Best Bass Drums for Metalcore in 2026 | MetalForge Expert Guide
Best bass drums for metalcore's punchy, breakdown-ready low end. What Nick Augusto (Pearl Reference Pure), Art Cruz (Ludwig Black Beauty), and Travis Orbin (SJC Custom) actually play - shells that cut through dense, breakdown-heavy mixes.
Frequently Asked Questions
What bass drums do metalcore drummers use?
Nick Augusto of Trivium plays a Pearl Reference Pure, Art Cruz of Lamb of God plays a Ludwig kit anchored by his signature Black Beauty snare, and Travis Orbin ran an SJC Custom bass drum during his 2006-2009 run as Periphery's pre-recording-era drummer, before Matt Halpern took over and recorded the band's self-titled debut. All three run a single 22"x18" bass drum with a double pedal.
What size bass drum is best for metalcore?
22"x18" is the metalcore standard - it's what Nick Augusto, Art Cruz, and Travis Orbin all play, balancing breakdown weight with the fast response needed for technical double-bass runs.
What bass drum shell is best for breakdown-heavy metalcore?
A dense oak or hybrid shell is built for exactly that - it delivers the weighted, aggressive punch that anchors breakdown-heavy groove-metalcore riffing better than a thinner, more sensitive shell. Art Cruz's Ludwig kit takes a similarly weighted approach to anchor Lamb of God's breakdown-heavy sound.
What bass drum shell is best for technical, fast-switching metalcore?
Nick Augusto's thin 6-ply maple Pearl Reference Pure, with no reinforcement ring, gives the instant, articulate response needed to switch cleanly between a weighted breakdown hit and a rapid double-bass technical run.
What bass drum head is best for metalcore?
Reinforced batter heads - Evans EMAD or Remo Powerstroke 3 - are the metalcore standard. Both handle the genre's relentless double bass abuse and dynamic range far better than standard single-ply heads.