# Ben Koller's Drum Setup on Converge's No Heroes (2006)

> Inside Ben Koller's drum setup for Converge's No Heroes (2006) — the first Converge album Kurt Ballou both recorded and mixed entirely at GodCity Studio. Tama Starclassic drums, Sabian HHX/AAX cymbals, Tama Iron Cobra pedal, and the gear behind the nine-minute epic "Grim Heart/Black Rose."

**Type:** Album Drum Setup
**Drummer(s):** [Ben Koller](/llms/drummers/ben-koller.md)
**Band / Album:** Converge — *No Heroes* (2006)
**Genre:** Mathcore / Metalcore

## Overview

Released October 24, 2006 on Epitaph Records, Converge's No Heroes marks a genuine turning point in the band's recording history: it was the first Converge full-length that Kurt Ballou both recorded and mixed entirely at his own GodCity Studio in Salem, Massachusetts, with no outside producers or split sessions. After Jane Doe's mathcore breakthrough and You Fail Me's rawer, multi-studio follow-up, No Heroes is the sound of Converge consolidating — locking the band's sonic identity into the GodCity-only workflow that would define every subsequent record.

Ben Koller's drum setup on No Heroes carries the same Tama Starclassic, brass snare, and Sabian HHX/AAX foundation he used on Jane Doe and You Fail Me, but the playing itself shows a drummer operating with total command of the vocabulary he spent five years developing. Tracks like "Heartache," "No Heroes," "Plagues," and the sprawling 9:34 epic "Grim Heart/Black Rose" — which features guest vocalist Jonah Jenkins (Only Living Witness) — give Koller room to move between hardcore's fastest tempos and the record's most patient, dynamically developed passages.

"Grim Heart/Black Rose" is the album's defining moment and a major outlier in the Converge catalog: at over nine minutes, it's one of the longest songs the band has ever released, and its slow-building structure forces Koller into a more patient, texturally driven role than the blast-and-breakdown vocabulary of Jane Doe.

## Gear Breakdown

- **Drums:** Tama Starclassic Bubinga (Piano Black finish) — single 22" bass drum, 10" and 12" rack toms, 14" and 16" floor toms
- **Snare:** Tama brass-shell snare, 14" x 6.5"
- **Cymbals:** Sabian HHX / AAX — 14" HHX Groove Hats, 18" and 19" AAX Stage Crashes, 21" HHX Raw Bell Dry Ride, 18" AAX Chinese
- **Hardware / Pedals:** Tama Iron Cobra single pedal, Tama Iron Cobra Lever Glide hi-hat stand, Vater Ben Koller signature sticks
- **Heads:** Evans G2 Coated tom batters; Evans G1 Coated snare batter; Evans EMAD bass batter
- **Snare tuning:** Medium-high tension for cut across both the album's fastest and slowest material

### A Kit Fully Locked In

Ben Koller's No Heroes kit kept the Tama Starclassic bubinga formula that had anchored every Converge record since Jane Doe. The single 22" bass drum remained non-negotiable: No Heroes contains some of Koller's fastest sustained kick work to date on tracks like "Hellbound" and "Sacrifice" — both under two minutes — alongside the patient, almost meditative kick placement that "Grim Heart/Black Rose" demands across its nine-and-a-half-minute runtime. That range, executed entirely with one foot, is a hallmark of his technique.

### The Snare: Brass Authority, Fully Settled

Koller's snare continued the brass-shell 14" x 6.5" Tama formula he'd used since Jane Doe. With Kurt Ballou alone behind the board for tracking and mixing for the first time, the No Heroes snare sound is the most controlled and confident of the three records in this stretch of his discography.

### The Sabian Arsenal, at Full Maturity

The HHX Raw Bell Dry Ride gets its most extended workout yet in Koller's catalog on "Grim Heart/Black Rose" — its dry wash and defined bell give the song's long, patient sections a textural anchor that a brighter ride couldn't provide. The AAX crashes and Chinese cymbal handle their familiar duties on the album's faster, more violent tracks.

## Key Facts

- Released October 24, 2006 on Epitaph Records — Converge's sixth studio album
- First Converge album fully recorded and mixed by Kurt Ballou alone at GodCity Studio
- "Grim Heart/Black Rose" (9:34) features guest vocalist Jonah Jenkins (Only Living Witness)
- Among the longest and most patiently structured songs in Converge's catalog
- Same Tama Starclassic bubinga kit and Sabian HHX/AAX cymbals as Jane Doe and You Fail Me
- Single 22" bass drum — no double pedal
- Tama Iron Cobra single pedal
- Estimated kit value: $2,500-3,500 (2006)
- Bridges You Fail Me (2004) and Axe to Fall (2009) in Koller's Converge arc

**Source:** https://metalforge.io/articles/no-heroes-drum-setup

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*Last updated: 2026-06-30 · Source: [MetalForge.io](https://metalforge.io)*