# Follow the Reaper Drum Setup: Jaska Raatikainen's Gear on Children of Bodom's 2000 Album

> Discover the exact drum kit, cymbals, and gear Jaska Raatikainen used on Children of Bodom's Follow the Reaper (2000). Complete breakdown of the Tama Starclassic Maple kit, Paiste 2002 cymbals, and Tama Iron Cobra double pedal behind CoB's most technically demanding album.

**Type:** Album Drum Setup
**Drummer(s):** [Jaska Raatikainen](/llms/drummers/jaska-raatikainen.md)
**Band / Album:** Children of Bodom — *Follow the Reaper* (2000)
**Genre:** Melodic Death Metal

## Overview

Released on September 25, 2000, *Follow the Reaper* is Children of Bodom's third full-length album and the record widely regarded as the pinnacle of Jaska Raatikainen's technical drumming within the band's catalog. Recorded at Astia Studio in Imatra, Finland with producer Anssi Kippo — the same team responsible for *Hatebreeder* (1999) — it arrived one year after CoB's second album and documented a dramatic leap in both compositional sophistication and technical execution.

*Follow the Reaper* represents the critical bridge in the Jaska Raatikainen gear arc: it is where the early Tama configuration of *Hatebreeder* gave way to the Tama Starclassic Maple, where Zildjian A Series cymbals were replaced by Paiste 2002, and where the DW 5000 double pedal was superseded by the Tama Iron Cobra. The result is a drum setup — and a drum performance — that many fans and musicians regard as Raatikainen's most technically demanding recorded work.

"Kissing the Shadows" is the defining showcase: sustained blast and double-bass patterns at tempos exceeding 210 BPM across extended song sections, simultaneously with neoclassical tom fills that track Janne Wirman's keyboard lines and Alexi Laiho's guitar runs. The Iron Cobra's superior mechanical consistency over the DW 5000 was the gear foundation that made this achievable; the Starclassic Maple's improved shell-to-shell consistency let the melody-following fill language register clearly in the mix.

## Gear Breakdown

- **Drums:** Tama Starclassic Maple (first Starclassic album — six-ply maple construction)
- **Snare:** Tama Starclassic 14" x 5.5" Maple Snare
- **Cymbals:** Paiste — Paiste 2002 / Paiste Sound Edge
- **Hardware / Pedals:** Tama Iron Cobra Double Pedal (upgraded from DW 5000); Vic Firth American Classic 5A; Remo Emperor Coated; Remo Powerstroke 3
- **Heads:** Remo Emperor Coated (batter), Remo Ambassador Snare Side (resonant)
- **Snare tuning:** Medium to medium-bright — attack clarity for technical death metal without sacrificing body

### Tama Starclassic Maple: The Technical Era Begins

For *Follow the Reaper*, Jaska Raatikainen transitioned to the Tama Starclassic Maple — Tama's flagship professional series and a significant upgrade over the early Tama configuration of *Hatebreeder*. The Starclassic's six-ply shell construction delivered improved attack definition, tonal body, and shell-to-shell consistency for the more demanding arrangements on this album.

The double bass drum configuration — twin 22" x 18" kick drums — remained central to Raatikainen's approach, now supported by the Iron Cobra's superior mechanical consistency. Children of Bodom's arrangements pushed double-kick velocity further than any previous CoB record: "Kissing the Shadows" and "Follow the Reaper" demand sustained blast and double-bass work across extended passages where any mechanical variance would compromise the precision of the patterns.

The compact tom spread — 10" and 12" rack toms paired with 14" and 16" floor toms — gave Raatikainen the tonal range for CoB's characteristically melodic fill language. The Starclassic's improved shell-to-shell consistency allowed the melody-following tom phrases to register more clearly in Anssi Kippo's mix, supporting the neoclassical keyboard and guitar countermelodies above with greater precision than the early Tama configuration had delivered.

### Paiste 2002 and Sound Edge: The Cymbal Transition

Jaska Raatikainen's cymbal setup on *Follow the Reaper* marked the transition from the Zildjian A Series of *Hatebreeder* to Paiste's 2002 line — a shift that brought a different tonal character to CoB's studio sound and defined the drum sound that would reach its commercial peak on *Hate Crew Deathroll* (2003).

The Paiste 2002's CuSn8 bronze alloy produces a bright, cutting sound with enough warmth in the sustain to avoid harshness — qualities essential for the keyboard-dense arrangements on *Follow the Reaper*, where Janne Wirman's layers occupied substantial harmonic space across every track.

The Paiste Sound Edge 14" hi-hats — with their rippled-edge bottom cymbal for faster air release — gave Raatikainen the articulation precision required at the extreme tempos this album demanded. "Kissing the Shadows" and "Bodom After Midnight" require every sixteenth note at the hi-hat to register as a distinct event; the Sound Edge design delivered that precision.

### Tama Iron Cobra: The Upgrade That Defined the CoB Double-Kick Sound

The Tama Iron Cobra double pedal was Raatikainen's most consequential gear upgrade between *Hatebreeder* and *Follow the Reaper*. The Iron Cobra's improved chain-drive mechanism and cam geometry delivered the mechanical consistency required for the album's extraordinary double-kick demands — each kick stroke registering as a full-bodied musical event even at maximum velocity.

This transition from DW 5000 to Tama Iron Cobra tracks directly with the increase in technical difficulty between the two albums. The Iron Cobra would remain Raatikainen's pedal of choice through *Hate Crew Deathroll* (2003).

## Historical Context

*Follow the Reaper* arrived one year after *Hatebreeder* and demonstrated a dramatic technical leap — from the debut Starclassic Maple setup to the most demanding double-kick passages in early CoB's catalog. The album filled the gear gap between *Hatebreeder*'s early Tama / Zildjian A / DW 5000 configuration and the refined Starclassic / Paiste 2002 / Iron Cobra combination that *Hate Crew Deathroll* would develop further.

The album's commercial performance — stronger than *Hatebreeder* — confirmed that Children of Bodom's technical approach had a global audience. The gear transition documented on *Follow the Reaper* reflects a band and drummer investing in professional-grade equipment matched to professional-grade ambitions.

## Key Facts

- Released September 25, 2000 — Children of Bodom's third full-length, one year after Hatebreeder
- Jaska Raatikainen, age 21 — first Tama Starclassic Maple album
- Paiste 2002 cymbals — transition from Zildjian A Series of Hatebreeder
- Tama Iron Cobra double pedal — replaces DW 5000 of the Hatebreeder sessions
- "Kissing the Shadows" remains one of melodic death metal's most demanding recorded drum performances
- Recorded at Astia Studio, Imatra with Anssi Kippo
- Tama Starclassic Maple — six-ply maple shells for improved attack definition and consistency
- Double 22" x 18" bass drums — more demanding double-kick usage than Hatebreeder
- Estimated kit value: $2,000–4,000 (Tama Starclassic Maple shell pack, 2000)
- Part of the arc: Hatebreeder (1999) → **Follow the Reaper (2000)** → Hate Crew Deathroll (2003)

## Related Articles

- [Hatebreeder drum setup (1999)](/articles/hatebreeder-drum-setup) — early Tama / Zildjian A / DW 5000 configuration
- [Hate Crew Deathroll drum setup (2003)](/articles/hate-crew-deathroll-drum-setup) — Starclassic / Paiste 2002 / Iron Cobra at its commercial peak
- [Jaska Raatikainen drummer profile](/drummer/jaska-raatikainen) — complete gear history across CoB's career

**Source:** https://metalforge.io/articles/follow-the-reaper-drum-setup

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