Once Was Not Drum Setup: Flo Mounier's Fastest Recorded Performance | MetalForge

Frequently Asked Questions

What drum kit did Flo Mounier use on Once Was Not?

On Cryptopsy's Once Was Not (2005), Flo Mounier played a Yamaha Recording Custom kit — a significant departure from the Pearl Masters BRX of his 2000 album And Then You'll Beg. The Yamaha Recording Custom's 7-ply birch shell construction produces a faster attack transient and tighter resonance compared to Pearl's maple/birch hybrid, a sonic characteristic suited to the extreme velocities Once Was Not demanded. The configuration included a 22-inch bass drum (returning to a smaller shell after the 26-inch experiment of And Then You'll Beg), 10-inch and 12-inch rack toms, and 14-inch and 16-inch floor toms. The smaller bass drum delivered faster attack response for the album's 270+ BPM blast sequences.

What cymbals did Flo Mounier use on Once Was Not?

On Once Was Not (2005), Flo Mounier used Zildjian ZXT cymbals — replacing the Paiste Alpha series he had used on And Then You'll Beg (2000). The ZXT series delivered a bright, cutting attack character that complemented the Yamaha Recording Custom's birch shell clarity. His setup included 14-inch ZXT Medium Hi-Hats as the blast beat foundation, 16-inch and 18-inch ZXT Crashes for accent work, a 20-inch ZXT Ride for ride pattern passages, and an 18-inch ZXT China for aggressive section-boundary accents. The ZXT's fast decay profile prevented cymbal wash buildup during the album's extended high-velocity blast sections.

Why is Once Was Not considered Flo Mounier's fastest recorded performance?

Once Was Not (2005) is considered Flo Mounier's fastest recorded performance because it consistently operates at higher sustained blast beat tempos than any previous Cryptopsy album — reaching 270-290 BPM in its most extreme passages while maintaining stroke-level precision. Unlike And Then You'll Beg (2000), which pursued compositional complexity in odd time signatures, Once Was Not pursued maximum velocity in more direct song structures, allowing Flo to push the upper limit of his physical speed. The Yamaha Recording Custom's birch shell construction supported this approach with faster attack response than his previous Pearl setup. Lord Worm's return on vocals also removed some of the rhythmic accommodations the DiSalvo era had introduced.

Who produced Once Was Not, and where was it recorded?

Once Was Not (2005) was produced by Chris Donaldson — Cryptopsy's guitarist — making it the first Cryptopsy album produced in-house by a band member rather than Pierre Rémillard, who had produced None So Vile, Whisper Supremacy, and And Then You'll Beg. The album was recorded at Piccolo Studio in St-Hubert, Quebec, Canada. Donaldson's production approach was more direct and punishing than Rémillard's clinical Studio Victor style, capturing more of the kit's physical presence while maintaining the individual stroke clarity essential for technical death metal drumming at Once Was Not's extreme tempos.

How does Once Was Not compare to And Then You'll Beg for Flo Mounier's drumming?

Once Was Not (2005) and And Then You'll Beg (2000) represent different peaks of Flo Mounier's technical death metal drumming. And Then You'll Beg pursued compositional sophistication — blast beats in odd time signatures (11/8 and 13/8), extended progressive passages, and metrics complexity that required cognitive load management at high velocities. Once Was Not pursued pure velocity within more direct song structures — higher sustained BPM, more relentless blast sequences, and less compositional relief. The gear changes reflect this difference: the 26-inch Pearl bass drum of And Then You'll Beg provided low-frequency authority for progressive passages; the 22-inch Yamaha of Once Was Not provided fast attack response for sustained high-velocity work. Both are considered career peaks — the 2000 album for complexity, the 2005 album for speed.