# Magma Drum Setup: Mario Duplantier's Pearl Reference Pure Breakthrough > Discover Mario Duplantier's complete drum kit on Gojira's Grammy-nominated Magma (2016). Full breakdown of his Pearl Reference Pure kit, Paiste Signature cymbals, Pearl Eliminator pedals, and the gear behind 'Silvera' and 'Stranded'. **Type:** Album Drum Setup **Drummer(s):** [Mario Duplantier](/llms/drummers/mario-duplantier.md) **Band / Album:** Gojira — *Magma* (2016) **Genre:** Progressive Death Metal ## Overview Released on June 17, 2016, "Magma" is Gojira's most commercially successful album — debuting at #11 on the US Billboard 200 and reaching #1 in France. It earned the band their first Grammy nomination, for Best Metal Performance ("Silvera") at the 2017 Grammy Awards. For a French progressive death metal band, this level of mainstream recognition was genuinely unprecedented. At the core of this achievement was another significant gear evolution from Mario Duplantier. After the DW Collector's Series maple kit used on "L'Enfant Sauvage," Mario transitioned to Pearl Reference Pure drums and Paiste Signature cymbals for Magma — his most refined setup to date. The Pearl Reference Pure series, built from a three-ply maple/mahogany/maple shell, delivers a warm yet focused character that suited the album's leaner, more direct production approach. Where "L'Enfant Sauvage" was dense and complex, Magma stripped Gojira's sound to its essential elements. The production is cleaner and more concise — songs are shorter, arrangements are more direct, and every drum part carries greater structural weight. Mario's Pearl setup responded perfectly to this philosophy: warm, punchy, defined. The Grammy nomination for "Silvera" confirmed what fans already knew: that Gojira had produced their most universally accessible record without compromising the intensity and originality that made them essential. Mario's drumming on Magma is his most song-focused and rhythmically driven — technique completely in service of the track. This article breaks down every component of Mario Duplantier's setup on Magma and explains why each choice shapes the sound. ## Gear Breakdown - **Drums:** Pearl Pearl Reference Pure (Matte finish finish) - **Snare:** Pearl Pearl Reference Pure Maple, 14" x 6.5" - **Cymbals:** Paiste — Paiste Signature - **Hardware / Pedals:** Pearl Eliminator (x2 single pedals); Pearl H-1050 Hi-Hat Stand; Pearl D-1500S Roadster Drum Throne; Vic Firth American Classic 5B - **Heads:** Remo Emperor Coated (batter), Remo Ambassador Snare Side (resonant) - **Snare tuning:** Medium-low for warm crack and body; tighter for aggressive passages ### The Pearl Reference Pure: Maple/Mahogany Refinement The Pearl Reference Pure is the refinement Mario Duplantier needed for Magma's leaner, more direct production approach. After DW's North American hard rock maple on "L'Enfant Sauvage," the Reference Pure's three-ply maple/mahogany/maple construction delivers a different character: the maple provides brightness and articulation, while the mahogany center adds warmth and body. The result is a shell that is simultaneously punchy and musical — neither as bright as pure maple nor as dark as pure mahogany. For Gojira's 2016 sound, this tonal balance was decisive. Magma is the most streamlined production in the band's catalog — fewer layers, more space, greater dynamic contrast. The Reference Pure's character sits in the mix with presence and warmth without the DW maple's tendency toward brightness. In down-tuned, guitar-dense arrangements, this translates to drums that cut through without competing. Mario retained his signature dual bass drum configuration, using two independent 22" x 18" Pearl Reference Pure kick drums. Pearl's 22" bass drums deliver the focused, punchy low end that defines Gojira's rhythmic identity. The Reference Pure kick punches with clarity — the attack is immediate and the sustain controlled, exactly what Joe Duplantier's Silver Cord Studio production demands. The four-tom configuration — two rack toms and two floor toms — remained Mario's constant across every album. His melodic approach to toms, treating them as pitched extensions of the composition rather than fill vessels, demands consistent shell behavior across the full frequency range. The