August Burns Red 'Death Below' Drum Setup (Matt Greiner, 2023) | MetalForge

Frequently Asked Questions

What drum kit does Matt Greiner use on Death Below?

On *Death Below* (2023), Matt Greiner plays his Pearl Reference Pure kit — a maple/mahogany hybrid shell configuration with dual 22" x 18" bass drums, 10" x 7" and 12" x 8" rack toms, and a 16" x 16" floor tom. This is Matt Greiner's current drum setup, representing nearly a decade of refinement on the same Pearl Reference Pure configuration that he first used on *Found in Far Away Places* (2015). For the complete current setup breakdown, see the [Matt Greiner drum setup guide](/articles/matt-greiner-complete-drum-setup).

What cymbals does Matt Greiner use on Death Below?

On *Death Below* (2023), Matt Greiner plays Meinl Byzance Extra Dry and Dual cymbals — his current, active cymbal setup. The configuration includes 15" Byzance Dual Hi-Hats, 18" and 19" Extra Dry Medium Crashes, a 21" Byzance Transition Ride, an 18" Extra Dry China, and a 10" Byzance Splash. The Extra Dry series' raw, unlathed surfaces produce dark, dry, fast-decaying tones that keep ABR's dense arrangements clean and rhythmically precise. For the complete cymbal breakdown, see the [Matt Greiner complete drum setup](/articles/matt-greiner-complete-drum-setup).

Is Death Below Grammy-nominated?

*Death Below* (2023) was submitted for Grammy Award consideration for Best Metal Performance, continuing the Grammy thread in ABR's discography. August Burns Red received Grammy nominations for *Leveler* (2011) and for "King of Sorrow" from *Phantom Anthem* (2018). *Death Below* enters that thread as ABR's most recent studio album and most technically refined documentation of Matt Greiner's drumming. Grammy eligibility reflects the Recording Academy's recognition that the album meets the technical and artistic standard of the Best Metal Performance category.

What is Death Below's place in the August Burns Red discography?

*Death Below* (2023) is August Burns Red's ninth studio album and most recent release — the current end point of a discography that began with *Messengers* (2007). Released March 10, 2023 after a four-year gap from *Beacon* (2019), it documents Matt Greiner's drum setup at its most refined state: Pearl Reference Pure kit, Meinl Byzance Extra Dry / Dual cymbals, Pearl Demon Drive double pedal, Pearl Matt Greiner Signature snare, and Vic Firth Matt Greiner Signature sticks. For the full ABR drum arc: [Leveler (2011)](/articles/leveler-drum-setup) → [Found in Far Away Places (2015)](/articles/found-in-far-away-places-drum-setup) → [Phantom Anthem (2017)](/articles/abr-phantom-anthem-drum-setup) → [Beacon (2019)](/articles/beacon-drum-setup) → Death Below (2023).

How does Death Below compare to Beacon in terms of drumming?

Both *Death Below* (2023) and *Beacon* (2019) use the same foundational setup — Pearl Reference Pure, Meinl Byzance Extra Dry / Dual cymbals, Pearl Demon Drive, Pearl Matt Greiner Signature snare, Vic Firth signature sticks — making them the two most gear-consistent studio records in the ABR catalog. The difference is compositional depth: *Death Below* benefited from a four-year development period from *Beacon*, producing drum parts that are more compositionally integrated, with higher ghost note density and more complex polyrhythmic layering than any previous ABR album. Same gear, deepest application. See also: [Beacon drum setup (2019)](/articles/beacon-drum-setup).