached #47 on the US Billboard 200.