Constellations Polyrhythmic Pattern — Matt Greiner (August Burns Red) Drum Lick | MetalForge
Learn the Constellations Polyrhythmic Pattern drum lick by Matt Greiner of August Burns Red. From Crusades (Constellations (2009)). By 2009's Constellations, Matt Greiner had developed a remarkable facility for polyrhythmic playing ...
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1. Matt Greiner's Signature Licks — By 2009's Constellations, Matt Greiner had developed a remarkable facility for polyrhythmic playing — the ability to imply multiple simultaneous time signatures or rhythmic layers without the music ever losing its metalcore weight or forward drive. "Crusades" is one of the clearest examples on the album: the song contains passages where Greiner's kick drum outlines a pattern in a different subdivision from the hi-hat and snare, creating a rhythmic tension that the ear resolves differently on each listen. This kind of playing has roots in progressive rock and jazz — it is the technique that Danny Carey and Tomas Haake are celebrated for — but Greiner applies it in a metalcore context where the riff must still groove and the song must still hit. That balancing act is what makes the polyrhythmic passages on Constellations so effective: they do not feel like a technical exercise dropped into the song, but like a natural expression of the band's escalating intensity. The challenge for drummers is to hear the polyrhythm as a composite whole, not as separate independent layers that must be mechanically assembled. Greiner's approach is to anchor one element — typically the hi-hat pattern — to the click, and then build the cross-rhythm in the feet, so the hands hold a fixed reference while the lower body creates the polyrhythmic tension. Breaking the passage into its component rhythms and working each one cleanly before combining them is essential. "Crusades" rewards patient, deliberate practice of this kind: working through even a few bars of the polyrhythmic sections trains your internal subdivision in ways that improve your feel across all styles of drumming. Understanding how to create rhythmic tension without losing the groove is a skill that defines elite-level metalcore playing, and it is on full display throughout Constellations' most progressive moments.2. Matt Greiner Profile — Anchor the hi-hat to the click as a fixed reference while the feet create the cross-rhythm Break the polyrhythmic pattern into individual rhythmic layers and practise each one separately Combine the layers slowly, feeling how they intersect before building to full tempo Keep the metalcore groove weight intact — polyrhythm should add tension, not sacrifice the pocket Record and check that each rhythmic layer is clear and deliberate rather than blurred
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