# Leveler Drum Setup: Matt Greiner's Gear on August Burns Red's 2011 Album

> Discover the exact drum kit, cymbals, and gear Matt Greiner used to record August Burns Red's Grammy-nominated Leveler (2011). Complete breakdown of the Ludwig Classic Maple kit, Paiste 2002 cymbals, DW 9000 double pedal, and the technical approach behind metalcore's most musical drummer.

**Type:** Album Drum Setup
**Drummer(s):** [Matt Greiner](/llms/drummers/matt-greiner.md)
**Band / Album:** August Burns Red — *Leveler* (2011)
**Genre:** Metalcore / Progressive Metal

## Overview

Released on August 30, 2011, August Burns Red's *Leveler* is widely regarded as the band's defining artistic statement — a Grammy-nominated album that demonstrated metalcore could be progressive, melodic, and technically ferocious without sacrificing the aggressive core that defines the genre. At the rhythmic center of every track was Matt Greiner, whose drumming on *Leveler* set a new benchmark for what metalcore percussion could achieve.

Greiner brought a jazz-informed musicality to an aggressive context. Where many metalcore drummers treat the kit as a velocity-delivery system, Greiner used odd-meter patterns, complex polyrhythmic fills, and dynamic ghost note layering to create drum parts that function as composition — not just time-keeping. Tracks like "Empire" (a nearly eight-minute progressive epic) and the album's title track demand the kind of sustained technical execution and creative vision that separates great drummers from technical ones.

For *Leveler*, Greiner recorded with a Ludwig Classic Maple kit — a choice that defined the album's drum tone. Ludwig's maple shells are warmer and more complex than the bright attack of the Pearl Reference Pure kit he would later adopt. That warmth, combined with the cutting character of his Paiste 2002 cymbal setup, gave *Leveler* its distinctive sound: aggressive but musical, heavy but never blunt.

The album earned August Burns Red a Grammy nomination for Best Metal Performance — recognition that reflected both the band's songwriting ambition and Greiner's extraordinary playing. This article examines the gear behind that performance: every shell, cymbal, and pedal that Matt Greiner used to make *Leveler* the landmark album it became.

## Gear Breakdown

- **Drums:** Ludwig Ludwig Classic Maple (Natural / Vintage wrap finish)
- **Snare:** Ludwig Ludwig Acrolite / Supraphonic (aluminum), 14" x 5"
- **Cymbals:** Paiste — Paiste 2002
- **Hardware / Pedals:** DW 9000 Double Pedal; DW 9000 Hi-Hat Stand; Roc-N-Soc Nitro Throne; Vic Firth Matt Greiner Signature
- **Heads:** Remo Ambassador Coated (batter), Remo Ambassador Snare Side (resonant)
- **Snare tuning:** Medium-high tension — projection with warmth, not maximum tightness

### Matt's Leveler Kit: Ludwig Classic Maple

Matt Greiner's choice of Ludwig Classic Maple for *Leveler* reflects an interesting moment in metalcore's relationship with gear. While many of his contemporaries reached for the brightest, most articulate shells available, Greiner chose Ludwig's heritage-focused Classic Maple — drums built on the same shell philosophy as Ludwig's legendary vintage kits, favored by everyone from John Bonham to Stewart Copeland.

The Classic Maple's 6-ply North American maple construction produces a warmer, more complex tone than the harder birch or hybrid shells common in metal. That warmth is audible throughout *Leveler*: the toms have body and resonance, the bass drums deliver a fundamental low-end thump rather than a sharp attack. On a track like "Pangaea," with its shifting time signatures and melodic sensibility, the kit's tonal character reinforces the music's complexity.

The double bass drum configuration was non-negotiable for Greiner's playing style. His lever-driven double bass technique — generating explosive speed through mechanical efficiency rather than brute force — demanded two fully independent bass drums, each delivering equivalent attack. The 22" size gave him the deep fundamental that *Leveler*'s heaviest passages required while maintaining the response speed that his odd-meter patterns needed.

The compact tom setup (two rack toms, one floor tom) pushed Greiner toward creative fill choices. Rather than running through a four-tom suite, he developed patterns that moved between bass drum, snare, and the available toms in ways that created rhythmic interest through composition rather than equipment volume.

### The Leveler Snare: Crack and Sensitivity Combined

Matt Greiner's snare approach on *Leveler* balanced the opposing demands of metalcore: the crack and projection to cut through heavily distorted guitars, and the sensitivity to execute ghost notes and dynamic variations within complex odd-meter patterns. A Ludwig aluminum snare — in the Acrolite or Supraphonic tradition — delivered both.

Ludwig's aluminum shells produce a sound that splits the difference between wood warmth and steel brightness. The Acrolite's lightweight construction made it supremely responsive at lower tensions — allowing Greiner's ghost notes and subtle dynamics to translate to tape — while still delivering a sharp crack when struck at full force.

On tracks like "Carillion" and "Blamed Identity," Greiner's snare work oscillates between thunderous accents and delicate ghost note sequences within single measures. The Ludwig aluminum's wide dynamic range made this kind of playing possible without changing instruments between sections.

Greiner tuned the snare toward the higher end of medium tension — tight enough for projection and cut, but not so high as to sacrifice the warmth that distinguished his playing from harder-hitting metalcore peers.

### Paiste 2002: The Cutting Edge of the Leveler Sound

Matt Greiner's cymbal setup on *Leveler* was built around Paiste's 2002 series — one of the most storied cymbal lines in rock and metal history, used by Dave Lombardo on *Reign in Blood* (1986) and countless players since. For the *Leveler* sessions, the 2002's combination of cutting attack and sustained warmth proved ideal for metalcore's demanding context.

The Paiste 2002 Sound Edge hi-hats were central to Greiner's rhythmic vocabulary. Their clear, defined stick attack allowed precision articulation during the complex hi-hat patterns that characterize *Leveler*'s tracks — on songs like "Internal Cannon" and "Architects," where hi-hat rhythm shifts every few beats, that definition is not optional.

The crash cymbal configuration gave Greiner the flexibility to match metalcore's dynamic range. The 16" crash responded instantly for quick accents between riff changes, while the larger 18" provided the sustain and volume for section transitions and heavy payoffs. The 18" China added the aggressive, trashy character that metalcore's heaviest moments demand — a cymbal texture that steel or bronze crashes cannot replicate.

Paiste's CuSn8 bronze alloy — used across the 2002 series — delivers warmth and complexity that complements rather than competes with the Ludwig maple shells. The combination gave *Leveler* its distinctive tonal character: powerful but not harsh, aggressive but musical.

## Key Facts

- Released August 30, 2011 on Metal Blade Records — ABR's most acclaimed studio album
- Grammy nomination for Best Metal Performance recognized the album's technical and artistic achievement
- Matt Greiner used Ludwig Classic Maple kit — warmer, more complex tone than his later Pearl setup
- Odd-meter patterns and polyrhythmic fills across the album opened a new technical frontier for metalcore drumming
- Ludwig Classic Maple: heritage shell construction favored for warmth over attack-focused modern alternatives
- Double 22" bass drums: independent kick response essential for Greiner's lever-driven technique
- Compact tom configuration encouraged compositional fills rather than kit-spanning runs
- Greiner later moved to Pearl Reference Pure — the Ludwig era defined his earlier, rawer tonal character
- Estimated kit value: $2,000–3,500 (2011) / $1,500–2,500 (vintage today)
- Estimated snare value: $150–300 (2011) / $200–400 (vintage aluminum today)

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

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*Last updated: 2026-06-25 · Source: [MetalForge.io](https://metalforge.io)*