Matt Halpern's Drum Setup on Periphery III: Select Difficulty (2016) | MetalForge

Frequently Asked Questions

What drums did Matt Halpern use on Periphery III: Select Difficulty?

Matt Halpern recorded Periphery III: Select Difficulty (2016) on a Mapex Saturn kit — his primary setup following his Mapex endorsement, which began around 2014. The Saturn's maple-and-walnut hybrid shell construction with SONIClear bearing edges gave the album's drum tracks their focused, punchy character. The configuration included a 22-inch by 18-inch single bass drum, 10-inch and 12-inch rack toms, and 14-inch and 16-inch floor toms. This represented the full transition from the DW Collector's Series that had anchored the self-titled debut and Periphery II — the Saturn's attack-forward character suited the more precise, modern production that Jens Bogren's mixing brought to Select Difficulty.

Was Periphery III: Select Difficulty nominated for a Grammy?

Yes. Periphery III: Select Difficulty earned a Grammy nomination for Best Metal Performance at the 59th Grammy Awards in 2017 for the track 'The Price Is Wrong.' This was the first Grammy nomination for a djent-identified act and marked the subgenre's formal acknowledgment by the Recording Academy. The nomination recognized Matt Halpern's drumming alongside Periphery's compositional ambition — 'The Price Is Wrong' features some of Halpern's most aggressive double-kick work within the djent framework, paired with the ghost note vocabulary and dynamic range that had defined his playing since the self-titled debut.

What cymbals did Matt Halpern use on Periphery III?

By Periphery III: Select Difficulty (2016), Matt Halpern's Meinl Byzance cymbal setup was fully established. The setup included 14-inch Byzance Dual hi-hats, Byzance Extra Dry crashes in 18 and 19 inches, a 20-inch Byzance Traditional Medium Crash, a 22-inch Byzance Extra Dry Medium Ride, an 18-inch Byzance Brilliant China, and Meinl Trash Stack effects. The Byzance series' handcrafted B20 bronze construction — made in Turkey using traditional methods — provided the dark, complex cymbal voice that had become Halpern's sonic signature and a defining character of Periphery's production aesthetic.

What pedals did Matt Halpern use on Periphery III: Select Difficulty?

Matt Halpern used DW 9000 double pedals on Periphery III: Select Difficulty. The DW 9000's chain drive and Floating Rotor system provide the smooth, adjustable response that Halpern prefers for his groove-focused approach — a slight organic swing that distinguishes his feel from the more linear, direct-drive setups common in extreme metal. The 9000's extensive customization options let Halpern dial in spring tension and beater angle for the aggressive passages of 'The Price Is Wrong' and 'Motormouth' while maintaining the feel he needs for the ghost note work on 'Lune' and 'Catch Fire.'