Koloss Drum Setup: Tomas Haake's Most Groove-Focused Meshuggah Performance (2012) | MetalForge

Frequently Asked Questions

What drum kit did Tomas Haake use on Meshuggah's Koloss?

Tomas Haake recorded Meshuggah's Koloss (2012) during his transition from the Sonor Designer Series (used on obZen in 2008) to the Sonor SQ2 — a professional custom-order platform with enhanced shell specification options. The configuration maintained the same fundamental setup: two 22x18 inch bass drums driven by two independent Sonor Perfect Balance single pedals, 10x8 and 12x9 rack toms, 14x14 and 16x16 floor toms, and a Sonor SQ2 steel snare. Cymbals were Sabian AAX and AA series, consistent with the obZen era. By 2016 for The Violent Sleep of Reason, Haake had moved to DW Collector's Series drums.

What is the drum groove on 'Do Not Look Down' by Meshuggah?

The drum groove on Meshuggah's 'Do Not Look Down' (Koloss, 2012) is one of Tomas Haake's most celebrated single patterns — a polyrhythmic kick-and-snare combination that creates a massive, lurching groove while maintaining the metric displacement illusion that defines Meshuggah's rhythmic language. The hi-hat establishes the true 4/4 pulse while the kick drum pattern cycles through an extended arc over multiple bars. The snare is displaced from conventional backbeat positions to reinforce the rotating-meter sensation. The pattern's power comes from its tempo: at approximately 85 BPM, each note has maximum weight, and the polyrhythmic complexity serves an overwhelming groove rather than technical demonstration.

How does Koloss compare to obZen in terms of drums?

Koloss (2012) is deliberately less technically extreme than obZen (2008), with a focus on heaviness and groove over the velocity and complexity peaks that obZen represented. The most famous example: obZen's 'Bleed' features continuous 32nd-note bass drum at approximately 240 BPM and took Haake six months to master; Koloss's tempos are more moderate, prioritizing the gravitational weight of each note. The gear platform was in transition from Sonor Designer Series (obZen) to Sonor SQ2 (Koloss era), with Sabian AAX/AA cymbals maintained throughout. Both albums use two independent single pedals. The drums on Koloss are still exceptionally complex — they're simply focused on serving the song's weight rather than technical extremes.

Is Koloss a good starting point for studying Tomas Haake's drumming?

Koloss (2012) is an excellent starting point for studying Tomas Haake, particularly for drummers who find obZen's 'Bleed' pattern overwhelming as a first encounter. The album's grooves are complex but operate at tempos that allow the polyrhythmic structure to be more clearly perceived and analyzed. 'Do Not Look Down' is widely used as a teaching example because the pattern is simultaneously recognizable as a groove and instructive as a polyrhythmic study. After understanding Koloss's approach, working backward to Nothing (2002) and forward to obZen (2008) reveals the full arc of Haake's development. The three albums together form the core of the Meshuggah drum curriculum.

Where does Koloss fit in Meshuggah's discography?

Koloss (2012) is Meshuggah's seventh studio album, sitting between obZen (2008) and The Violent Sleep of Reason (2016). It followed the experimental arc of the obZen/Catch 33 period with a deliberate return to riff-based, groove-heavy structures — a recalibration that made Meshuggah's polyrhythmic approach more immediately crushing. The album received a Grammy nomination for Best Metal Performance, confirming the band's continued relevance more than a decade after Nothing established the djent blueprint. For Tomas Haake, Koloss represents the groove-focused midpoint between obZen's technical peak and VSÖR's live-in-studio challenge.