# Hushed and Grim Drum Setup: Brann Dailor's Grammy-Nominated Kit on Mastodon's 2021 Double Album

> Discover the exact drum kit, cymbals, and gear Brann Dailor used to record Mastodon's Grammy-nominated Hushed and Grim (2021). Full breakdown of the Pearl Reference Pure kit, Zildjian A Custom and Z Custom cymbals, and the 20-inch bass drum configuration behind progressive metal's most ambitious double album.

**Type:** Album Drum Setup
**Drummer(s):** [Brann Dailor](/llms/drummers/brann-dailor.md)
**Band / Album:** Mastodon — *Hushed and Grim* (2021)
**Genre:** Progressive Sludge Metal

## Overview

Released on October 29, 2021, Mastodon's *Hushed and Grim* is the most expansive record the band has produced — a double album spanning 15 tracks and 86 minutes that draws on three decades of progressive metal, sludge, and psychedelic rock to deliver Mastodon's most complete artistic statement. Grammy-nominated for **Best Metal Performance** at the 65th Grammy Awards (2023) for the track "The Beast," the album peaked at #11 on the US Billboard 200, confirming that progressive ambition and commercial reach are not mutually exclusive.

For [Brann Dailor](/drummer/brann-dailor), *Hushed and Grim* closes the arc that began with *Remission* in 2002. Every element of his drumming — the melodic tom language, the ghost-note-dense groove work, the simultaneous vocalist-drummer demands — arrives at its fullest expression across these 15 tracks. The album was written in the wake of profound personal losses affecting multiple Mastodon members, and that grief suffuses the record's emotional core. Dailor's drumming reflects this: where [Emperor of Sand](/articles/emperor-of-sand-drum-setup) (2017) demonstrated compositional restraint, *Hushed and Grim* demands both restraint and full orchestral power, sometimes within the same song.

The gear Dailor used for the *Hushed and Grim* sessions represents a significant equipment shift from the Emperor of Sand era. The Pearl Reference Pure kit replaced the Tama Starclassic Maple, and the Zildjian A Custom and Z Custom cymbal palette brought a brighter, more aggressive attack. Notably, Dailor switched from a 22" bass drum to a 20" configuration, producing a tighter, more focused kick sound suited to the album's heavier material.

## Gear Breakdown

- **Drums:** Pearl Reference Pure (custom finish)
- **Snare:** Pearl Reference Snare, 14" x 6.5"
- **Cymbals:** Zildjian A Custom + Z Custom Series
- **Hardware / Pedals:** Pearl Demon Drive Single Pedal; Zildjian Artist Series sticks; Roc-N-Soc Nitro Throne
- **Heads:** Evans UV1 Coated (batter), Evans Hazy 300 (resonant)
- **Snare tuning:** Medium-high tension — warm attack with ghost note sensitivity

### The Pearl Reference Pure: Flagship Shift for the Double Album

For the *Hushed and Grim* sessions, Brann Dailor moved to the Pearl Reference Pure from the Tama Starclassic Maple that had anchored his playing on [Emperor of Sand](/articles/emperor-of-sand-drum-setup) and earlier Mastodon records. The Pearl Reference Pure is Pearl's flagship maple-shell series, using pure maple construction with SST (Superior Shell Technology) throughout — comparable quality to the Tama, different tonal character.

The most consequential change in this configuration is the 20" bass drum — a shift down from the 22" Dailor had used on *Emperor of Sand*. The 20" kick produces a tighter, more focused fundamental with faster attack and less bloom, which suits the denser, heavier arrangements of a 15-track double album. Where the larger kick on *Emperor of Sand* produced a full, round anchoring tone, the 20" Reference Pure kick cuts through the layered guitar work with more precision. On tracks like "The Beast" and "Pushing the Tides," where Mastodon's riff architecture is at its most dense, this tighter kick sound provides rhythmic clarity without the low-end wash that a larger drum would produce.

The three-rack-tom configuration (10", 12", 13") maintained Dailor's established melodic palette — three adjacent pitches for dense melodic resolution in the fills that Mastodon's arrangements demand. The single bass drum configuration continued from the Emperor of Sand era; Dailor committed to single-kick playing across all 15 tracks. For how this setup compares to the Tama era, see the [Brann Dailor drummer profile](/drummer/brann-dailor).

### Zildjian A Custom and Z Custom: A Brighter Attack for Heavier Material

Brann Dailor's cymbal shift for *Hushed and Grim* is the most immediately audible gear change from the Emperor of Sand era. Where the Meinl Byzance palette was defined by dark complexity and atmospheric warmth, the Zildjian A Custom and Z Custom setup brings a brighter, more immediately aggressive attack that suits the double album's denser arrangements.