maple/mahogany hybrid responds evenly at any tuning, from tight high-tension rack toms to deep, resonant floor toms. ### The Strike of Silvera Mario's snare on Magma is a Pearl Reference Pure maple, matched to the rest of the kit. The 14" x 6.5" dimensions reflect his long-standing preference — deep enough for authority, wide enough for sensitivity at lower dynamics. The maple/mahogany shell produces a warmer, more complex tone than a straight-maple or steel snare. This character is audible throughout Magma: the snare sits in the mix with body and purpose, not as a sharp, clinical strike. On "Silvera" and "Stranded," the snare's warmth fills the space without overwhelming Joe's minimal guitar arrangements. Pearl's Reference lug design, combined with the hybrid shell's natural resonance, provides even response across the drum head. For Mario's wide dynamic range — from delicate ghost notes in atmospheric sections to punishing rim shots in the heaviest passages — this consistency is essential. The same drum that whispers in a verse has to thunder in a chorus. On Magma's most intense tracks, the snare carries structural weight that would crush a lighter instrument. The 6.5" depth provides the body for power while the maple responds quickly enough for the intricate patterns Mario employs in mid-tempo grooves. ### Full and Musical: The Paiste Signature Setup Mario Duplantier's switch from Meinl Byzance Brilliant to Paiste Signature cymbals for Magma represents another deliberate tonal repositioning. Where the Byzance Brilliant offered brightness and mirror-polish sheen, the Paiste Signature series delivers fullness, musicality, and a warmth that aligned with the Reference Pure drums' character. Paiste Signature cymbals are made from a proprietary alloy — 2002 Bronze, a composition of copper, tin, and silver — and are hand-hammered and lathed to Paiste's exacting standards. The Signature series is known for its balanced, full-bodied tone: present and projecting without brightness becoming harshness. For Magma's production, which strips away density and favors space, these cymbals provide exactly the right upper-frequency character. The 14" Signature Medium hi-hats produce a controlled, musical sound with enough weight for Mario's driving patterns. They articulate clearly without the sharp edge of a bright hi-hat — each stroke is defined but warm. On tracks like "Stranded," the hi-hats drive the groove with authority that complements the direct, riff-based arrangement. The crash selection — 17", 19", and 20" — gives Mario a full range of response times and sustain profiles. The 17" Fast Crash decays quickly for sharp accents without lingering; the 20" Medium Crash sustains for musical resolution of longer phrases. Paiste Signature crashes are known for their musical character — they sit in a mix rather than dominating it. The 21" Heavy Ride provides the powerful bell accents that Mario uses for rhythmic punctuation throughout the album. Unlike pure ride cymbals, the Heavy Ride can be crashed without losing definition, giving it flexibility in Gojira's dynamic arrangements. ## Key Facts - Recorded at Silver Cord Studio, Joe Duplantier's Brooklyn home studio - Grammy nominated for Best Metal Performance (2017) for "Silvera" - Mario's gear shift: DW/Meinl to Pearl Reference Pure / Paiste Signature - Highest-charting Gojira album: #11 US Billboard 200, #1 France - Pearl Reference Pure maple/mahogany/maple shells — warm yet focused character - Paiste Signature cymbals — full, musical tone replacing Meinl Byzance Brilliant - Switched from DW Collector's Series maple to Pearl Reference Pure maple/mahogany hybrid - Three-ply construction delivers warmer, more musical tone than pure maple - Dual 22" x 18" bass drums retain Gojira's signature visual and sonic identity - Four-tom configuration for melodic tribal patterns unchanged across all albums - Pearl Reference Pure selected for warm punch suited to Magma's leaner production - Estimated kit value: $5,000-7,500 (Pearl Reference Pure, 2016 configuration) - Estimated snare value: $550-850 (Pearl Reference Pure maple snare) **Source:** https://metalforge.io/articles/magma-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: 2026-06-25 · Source: [MetalForge.io](https://metalforge.io)*