What the Dead Men Say Drum Setup: Alex Bent's Pandemic-Era Trivium Album (2020) | MetalForge
Alex Bent recorded What the Dead Men Say (2020) on a Pearl Reference Series kit with a Pearl Reference Snare snare.
Complete gear breakdown for Alex Bent's drum setup on Trivium's What the Dead Men Say (2020). Pearl Reference kit, Meinl Byzance cymbals, and the Studio 606 ...
Frequently Asked Questions
What drum kit did Alex Bent use on What the Dead Men Say?
Alex Bent used the same Pearl Reference Series kit from The Sin and the Sentence on What the Dead Men Say (2020) — a matte black finish with double 22" x 18" bass drums, 10" and 12" rack toms, and 14" and 16" floor toms. His drum tracks for the album were recorded at Studio 606 in Los Angeles, separate from the rest of the band's sessions at Full Sail University in Orlando. See the [Alex Bent drummer profile](/drummer/alex-bent) for his full gear history.
Where were the drums recorded for What the Dead Men Say?
Alex Bent's drum tracks for What the Dead Men Say were recorded at Studio 606 in Los Angeles, California — the studio built by Dave Grohl and best known as a Foo Fighters recording base. The rest of the album was tracked at Full Sail University in Orlando, Florida, with producer Josh Wilbur, who also produced The Sin and the Sentence.
How did the COVID-19 pandemic affect the album's release?
What the Dead Men Say was released April 24, 2020, just as the first wave of COVID-19 lockdowns shut down live music worldwide. Trivium was unable to tour behind the album as they normally would have, instead promoting it through livestream performances and press. The album still debuted at #35 on the Billboard 200 despite the unprecedented release conditions.
How does What the Dead Men Say compare to The Sin and the Sentence?
What the Dead Men Say (2020) leans further into progressive song structures than The Sin and the Sentence (2017), opening with the instrumental "IX" and featuring more dynamically varied tracks like "Amongst the Shadows and the Stones" alongside direct, aggressive cuts like "Catastrophist." Alex Bent's gear stayed essentially identical between the two albums — the same Pearl Reference kit and Meinl Byzance Brilliant cymbals — but his playing on the second record shows more dynamic range and restraint alongside the same double-bass intensity. See the [The Sin and the Sentence drum setup article](/articles/trivium-sin-and-the-sentence-drum-setup) for the preceding chapter.