# Cynic Focus Drum Setup: Sean Reinert's 1993 Progressive Death Metal Gear

> Discover the drum kit and gear Sean Reinert used to record Cynic's landmark Focus album — the progressive death metal record that merged jazz fusion with extreme metal.

**Type:** Album Drum Setup
**Drummer(s):** Sean Reinert
**Band / Album:** Cynic — *Focus* (1993)
**Genre:** Progressive Death Metal / Jazz Fusion

## Overview

Released on October 19, 1993, Cynic's "Focus" is one of the most singular albums in the history of extreme metal — a record that merged death metal aggression with jazz fusion sophistication, vocoder-processed vocals, and electronic percussion elements in ways no one had imagined possible. At the center of this revolution was Sean Reinert, whose drumming on "Focus" built directly on the innovations he had introduced two years earlier on Death's "Human."

Sean Reinert and guitarist Paul Masvidal had been part of the "Human" sessions that changed death metal drumming forever. After those recordings, they formed Cynic with bassist Sean Malone and guitarist Jason Gobel. Their vision was audacious: a death metal band that didn't just borrow from jazz, but actually merged the two genres at a fundamental level. Reinert's drumming would be the hinge.

Recorded at Morrisound Recording in Tampa with producer Scott Burns — the same studio and engineer responsible for "Human" — "Focus" pushed Reinert's technique into entirely new territory. The album's eight tracks move fluidly between machine-gun death metal blasts and delicate jazz-fusion passages, with Reinert navigating every transition with the instinct of a master improviser.

What made "Focus" technically revolutionary was Reinert's use of electronic drum triggers blended with his acoustic kit. This wasn't the quantized drum machine sound of industrial metal — it was analog trigger pads feeding synthesizer sounds, layered beneath the organic acoustic performance to create textures that still sound futuristic three decades later.

Sean Reinert passed away on January 24, 2020. "Focus" stands as the fullest expression of his jazz-death fusion vision — the album where he had complete creative freedom to show what progressive drumming in extreme metal could actually be.

## Gear Breakdown

- **Drums:** Tama Artstar II (Natural Wood finish) with electronic trigger pad integration
- **Snare:** Tama Artstar II Birch Snare, 14" x 5.5"
- **Cymbals:** Zildjian — A and K Series
- **Hardware / Pedals:** DW 5000 Double Pedal; electronic trigger pads with synthesizer modules; Roc-N-Soc Standard; Vic Firth American Classic 5A / brushes
- **Heads:** Remo Ambassador Coated (batter), Remo Ambassador Snare Side (resonant)
- **Snare tuning:** Medium-high for dynamic range across jazz and death metal passages

### Reinert's Focus Kit: Tama Artstar II with Electronic Integration

Sean Reinert's kit for the "Focus" sessions was built on the same Tama Artstar II foundation he had used for "Human" in 1991 — birch shells, single bass drum with double pedal, three rack toms providing melodic fill options. For "Focus," Reinert added electronic trigger pads integrated with the acoustic kit, feeding synthesizer modules that layered electronic textures beneath the live performance.

This integration of acoustic and electronic drums was unprecedented in extreme metal. The birch Artstar II shells continued to deliver the warmth and attack balance that defined Reinert's sound. Single bass drum with double pedal remained his signature — his double-kick vocabulary was musical, not merely fast.

The three rack toms (10", 12", 13") and single floor tom (16") gave Reinert the same fill vocabulary he had explored on "Human," now deployed across musical contexts ranging from death metal blasting to jazz-fusion comping to near-ambient textural passages.

### The Zildjian Arsenal

Reinert's cymbal selection on "Focus" carried forward the jazz-rooted Zildjian palette from "Human." The K Custom Dry Ride remained the cornerstone of his sound — its dry, articulate character allowed every stick stroke to register clearly whether Reinert was riding the bell, playing jazz patterns on the bow, or using it as an accent surface during blast passages.

The A Series New Beat hi-hats provided the tonal center his playing demanded. Reinert's hi-hat technique on "Focus" is among the most sophisticated in extreme metal: he uses the hats as a harmonic voice, opening and closing them for tonal inflection in ways that jazz drummers would recognize immediately.

## Key Facts

- Recorded at Morrisound Recording, Tampa with producer Scott Burns
- Reinert blended acoustic drums with electronic trigger pads — revolutionary for extreme metal
- Direct continuation of the jazz-death fusion vocabulary from Death's Human (1991)
- Collaborated with Paul Masvidal, Sean Malone, and Jason Gobel — all jazz-trained musicians
- The first death metal album to fully incorporate jazz fusion as a structural element
- Single 22" bass drum with double pedal — Reinert's signature compositional approach
- Electronic trigger pads integrated as textural layers beneath acoustic performance
- Estimated kit value: $2,500-3,500 (1993)

## Related Articles

- [Human Drum Setup](/llms/articles/human-drum-setup.md) — Sean Reinert's work with Death (1991)
- [Sound of Perseverance Drum Setup](/llms/articles/sound-of-perseverance-drum-setup.md) — Death's final album (1998)

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

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