# King of All Kings Drum Setup: Derek Roddy's Blast Beat Masterclass (2002)

> How Derek Roddy tracked Hate Eternal's King of All Kings (2002) — the DW Collector's kit, Axis Longboard pedals, and freehand blast beat endurance that made it a technical death metal landmark.

**Type:** Kit Breakdown
**Drummer(s):** [Derek Roddy](/llms/drummers/derek-roddy.md)
**Band / Album:** Hate Eternal
**Genre:** Death Metal / Technical Death Metal

## Overview

Released in 2002, Hate Eternal's King of All Kings arrived as a statement of intent from a band rebuilding itself around Erik Rutan's vision and Derek Roddy's drumming. Where the band's 1999 debut Conquering the Throne had already turned heads, King of All Kings pushed further — longer sustained blast passages, tighter tempo control, and a level of stamina that made the record a reference point for technical death metal drummers for years afterward.

Derek Roddy didn't approach the record as a display of raw speed for its own sake. His freehand (gravity-assisted) blast beat technique — built on relaxed motion and efficient stick rebound rather than muscular force — let him sustain blast sections across full song lengths without the fatigue-driven tempo drift that plagues less efficient drummers. Tracks like the title cut and "Thorns of Acacia" hold blast tempos for measures at a time where most drummers would need to break the pattern or slow down.

This article is a dedicated look at the King of All Kings sessions specifically — the kit and cymbals Roddy relied on to survive the record's demands, and the technique that made the performance possible. For the broader arc of Roddy's gear across his whole career, see his general kit breakdown linked below; this piece stays focused on one album and the drumming that made it a genre landmark.

## Gear Breakdown

- **Drums:** DW DW Collector's Series Maple (Custom studio finish finish)
- **Snare:** DW DW Collector's Series Maple, 14" x 5.5"
- **Cymbals:** Sabian — Sabian HHX and AAX Series
- **Hardware / Pedals:** Axis A Longboard Double Pedal; Vater 5B
- **Heads:** Evans Genera HD Dry (batter), Hazy 300 snare side (resonant)
- **Snare tuning:** Medium-high tension for blast beat articulation

### The King of All Kings Session Kit

For the King of All Kings sessions, Roddy tracked with the same DW Collector's Series Maple configuration that anchored his Hate Eternal era: a 22" x 18" kick, 10" and 12" rack toms, and 14" and 16" floor toms. The deeper-than-typical kick depth gave the album's low end the punch to sit under Rutan's down-tuned riffing without losing the articulation needed for the record's rapid single-kick and double-kick passages.

Maple shells were the right call for a record built around sustained blast sections — the wood's balanced attack meant every stroke in a blast pattern spoke clearly instead of blurring into a wash, even during the longest sustained sections on the title track and "Thorns of Acacia." DW's True Pitch tuning hardware kept the kit locked in through a full studio day of extreme-tempo takes, a practical necessity when a single tom drifting out of tune could force a re-take of an entire section.

### Cutting Through Rutan's Wall of Riffs

King of All Kings needed a snare that could hold its own against Erik Rutan's dense, down-tuned guitar tone without relying on a triggered sample. Roddy's 14" x 5.5" DW Collector's Maple, tuned medium-high, delivered the crack needed to stay audible through the album's thickest riff passages while remaining responsive enough for blast-tempo backbeat work.

The session snare was left largely untriggered — Roddy's freehand technique produced consistent enough attack and volume on its own that Rutan's production could capture the acoustic performance directly, giving King of All Kings a rawer, more human-sounding blast section than many contemporaries that leaned on sample replacement.

### Sabian HHX/AAX: Built to Survive the Sessions

Roddy's Sabian HHX/AAX setup on King of All Kings was chosen for durability and control as much as tone. The 14" HHX Stage Hi-Hats kept their definition during the album's longest sustained blast passages, where a washier hi-hat would have blurred into an indistinct texture. The AAX X-Plosion crash's fast decay let accents punch through and clear out before the next blast section resumed, which mattered on a record where blast beats made up the majority of the runtime.

The HHX Raw Bell Dry Ride saw limited use given the album's blast-heavy structure, but provided a controlled, non-washy option for the handful of sections where Roddy dropped out of blast tempo. The AAX China added the aggressive punctuation Rutan's arrangements needed at song transitions.

## Key Facts

- King of All Kings (2002) is the Hate Eternal record most associated with Roddy's technical peak
- Freehand/gravity blast technique enabled sustained blast beats without tempo drift
- DW Collector's Series kit and Axis Longboard pedals provided the response needed for the sessions
- Erik Rutan's production favored captured performance over heavy triggering
- The record remains a reference point for technical death metal drumming endurance
- 22" x 18" bass drum for low-end weight under down-tuned guitars
- Maple shells preserved stroke definition during sustained blast sections
- DW True Pitch hardware held tuning through extreme-tempo studio takes
- Standard tom sizing kept fills predictable during high-pressure sessions
- Estimated kit value: $4,000-6,000 (Collector's Series configuration)
- Estimated snare value: $600-800

## Frequently Asked Questions

**Q: What drum kit did Derek Roddy use on King of All Kings?**

A: Derek Roddy tracked Hate Eternal's King of All Kings (2002) on a DW Collector's Series Maple kit — a 22" x 18" bass drum, 10" and 12" rack toms, and 14" and 16" floor toms, built from North American Hard Rock Maple shells. The kit's balanced attack and DW's True Pitch tuning hardware kept it stable through the album's extended blast beat sessions, which demanded consistent tuning across a full day of extreme-tempo takes.

**Q: What technique did Derek Roddy use for the blast beats on King of All Kings?**

A: Roddy relied on his freehand (gravity-assisted) blast beat technique, which uses the stick's natural rebound instead of muscular force to generate strokes. This reduced fatigue enough that he could sustain blast tempo across full song lengths — a key reason King of All Kings became a reference record for blast beat endurance rather than just peak speed. He paired it with a swivel-driven kick technique for consistent double bass stamina.

**Q: Why is King of All Kings considered a landmark technical death metal record?**

A: King of All Kings (2002) is regarded as a landmark because of the sustained duration and precision of its blast beat sections, not just their top speed. Derek Roddy's efficient technique let Hate Eternal build entire songs around blast tempo without the tempo drift that undermines less efficient drummers, setting a benchmark that influenced technical death metal drumming for years afterward.

**Q: Did Derek Roddy use triggers on King of All Kings?**

A: Roddy's studio approach on King of All Kings favored minimal triggering. His freehand technique produced consistent enough attack and volume on the acoustic kit that producer Erik Rutan could capture the performance largely untriggered, giving the record's blast sections a rawer, more human character than many contemporaneous extreme metal productions that leaned heavily on sample replacement.

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

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*Last updated: 2026-07-05 · Source: [MetalForge.io](https://metalforge.io)*