The A Custom series uses Zildjian's B20 bronze alloy with a brilliant finish that intensifies high-frequency response — producing cymbals that cut through a dense guitar mix with sharp attack and clear decay. On *Hushed and Grim*, where Mastodon's guitars are layered across 15 tracks at significant density, this cutting character ensures cymbal accents register without being absorbed into the low-mid frequency mass.

The Z Custom crashes represent a step further in aggression — heavier, louder, with a broader frequency spread. On "The Beast" and "Pushing the Tides," the Z Custom crashes function as structural punctuation, marking section boundaries with enough sonic force to cut through the full-band arrangement. The contrast between the A Custom hi-hats (responsive, articulate, bright) and the Z Custom crashes (aggressive, broad, powerful) gives Dailor a dynamic range suited to the album's wider emotional spectrum.

## Key Facts

- Grammy-nominated Best Metal Performance at the 65th Grammy Awards (2023) for "The Beast"
- Double album — 15 tracks, 86 minutes — Mastodon's most expansive record
- Peaked US #11 Billboard 200
- Pearl Reference Pure — flagship maple shells replacing the Tama Starclassic Maple
- 20" bass drum — tighter, more focused kick than the 22" used on Emperor of Sand
- Zildjian A Custom + Z Custom — brighter, more aggressive attack suited to denser arrangements
- Single kick throughout — continued commitment to single-pedal philosophy
- Three rack toms (10", 12", 13") for dense melodic resolution
- Simultaneous vocalist and drummer role across multiple tracks
- Estimated kit value: $3,800–5,800 (Pearl Reference Pure shell pack)
- Estimated cymbal value: $2,200–3,200 (Zildjian A Custom + Z Custom setup)

## FAQ

**Q: What drums does Brann Dailor use on Hushed and Grim?**
A: Brann Dailor recorded Mastodon's *Hushed and Grim* (2021) using a Pearl Reference Pure drum kit — a switch from the Tama Starclassic Maple he used on *Emperor of Sand* (2017). The configuration featured a single 20" bass drum (down from the 22" used on Emperor of Sand), three rack toms at 10", 12", and 13", and a 16" floor tom. The 20" kick produces a tighter, more focused sound suited to the double album's denser arrangements.

**Q: What cymbals does Brann Dailor play on Hushed and Grim?**
A: On *Hushed and Grim* (2021), Brann Dailor used Zildjian A Custom and Z Custom cymbals — a significant change from the Meinl Byzance palette on *Emperor of Sand* (2017). The setup included A Custom 14" hi-hats, an A Custom 18" crash, a Z Custom 20" crash, an A Custom 22" ride, a Z Custom 18" china, and an A Custom 10" splash. The Zildjian setup delivers a brighter, more cutting attack compared to the dark, atmospheric Meinl Byzance.

**Q: How is Brann Dailor's 2021 kit different from the Emperor of Sand era?**
A: Three key differences. First, the drum kit shifted from Tama Starclassic Maple to Pearl Reference Pure. Second, the bass drum changed from 22" to 20" for a tighter, more focused kick. Third, the cymbal palette shifted from Meinl Byzance (dark, warm, atmospheric) to Zildjian A Custom plus Z Custom (brighter, more aggressive). The single-kick philosophy and melodic tom approach remained consistent across both eras.

**Q: Was Hushed and Grim nominated for a Grammy?**
A: Yes. Mastodon received a Grammy nomination for Best Metal Performance at the 65th Grammy Awards (2023) for "The Beast" from *Hushed and Grim* — following their Grammy win for "Sultan's Curse" from *Emperor of Sand* at the 60th Grammy Awards (2018).

**Q: Why did Brann Dailor switch to a 20-inch bass drum for Hushed and Grim?**
A: The switch from 22" to 20" was a deliberate sonic choice. A 20" kick produces a tighter fundamental with faster attack and less sustain bloom, which provides rhythmic clarity in Mastodon's densely layered arrangements across 15 tracks. Where the 22" on *Emperor of Sand* produced a full, round tone suited to that album's atmospheric character, the 20" cuts through the complex guitar work of *Hushed and Grim* with precision.

## Related Resources

- **Full drummer profile**: [Brann Dailor at MetalForge](/drummer/brann-dailor)
- **Preceding album**: [Emperor of Sand Drum Setup](/articles/emperor-of-sand-drum-setup)
- **Earlier career peak**: [Crack the Skye Drum Setup](/articles/crack-the-skye-drum-setup)
- **Kit overview**: [What's In Brann Dailor's Kit](/articles/whats-in-brann-dailors-kit)
- **LLM summary**: [Emperor of Sand — LLM](/llms/articles/emperor-of-sand-drum-setup.md)

**Source:** https://metalforge.io/articles/hushed-and-grim-drum-setup

**More LLM resources:** [Site index](/llms.txt) · [Full database](/llms-full.txt) · [Master FAQ](/llms/faq.md) · [Drummer index](/llms/index.md)

*Last updated: 2026-06-27 · Source: [MetalForge.io](https://metalforge.io)*