Leveler 5-Over-4 Polyrhythm — Matt Greiner (August Burns Red) Drum Lick | MetalForge
Learn the Leveler 5-Over-4 Polyrhythm drum lick by Matt Greiner of August Burns Red. From Pangaea (Leveler (2011)). August Burns Red's 2011 album Leveler pushed Matt Greiner's rhythmic vocabulary into new territory, ...
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1. Matt Greiner's Signature Licks — August Burns Red's 2011 album Leveler pushed Matt Greiner's rhythmic vocabulary into new territory, incorporating metric complexity and polyrhythmic passages that went well beyond the syncopated riff-locking of the Constellations era. "Pangaea," one of the album's most technically demanding tracks, features the kind of 5-over-4 polyrhythmic writing that separates elite metalcore drumming from its competent but less adventurous peers. The 5-over-4 polyrhythm — where a five-note rhythmic pattern is layered over a foundation of four beats — creates a shifting, hypnotic momentum that feels unstable in the best possible way: the two layers pull against each other before snapping back to alignment, producing a moment of resolution with enormous rhythmic impact when it arrives. Greiner's approach to this material is characteristically musical: he does not play polyrhythms as abstract exercises but as expressions of the band's compositional intent, so the rhythmic complexity always serves the song's emotional arc rather than calling attention to itself. On Leveler, the band worked closely with Greiner to develop parts that challenged his polyrhythmic capabilities, and "Pangaea" represents some of the most detailed results — a track where the 5-over-4 pattern interacts with double-bass figures and snare accents in a way that rewards careful listening even after multiple plays. The technical challenge is substantial: simultaneously maintaining the five-note pattern in one rhythmic layer while the other limbs hold the four-beat reference demands the kind of limb independence that only dedicated, isolated practice can develop. Greiner's clinic discussions of this approach consistently emphasise feeling the composite rhythm as a whole rather than managing each layer separately — once the pattern is internalised at slow tempo, the body learns to navigate the cycle naturally. For drummers, this lick builds limb independence, subdivisions, and the patience to work through one of the most transferable and musically rewarding techniques in advanced drumming.2. Matt Greiner Profile — Anchor one rhythmic layer — typically the hi-hat — to the pulse as a fixed reference point Build the 5-note cross-pattern independently in the feet before combining with the hands Feel the composite rhythm as a whole rather than managing each layer as a separate mechanical exercise Start at 50% tempo and work through the 5-over-4 cycle until the resolution point feels natural Lock the return to the main pulse at the end of each polyrhythmic phrase until re-entry is automatic
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