Navene Koperweis's Drum Setup on Animals as Leaders' 'Weightless' (2011) | MetalForge
Navene Koperweis recorded Weightless (2011) on a DW Performance Series kit with a DW Performance 14" x 6.5" Steel snare.
The drum setup Navene Koperweis used to record Animals as Leaders' 'Weightless' — the DW Performance Series kit and Meinl Byzance Extra Dry cymbals behind dj...
Frequently Asked Questions
What drum kit did Navene Koperweis use on Animals as Leaders' 'Weightless'?
Navene Koperweis recorded 'Weightless' (2011) on a DW Performance Series all-maple 5-piece shell pack: a 22" x 18" bass drum, 10", 12", and 14" rack toms, and a 16" floor tom. The compact configuration was chosen for clarity against Animals as Leaders' dense, palm-muted eight-string riffing rather than for maximum low-end mass. For his current Entheos-era setup, see the [Navene Koperweis general drum setup breakdown](/articles/whats-in-navene-koperweiss-kit).
Why is 'Weightless' considered a landmark djent album?
'Weightless' is where Navene Koperweis's riff-locked double bass technique — rewriting the kick pattern to match each guitar riff's specific rhythmic subdivision rather than applying a fixed template underneath it — first appeared on record. That approach became foundational to djent drumming in the years that followed. The album reached #92 on the Billboard 200 and earned a 7.5/10 from Chronicles of Chaos, with reviewers specifically citing the rhythmic sophistication of tracks like 'Isolated Incidents' and the title track.
What cymbals did Navene Koperweis play on 'Weightless'?
Koperweis played a five-piece Meinl Byzance Extra Dry setup on 'Weightless': 14" Dual Hi-Hats, a 17" and an 18" Extra Dry Medium Crash, a 20" Transition Ride, and an 18" Extra Dry China. The Extra Dry finish's fast decay was chosen specifically to avoid cymbal accents bleeding across the album's tightly interlocked, constantly shifting riff boundaries — the same Byzance Extra Dry philosophy he still uses with Entheos today.
Was 'Weightless' Navene Koperweis's first album with Animals as Leaders?
Yes. Koperweis joined Animals as Leaders as the band expanded from Tosin Abasi's largely programmed-drum debut into a full working trio, and 'Weightless' (2011) was his first and only full studio album with the band — he departed in 2014, replaced by Matt Garstka, and went on to found Entheos in 2015. See the [Navene Koperweis drummer profile](/drummer/navene-koperweis) for his complete career arc.
What pedal drove Navene Koperweis's double bass on 'Weightless'?
Koperweis used a Tama Speed Cobra chain-drive double pedal during the Weightless era, chosen for the consistent response his riff-locked kick technique required — any mechanical difference between the primary and secondary beater would undercut the tight coupling between kick pattern and guitar riff that defines his style. He later switched to the DW 9000 Series double pedal with Entheos.