Best Ride Cymbals for Mathcore in 2026 | MetalForge Expert Guide
Discover the best ride cymbals for mathcore drumming. Expert recommendations on dry, controlled rides built for odd-meter precision, featuring the exact rides played by Ben Koller, Matt Greiner, Blake Richardson, and Danny Carey.
Frequently Asked Questions
What ride cymbal does Ben Koller use?
Ben Koller of Converge plays a 20" Zildjian K Custom Session Ride, a setup that anchored mathcore's founding cymbal sound on Converge's landmark "Jane Doe" (2001).
What ride cymbal does Matt Greiner use?
Matt Greiner of August Burns Red plays a 22" Meinl Byzance Dual Ride, bringing math metal's rhythmic complexity into mathcore-adjacent metalcore.
What ride cymbal does Blake Richardson use?
Blake Richardson of Between the Buried and Me plays a 22" Meinl Byzance Extra Dry Ride, handling BTBAM's genre-hopping technicality with complex, controlled tone.
Why does mathcore need a drier ride cymbal than doom or death metal?
Mathcore's irregular time signatures and sudden tempo shifts call for a ride whose strokes stay individually legible through odd subdivisions. A dry, controlled voice — like Ben Koller's Zildjian K Custom Session Ride or Blake Richardson's Meinl Byzance Extra Dry — keeps each accent distinct where a dark, wash-heavy ride built for doom or black metal would blur consecutive odd-meter strokes together.
What's the best budget ride cymbal for mathcore?
The Zildjian A Series Ride (€110-150) shares brand DNA with Ben Koller's K Custom setup at a fraction of the price. The Meinl HCS Ride (€50-70) is the most accessible true-budget option for learning mathcore's odd-time accent vocabulary.