Obscura Cosmogenesis Drum Setup: Hannes Grossmann's 2009 Tech Death Gear | MetalForge

Frequently Asked Questions

What drum kit did Hannes Grossmann use on Obscura's Cosmogenesis?

Hannes Grossmann recorded Obscura's Cosmogenesis in 2008-2009 using a high-end professional production shell pack — Tama Star Series or comparable Pearl Reference-grade shells in a natural finish. The configuration included two 22" x 18" bass drums for sustained double-kick work, 10" and 12" rack toms, and 14" and 16" floor toms. The compact 4-tom spread provided the pitch range required for the album's fast melodic fill vocabulary without forcing extended kit configurations that would slow rapid articulation. The kit was tracked at Woodshed Studios in Germany with producer V. Santura. For Grossmann's full setup context: [Hannes Grossmann at MetalForge](/drummer/hannes-grossmann).

What cymbals did Hannes Grossmann use on Cosmogenesis?

Hannes Grossmann used Meinl Byzance cymbals on Cosmogenesis — he is a long-standing Meinl artist and the Byzance setup defines his signature drum voice across Obscura's catalog. His configuration included 14" Byzance Medium hi-hats, 17" and 19" Byzance Medium crashes, a 22" Byzance Medium ride, an 18" Byzance China, and a 10" Byzance Splash. The Byzance series' darker, more complex tonal character suited Obscura's dense seven-string guitar production environment, allowing each cymbal to speak musically within the mix rather than competing harshly with guitar frequencies. The Byzance cymbals also recorded particularly well with V. Santura's natural-voice production approach at Woodshed Studios.

Who produced Cosmogenesis and where was it recorded?

Cosmogenesis was produced by V. Santura at Woodshed Studios in Germany during 2008-2009. V. Santura — also the vocalist and guitarist of Triptykon and Dark Fortress — brought a producer-musician's understanding of extreme metal to the sessions, and his engineering approach is central to the album's sound. His production philosophy minimizes sample replacement in favor of capturing the acoustic kit's real voice, which placed demands on Grossmann's consistency that he met across every track. The Cosmogenesis drum sound became a benchmark for technical death metal production that subsequent records in the genre frequently cite as a reference.

What bass drum pedals did Hannes Grossmann use on Cosmogenesis?

During the Cosmogenesis era, Hannes Grossmann used high-speed double bass pedals — typically Axis Longboard double pedals or Tama Speed Cobra equivalents. These pedal designs feature extended footplates and fast response curves that suit the heel-toe and swivel foot technique Grossmann uses to sustain 16th-note double-bass at the album's tempos. The Axis Longboard's extended footplate length distributes pedal work across the foot rather than concentrating it in the ankle, which is essential for the sustained passages on tracks like "Cosmogenesis" and "Anticosmic Overload." For double-bass technique context: [double-bass drumming at MetalForge](/technique/double-bass-drumming).

Why is Cosmogenesis considered a landmark in technical death metal?

Cosmogenesis is widely regarded as a landmark in technical death metal because it demonstrated that the genre could be both compositionally sophisticated and viscerally extreme without sacrificing either dimension. The album combined fast, vocabulary-driven tech-death drumming (Grossmann's precision and velocity) with genuine progressive composition (Obscura's seven-string guitar work, Jeroen Paul Thesseling's fretless bass solos, and the dynamic structural arcs of songs like "Cosmogenesis" and "Choir of Spirits"). V. Santura's natural-voice production captured this combination with a clarity that became a reference point for the genre. The album opened a space in tech death for melodic, atmospheric, and musically composed approaches that subsequent acts (Beyond Creation, Fallujah, Wormed) would explore further. For broader tech-death context: [death metal drummers at MetalForge](/articles/death-metal-drummers).