# For All Kings Drum Setup: Charlie Benante's Anthrax Gear Breakdown (2016)

> Complete breakdown of Charlie Benante's drum setup on Anthrax's For All Kings (2016). Tama Starclassic Maple, Speed Cobra pedals, and the Grammy-nominated album that debuted at #9 US and #7 UK — closing the modern Anthrax arc.

**Type:** Album Drum Setup
**Drummer(s):** [Charlie Benante](/llms/drummers/charlie-benante.md)
**Band / Album:** Anthrax — *For All Kings* (2016)
**Genre:** Thrash Metal

## Overview

Released on February 26, 2016, Anthrax's For All Kings delivered on every promise the Worship Music reunion had made. The album debuted at #9 on the US Billboard 200 and #7 on the UK Albums Chart — the band's strongest UK chart performance in decades — and earned a Grammy nomination for Best Metal Performance at the 59th Grammy Awards (2017) for "Evil Twin." This was Anthrax's second consecutive Grammy nomination, following Worship Music's "In the End" nod in 2012, confirming the Jay Ruston production partnership as consistently Grammy-caliber.

For Charlie Benante, For All Kings represented the fully settled expression of the modern configuration assembled across the previous decade. By 2016, he had six years of Tama Speed Cobra experience behind him — compared to approximately one year at Worship Music — and producer Jay Ruston, returning for his second Anthrax album at Sphere Studios in North Hollywood, had refined his approach to capturing Benante's setup with greater precision and low-end weight than the 2011 sessions.

For All Kings closes the modern Anthrax arc: Sound of White Noise (1993) → Worship Music (2011) → For All Kings (2016). For the preceding album, see the [Worship Music drum setup](/articles/worship-music-drum-setup).

## Gear Breakdown

- **Drums:** Tama Starclassic Maple — dual 22" x 18" bass drums, three rack toms, two floor toms
- **Snare:** Tama Charlie Benante Signature, 14" x 6.5" steel shell with die-cast hoops
- **Cymbals:** Paiste — 2002 Sound Edge 14" hi-hats, Signature 16" Fast Crash, 2002 18" Medium Crash, RUDE 19" Crash/Ride, 2002 22" Heavy Ride, 2002 18" China, 2002 10" Splash
- **Hardware / Pedals:** Tama Speed Cobra HP910LN (two single pedals — six years of experience by 2016); Tama Iron Cobra Hi-Hat Stand; Tama 1st Chair
- **Sticks:** Vic Firth Charlie Benante Signature / 2B
- **Heads:** Remo Powerstroke 3 Clear (bass drums), Remo Emperor Coated (toms), Evans Power Center (snare batter)
- **Producer:** Jay Ruston at Sphere Studios, North Hollywood, CA (second Anthrax collaboration)
- **Label:** Megaforce Records

### The Refined Modern Configuration

For All Kings finds Benante's Tama Starclassic Maple fully broken in — five additional years of touring and recording familiarity beyond Worship Music. Jay Ruston's refined production approach added more low-end weight to the dual 22" x 18" bass drums and more dimensional depth to the five-tom configuration, matching the album's harder, darker musical character versus Worship Music's celebratory reunion energy.

The Grammy-nominated "Evil Twin" centers on Benante's controlled mid-tempo groove — snare backbeat forward and authoritative, Speed Cobra double bass deployed structurally rather than as a constant presence. The album's widest compositional range pushed Benante into atmospheric territory ("Breathing Lightning") alongside direct thrash ("Zero Tolerance"), demonstrating the full vocabulary that six years of Speed Cobra experience had made second nature.

## Key Facts

- Released February 26, 2016 — five years after Worship Music
- Grammy nominated: Best Metal Performance for "Evil Twin" (59th Grammy Awards, 2017)
- Debuted #9 US Billboard 200 and #7 UK Albums Chart
- Second consecutive Grammy nomination: Worship Music "In the End" (2012) → For All Kings "Evil Twin" (2017)
- Six years of Tama Speed Cobra experience by the For All Kings sessions — most relaxed double bass of Benante's recorded career
- Jay Ruston's second Anthrax album — refined production with increased low-end weight versus Worship Music
- Paiste 2002/Signature/RUDE three-line cymbal configuration fully settled
- Closes the modern arc: [Worship Music](/articles/worship-music-drum-setup) → For All Kings
- For Charlie's complete modern kit, see [What's In Charlie Benante's Kit](/articles/whats-in-charlie-benantes-kit)
- For the classic thrash era, see [Among the Living drum setup](/articles/charlie-benante-among-the-living-drum-setup)

**Source:** https://metalforge.io/articles/for-all-kings-drum-setup

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*Last updated: 2026-06-29 · Source: [MetalForge.io](https://metalforge.io)*