# Necrophagist Epitaph Drum Setup: Hannes Grossmann's 2004 Tech Death Masterpiece

> Discover the complete drum setup Hannes Grossmann used on Necrophagist's legendary Epitaph — the technical death metal masterpiece featuring 'Stabwound' and the foundation of his career.

**Type:** Album Drum Setup
**Drummer:** [Hannes Grossmann](/llms/drummers/hannes-grossmann.md)
**Band:** Necrophagist
**Album:** Epitaph (August 10, 2004)
**Label:** Relapse Records
**Producer:** Necrophagist (self-produced)
**Studio:** Studios in Germany
**Genre:** Technical Death Metal

## Overview

Released on August 10, 2004 via Relapse Records, Necrophagist's "Epitaph" stands as one of the foundational technical death metal albums — a record that established the modern tech-death template and launched Hannes Grossmann's career as one of extreme metal's most respected drummers. Grossmann's performance on the album, particularly on tracks like "Stabwound," "Ignominious & Pale," and "Seven," became reference material for the entire next generation of technical death metal drumming.

The album was a long-awaited follow-up to Necrophagist's 1999 debut "Onset of Putrefaction" (which had been recorded almost entirely by founder Muhammed Suiçmez). Epitaph was the first Necrophagist record with a proper full-band lineup, and Grossmann's arrival as the drummer transformed the band's sonic possibilities. Where Onset of Putrefaction had used programmed drumming with intricate but mechanical results, Epitaph captured a human drummer at the absolute peak of technical capability — and the difference was decisive for the album's impact on the genre.

Hannes Grossmann's approach to Epitaph combined the dense vocabulary required by Suiçmez's neoclassical guitar compositions with the sustained extreme metal velocity that the songs demanded. Every track features sustained double-bass at sixteenth-note tempos, blast beat passages aligned to complex guitar phrasing, and polyrhythmic fills that move between snare, toms, and bass drums with surgical precision.

## Gear Breakdown

- **Drums:** Tama Starclassic Performer (or Pearl Reference equivalent) — double 22" x 18" bass drums, 10"/12" rack toms, 14"/16" floor toms
- **Snare:** Tama Starphonic or comparable professional studio snare 14" x 6.5"
- **Cymbals:** Meinl Pure Alloy / early Byzance — 14" Medium hi-hats, 17" and 19" Medium crashes, 22" Medium ride, 18" China
- **Hardware / Pedals:** Axis Longboard or Tama Iron Cobra Power Glide Double Pedal; Vic Firth American Classic 5A sticks
- **Heads:** Evans G2 Coated / Remo Emperor (toms); Evans EMAD / Remo Powerstroke 3 (kicks)
- **Snare tuning:** Medium-bright — articulation through dense tech-death guitar production

### Tama Starclassic Era: The Tech-Death Studio Kit

Hannes Grossmann's drum kit on "Epitaph" represented the high-end production shell pack required for studio-grade technical death metal recording in 2004 — a Tama Starclassic Performer or comparable Pearl Reference shell pack chosen for the combination of attack and articulation that Necrophagist's material demanded.

The double 22" x 18" bass drum configuration is fundamental to the album's rhythmic identity. Tracks like "Stabwound," "Ignominious & Pale," and "Seven" sustain 16th-note double-bass at velocities where each individual stroke needs to occupy its own clear sonic territory. The 22" diameter delivers the low-frequency body the music requires, while the 18" depth provides the punchy attack character that Suiçmez's self-production prioritized.

### Meinl Cymbals: The Developing Signature

Hannes Grossmann's Meinl cymbal setup on Epitaph captured an earlier stage of the signature voice that would fully mature on Obscura's Cosmogenesis five years later. The 14" Medium hi-hats anchor the album's rhythmic pulse at Necrophagist's tempos — frequently approaching or exceeding 220 BPM. The 17" and 19" Medium crashes provide the accent palette across the album. The 18" China appears at the album's most aggressive intensity peaks.

### Self-Production by Necrophagist

"Epitaph" was self-produced by Necrophagist at studios in Germany, with Muhammed Suiçmez taking the central production role. The album incorporates some bass drum reinforcement to ensure each individual stroke registers cleanly at high velocity. The drum mix emphasizes articulation above all else — when "Stabwound" or "Ignominious & Pale" reach their highest-velocity sections, every stroke remains discernible.

## Key Facts

- Released August 10, 2004 via Relapse Records — foundational technical death metal album
- Hannes Grossmann's debut on a Necrophagist studio album
- Self-produced by Necrophagist at studios in Germany
- Tama Starclassic Performer or comparable high-end shells with double 22" kick configuration
- Meinl cymbal setup — early Pure Alloy and Byzance series elements
- High-speed double pedals (Axis Longboard or Tama Iron Cobra)
- "Stabwound" became one of the most studied drum performances in modern tech death
- Hannes Grossmann went on to co-found Obscura (2007) and Alkaloid (2015)
- Estimated kit value: $3,500–6,000 (Tama Starclassic-grade shell pack)
- Estimated cymbal value: $1,500–2,500 (Meinl cymbal setup)

**Source:** https://metalforge.io/articles/epitaph-drum-setup

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*Last updated: 2026-06-26 · Source: [MetalForge.io](https://metalforge.io)*