How to Sound Like Hannes Grossmann — Drum Gear & Setup Guide | MetalForge

Frequently Asked Questions

What drum kit does Hannes Grossmann play?

Hannes Grossmann plays DW Collectors Series drums — DW's flagship production shell line with custom-built North American maple shells. His configuration uses double 22" x 18" kick drums, 10" and 12" rack toms, 14" and 16" floor toms, and a DW Collectors 14" x 5.5" maple snare. The Collectors' precision construction provides the articulate attack his complex polyrhythmic arrangements require.

What cymbals does Hannes Grossmann play?

Hannes Grossmann plays Meinl Byzance Series cymbals. His setup includes Meinl Byzance 14" Traditional Hi-Hats, 18" and 19" Byzance Brilliant Crashes, a 21" Byzance Traditional Ride, and a 10" Byzance Splash for compositional accent points. The Byzance series' hand-hammered B20 bronze produces the warm, harmonically complex sound that integrates naturally in Obscura's and Alkaloid's dense progressive arrangements.

What is Hannes Grossmann's open-handed technique?

Grossmann's open-handed technique means he plays with his left hand on the hi-hat or ride and right hand on snare, rather than the traditional right-hand-on-hi-hat approach that requires crossing hands over the body. This eliminates hand-crossing and gives him access to pattern combinations — like simultaneous snare hits and ride bell patterns — that traditional grip cannot achieve without awkward arm positioning. He switches fluidly between open-handed and traditional approach depending on which allows more fluid execution for a given passage.

How did Hannes Grossmann's classical training influence his metal drumming?

Grossmann's classical percussion background introduced him to counterpoint, polyrhythm, and voice-leading principles that most metal drummers never encounter. He approaches fills with Bach-influenced contrapuntal thinking — designing kick and hand patterns as independent voices that create a harmonically structured whole rather than just filling rhythmic space. His polyrhythmic construction reflects classical practice of superimposing different metric cycles, and his ghost note vocabulary comes directly from jazz and classical mallet technique. The result is drumming that sounds compositionally sophisticated rather than just technically impressive.

What are the best Hannes Grossmann recordings to study?

Start with Necrophagist's Epitaph (2004) for his pure technical death metal baseline — specifically 'Stabwound' and 'Fermented Offal Discharge'. Then move to Obscura's Cosmogenesis (2009), particularly 'Anticosmic Overload', for his open-handed technique and polyrhythmic construction. Omnivium (2011) shows his mature style with classical counterpoint fully integrated. For his most sophisticated compositional work, study the Alkaloid albums — particularly The Mellow Hardy Galoot (2022) where jazz influence and extreme metal precision reach their fullest synthesis.