Who are the best sludge metal drummers and what pedals do they use?

Igor Cavalera of Sepultura plays a Pearl Eliminator double pedal, Mario Duplantier of Gojira drives dual kicks with two independent Tama Iron Cobra 900 Power Glide pedals, Brann Dailor of Mastodon plays a single DW 5000 Series pedal, and Shannon Larkin of Godsmack plays a Tama Iron Cobra 600 double pedal.

What pedal does Igor Cavalera use?

Igor Cavalera of Sepultura and Cavalera Conspiracy plays a Pearl Eliminator Redline double pedal, using its interchangeable cam system to balance crushing power with occasional grittier, faster passages.

Do sludge metal drummers need double bass pedals?

Not always. Brann Dailor's single DW 5000 Series pedal handles Mastodon's crushing early catalog without any double-kick hardware. Igor Cavalera and Shannon Larkin both use double pedals mainly for reserve power on sludge's grittier, hardcore-influenced bursts rather than sustained double-bass speed.

What pedal does Mario Duplantier use?

Mario Duplantier of Gojira doesn't use a double pedal — he drives the band's two separate 22"x18" bass drums with a pair of independent Tama Iron Cobra 900 Power Glide pedals, giving each kick fully independent tone and timing control for crushing, sludge-adjacent weight.

What's the best budget pedal for sludge metal?

The DW 3000 Series (around €90-120) shares the same family DNA as Brann Dailor's professional DW 5000 pedal. For a double-pedal budget option in the same family as Igor Cavalera's setup, the Pearl Demonator (€150-190) is a solid single-pedal starting point.