George Kollias Drum Setup: Nile's 'What Should Not Be Unearthed' (2015) Gear Breakdown | MetalForge
George Kollias recorded What Should Not Be Unearthed (2015) on a Pearl Reference Maple kit with a Pearl Free-Floating Snare snare.
Discover the exact drum kit, cymbals, and pedals George Kollias used on Nile's 'What Should Not Be Unearthed' (2015) — the album that debuted his co-designed...
Frequently Asked Questions
What drum kit does George Kollias use on What Should Not Be Unearthed?
On Nile's 'What Should Not Be Unearthed' (2015, Nuclear Blast), George Kollias played the same Pearl Reference Maple kit documented on 'At the Gate of Sethu' (2012) — double 22" bass drums, 10/12/14" rack toms, and a 16" floor tom — paired with his Pearl Free-Floating 14" x 6.5" snare. This is the final Nile studio album on this platform before his 2019 upgrade to the Pearl Masterworks Stadium Exotic. See the full current gear breakdown: [What's in George Kollias's Kit](/articles/whats-in-george-kollias-kit).
What pedal did George Kollias debut on What Should Not Be Unearthed?
'What Should Not Be Unearthed' (2015) is the first Nile studio album on the Pearl Demon XR, the double bass drum pedal George Kollias co-designed with Pearl and released that same year, replacing the Demon Drive he had used since 'Those Whom the Gods Detest' (2009). The pedal would go on to reach full maturity four years later on 'Vile Nilotic Rites' (2019). Full drummer profile: [George Kollias at MetalForge](/drummer/george-kollias).
What cymbals does George Kollias use on What Should Not Be Unearthed?
George Kollias played an all-Meinl Byzance setup on 'What Should Not Be Unearthed' (2015) — 14" Medium hi-hats, a 17"/18"/19" crash spread, a 20" Medium ride, and an 18" China — identical to 'At the Gate of Sethu' (2012). This is the last Nile studio album with Byzance as his exclusive cymbal voice before the first Zildjian cymbals appeared on 'Vile Nilotic Rites' (2019).
How fast does George Kollias play on What Should Not Be Unearthed?
George Kollias sustains blast beats between 200–260 BPM across 'What Should Not Be Unearthed,' with tracks like 'Evil to Cast Out Evil' and 'Age of Famine' showing no loss of speed or clarity despite the new Demon XR pedal introduced this album cycle. He is Guinness World Record-certified for sustaining 280 BPM single strokes. Compare his speed against another extreme-tempo specialist: [George Kollias vs Pete Sandoval](/vs/george-kollias-vs-pete-sandoval).
Why is What Should Not Be Unearthed significant in George Kollias's gear history?
'What Should Not Be Unearthed' (Nile, 2015) is the debut album for George Kollias's co-designed Pearl Demon XR pedal, while every other piece of his rig — Pearl Reference Maple kit, Pearl Free-Floating snare, Meinl Byzance cymbals, and Vic Firth SGK signature sticks — carried forward unchanged from 'At the Gate of Sethu' (2012). It closes out the classic Byzance-and-Reference-Maple chapter of his career before 'Vile Nilotic Rites' (2019) introduced Zildjian cymbals and the Pearl Masterworks Stadium Exotic. See the complete arc: [At the Gate of Sethu drum setup (2012)](/articles/at-the-gate-of-sethu-drum-setup) and [Vile Nilotic Rites drum setup (2019)](/articles/vile-nilotic-rites-drum-setup).