Ghost Reveries Drum Setup: Martin Lopez's Farewell Opeth Album (2005) | MetalForge
Martin Lopez recorded Ghost Reveries (2005) on a Sonor Designer Series kit with a Sonor Designer Maple Snare snare.
Discover the drum kit, cymbals, and gear Martin Lopez used to record Opeth's Ghost Reveries (2005) — his final studio album with the band before health strug...
Frequently Asked Questions
What drums did Martin Lopez use on Ghost Reveries?
On Opeth's Ghost Reveries (2005), Martin Lopez played the same Sonor Designer Series kit he used since Blackwater Park — a 22" bass drum, 10" and 12" rack toms, and 14" and 16" floor toms, paired with a Sonor Designer maple snare. This was the same kit he used on [Deliverance](/articles/deliverance-drum-setup), with the kick tuning opened back up to bring back the full low-end presence of his earlier [Blackwater Park](/articles/blackwater-park-drum-setup) setup.
Why did Martin Lopez leave Opeth after Ghost Reveries?
Martin Lopez left Opeth in 2006, during the touring cycle for Ghost Reveries, due to a worsening panic disorder that made sustained touring increasingly difficult. Ghost Reveries turned out to be his final studio album with the band — Martin Axenrot took over the drum chair for Watershed (2008). Lopez has since spoken openly about his mental health struggles, and he returned to recording in 2010 with the band Soen. See the [Martin Lopez drummer profile](/articles/martin-lopez-drum-setup) for his full career arc.
How does the drumming on Ghost Reveries differ from Blackwater Park?
Ghost Reveries returns to the full dynamic range that defined [Blackwater Park](/articles/blackwater-park-drum-setup) after the more compressed extremity of [Deliverance](/articles/deliverance-drum-setup), but it integrates that range within single tracks rather than across an album's arc. Where Blackwater Park alternated between brutal and acoustic sections song by song, tracks like "Ghost of Perdition" move through blast beats, syncopated grooves, and hushed acoustic passages within one nine-minute piece. The gear was unchanged: the same Sonor Designer Series kit and Sabian HH/AAX cymbals Lopez had played since Blackwater Park, combining the punch he developed on Deliverance with the tonal complexity of his earlier setup.
What cymbals did Martin Lopez use on Ghost Reveries?
Martin Lopez used Sabian HH and AAX cymbals on Ghost Reveries — the same complement he'd used since Blackwater Park, including HH 14" Regular Hi-Hats, an AAX 16" Stage Crash, an HH 18" Medium Crash, an HH 20" Medium Ride, and an AAX 18" Chinese. He eased off the tighter, harder-struck approach he'd used on Deliverance, letting the cymbals' dark, harmonically complex voice suit the album's frequent moves between death metal aggression and acoustic, Mellotron-laden passages.