# Evangelion — Behemoth Drum Setup (Inferno, 2009)

> Inferno's most technically demanding pre-Satanist performance: Tama Starclassic Maple, Meinl Byzance Dark cymbals, sub-200ms blast beats across Evangelion's suffocating blackened death arrangements.

**Type:** Album Drum Setup
**Drummer(s):** [Inferno](/llms/drummers/inferno.md)
**Band / Album:** Behemoth — *Evangelion* (2009)
**Genre:** Blackened Death Metal

## Overview

*Evangelion* (2009) is the ninth studio album by Polish blackened death metal band Behemoth. Released on August 7, 2009 through Nuclear Blast Records, it charted at #153 on the Billboard 200 — a remarkable achievement for a band operating in extreme metal's most uncompromising territory. Produced by Behemoth alongside Wojtek and Sławek Wiesławski at their Hertz Studio in Białystok, Poland, the album represented the culmination of the band's sonic evolution from raw black metal origins toward a full blackened death metal identity.

At the rhythmic center of *Evangelion*'s devastating engine is Inferno — Zbigniew Robert Promiński — delivering what many regard as his most technically demanding studio performance to that point in Behemoth's career. The album's tempos push consistently into 200–240 BPM territory, and Inferno's blast beat work across tracks like "Ov Fire and the Void" and "Shemhamforash" set a benchmark for sustained velocity without sacrificing musical coherence.

The setup Inferno deployed on *Evangelion* differs meaningfully from both his live rig of the period and the Tama configuration he would later use on *The Satanist* (2014). For *Evangelion*, he worked with a compact Tama Starclassic Maple configuration optimized for blast beat velocity and percussive impact — a leaner approach than the broader tonal palette *The Satanist*'s groove-heavier arrangements would require five years later. The Meinl Byzance Dark cymbal series, chosen for its dry, controlled character, complemented his high-speed playing by delivering fast cymbal response without excessive wash that would obscure the kick-snare interplay during sustained blasts.

This article breaks down every piece of gear Inferno used on *Evangelion*, the techniques that defined this chapter of his career, and why this album stands as the essential document of his pre-*Satanist* drumming evolution.

## Gear Breakdown

- **Drums:** Tama Tama Starclassic Maple (Custom (studio configuration) finish)
- **Snare:** Tama Tama 14" Steel Snare, 14" x 6"
- **Cymbals:** Meinl — Meinl Byzance Dark
- **Heads:** Remo Coated Ambassador (batter), Remo Ambassador Snare Side (resonant)
- **Snare tuning:** Medium-high tension for attack and fast decay at blast beat tempos

### Inferno's Tama Starclassic Maple: Evangelion Configuration

For *Evangelion*, Inferno's Tama Starclassic Maple configuration was built around one primary requirement: maximum efficiency at extreme blast beat tempos. The all-maple shell construction delivers a warm, focused fundamental — essential in the studio environment at Hertz, where the Wiesławski brothers' recording approach rewards tonal definition over raw volume projection.

The double 22" kick drum setup maintained the extreme metal standard. Two independent bass drums, rather than a double pedal on a single drum, gave Inferno full mechanical independence on each foot — critical at the 200–240 BPM passages that dominate *Evangelion*'s most intense sections. The Axis A Longboard double pedal's mechanical precision meant that even during extended blast sequences, each stroke's attack remained consistent and clearly articulated in the Hertz Studio environment.

The compact four-tom spread — emphasizing smaller sizes compared to the expanded configurations favored for live performance — served *Evangelion*'s compositional priorities. Where some extreme metal records weaponize tom fills as dynamic events, *Evangelion*'s arrangements deploy Inferno's kit as a relentless, forward-moving engine. The tighter setup reduced transition distances and kept the kit's mass concentrated for the album's punishing pace.

### The Blast Beat Foundation

The snare on *Evangelion* carried the weight of one of extreme metal's most demanding rhythmic frameworks. At 200–240 BPM, every snare stroke must speak with absolute clarity — any muddiness or inconsistency becomes immediately audible when sustaining blast beats across the extended passages that define tracks like "Ov Fire and the Void" and "Shemhamforash."

Inferno's Tama snare selection for the *Evangelion* sessions prioritized attack and cut above all else. The steel shell construction delivers a focused, cutting crack with fast decay — precisely what high-speed blast beat performance requires. Long sustain at these tempos produces a blurred, indistinct rhythmic wall; fast decay keeps each stroke clearly defined even when hands are moving at near-maximum velocity.

Tuned to medium-high tension, the snare maintained articulation through *Evangelion*'s most sustained blast sections. The Remo Coated Ambassador head provided the surface resistance that allowed Inferno's rimshots to project cleanly through the dense, downtuned guitar arrangements that define the album's sonic character. The Wiesławski brothers' production placed the snare prominently in the mix — a signature of their work with Behemoth, where the rhythmic articulation is never sacrificed for guitar density.

### Meinl Byzance Dark: Controlled Darkness

Inferno's cymbal selection for *Evangelion* centers on the Meinl Byzance Dark series — a deliberate choice for its dry, controlled sonic character that suits the album's suffocating extreme metal arrangements.

The Byzance Dark series achieves its controlled tonality through a specific manufacturing process: the cymbals are hand-hammered and lathed to produce a sound that decays quickly, avoids excessive brightness, and resists the kind of sustained wash that clutters dense, downtuned guitar layers. For a drummer executing sustained blast beats at 200–240 BPM, cymbal wash is the enemy of rhythmic clarity. The Byzance Dark's fast decay meant that each hi-hat closure and crash accent registered as a discrete rhythmic event rather than merging into an undifferentiated sonic mass.

The 14" Dark hi-hats were central to Inferno's blast beat technique on this album. At extreme tempos, the hi-hat's role in a single-stroke alternating blast pattern requires precision and control — the Byzance Dark's dry character delivered exactly the tight, focused response these passages required. The 16" and 18" crash cymbals provided fast, explosive accents appropriate for the album's dynamic moments, while the 20" Dark ride offered a stable, defined rhythmic platform for less-blast-intensive passages.

## Key Facts

- Recorded at Hertz Studio, Białystok — Behemoth's long-time studio home with the Wiesławski brothers
- Tama Starclassic Maple — compact configuration optimized for blast beat velocity
- Meinl Byzance Dark cymbals — dry, controlled response at extreme tempos
- Axis A Longboard double pedal for mechanical precision at 200–240 BPM
- Charted #153 on Billboard 200 — landmark crossover for extreme blackened death metal
- Pivotal transitional album: Behemoth's first fully realized blackened death metal statement
- All-maple Starclassic construction for studio warmth and tonal definition
- Double 22" kick drums for independent control at extreme blast tempos
- Compact tom configuration matched to Evangelion's relentless forward momentum
- Tighter setup than The Satanist configuration — optimized for velocity over tonal breadth
- Engineered at Hertz Studio by Wojtek and Sławek Wiesławski
- Estimated kit value: $3,000–5,000 (Tama Starclassic Maple professional configuration)
- Estimated snare value: $300–500 (Tama steel snare)

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

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*Last updated: 2026-06-25 · Source: [MetalForge.io](https://metalforge.io)*