# Once Was Not Drum Setup: Flo Mounier's Fastest Recorded Performance

> Discover the exact drum kit, cymbals, and gear Flo Mounier used to record Cryptopsy's Once Was Not (2005). Complete breakdown of the Yamaha Recording Custom, Zildjian ZXT cymbals, and DW hardware behind the most technically demanding album in Cryptopsy's catalog.

**Type:** Album Drum Setup
**Drummer(s):** [Flo Mounier](/llms/drummers/flo-mounier.md)
**Band / Album:** Cryptopsy — *Once Was Not* (2005)
**Genre:** Technical Death Metal

## Overview

Released on November 1, 2005 on Century Media Records, "Once Was Not" marked both a return and an escalation. Five years after the compositional extremity of [And Then You'll Beg drum setup](/articles/and-then-youll-beg-drum-setup) (2000), Cryptopsy reconvened with Lord Worm back on vocals — his first appearance since [None So Vile](/articles/none-so-vile-drum-setup) in 1996 — and delivered what many in the technical death metal community consider Flo Mounier's fastest and most physically punishing recorded performance.

The five-year gap between albums had not softened Flo's approach. Where "And Then You'll Beg" pursued odd-time complexity, "Once Was Not" pursued sheer velocity and technical density simultaneously. Tracks like "Praise the Lord (Opium of the Masses)" and "The Pestilence That Walketh in Darkness" set new benchmarks for sustained blast beat tempos within compositionally sophisticated song structures.

Flo moved from the Pearl Masters BRX of the 2000 era to a Yamaha Recording Custom kit, paired with Zildjian ZXT cymbals — a combination that produced a crisper, more articulate sonic character suited to the album's extreme tempo demands. Producer Chris Donaldson captured the sessions at Piccolo Studio in St-Hubert, Quebec.

"Once Was Not" is the technical death metal community's primary argument for Flo Mounier as the genre's most complete drummer: not merely fast, but precise at speeds where precision should be physically impossible.

## Gear Breakdown

- **Drums:** Yamaha Recording Custom Series (Natural Wood / Solid Black finish)
- **Bass Drum:** 22" x 18" — return to smaller, faster-responding shell after the 26" of And Then You'll Beg
- **Snare:** Yamaha Recording Custom Steel Snare, 14" x 5.5"
- **Cymbals:** Zildjian ZXT Series
- **Hardware / Pedals:** DW 9002 Double Pedal; DW 9000 Hi-Hat Stand; Roc-n-Soc Nitro Throne; Vic Firth 5A American Classic
- **Heads:** Remo Ambassador Coated (batter), Remo Diplomat Snare Side (resonant); Remo Powerstroke 3 Clear with moderate felt muffling (bass drum); Remo Emperor Coated (toms)
- **Snare tuning:** Very high tension — maximum attack, minimum sustain for blast beat clarity at extreme tempos

### Flo's 2005 Arsenal: Yamaha Recording Custom

The Yamaha Recording Custom represented a fundamental sonic departure from the Pearl Masters BRX of the "And Then You'll Beg" era. The Yamaha Recording Custom's 7-ply birch shells produced a tighter, more controlled resonance with a faster attack transient — exactly what the extreme velocity demands of "Once Was Not" required.

Birch's natural acoustic properties produce a brighter, more focused tone than maple-dominant shells. At the tempos Flo executed — pushing past 270 BPM on the album's most intense passages — each stroke's attack must resolve before the next arrives. The Yamaha Recording Custom's shorter decay and tighter shell construction delivered this separation where warmer shells would have blurred.

The 22-inch bass drum configuration reflected a return to a more responsive smaller shell after the 26-inch experiment of "And Then You'll Beg." The smaller diameter generates a faster initial transient — an advantage at extreme double bass tempos where the longer settling time of a large shell becomes a liability.

### The Zildjian ZXT Foundation

The shift from Paiste Alpha cymbals to Zildjian ZXT for "Once Was Not" brought a distinct sonic character. The ZXT series delivers a bright, cutting attack profile that complements the Yamaha Recording Custom's birch shell clarity — both the kit and cymbals prioritize attack transient over sustained resonance.

**ZXT cymbal configuration:**
- 14" ZXT Medium Hi-Hats — blast beat foundation, focused tight response at high velocity
- 16" ZXT Crash — fast attack and decay for blast beat punctuation
- 18" ZXT Crash — primary accent crash for dynamic section transitions
- 20" ZXT Ride — clear stick definition for ride pattern work
- 18" ZXT China — aggressive, cutting character for section boundaries

The 14" ZXT Hi-Hats formed the foundation of every blast beat on the album. The ZXT's focused, tight response at high velocities allowed Flo's hand speed to translate directly into precise articulation even in the sustained 270+ BPM passages.

### DW 9002 Double Pedal

The DW 9002 double pedal provided the mechanical performance needed for the album's extreme double bass work. The dual-chain drive mechanism provided consistent mechanical feedback for controlled double bass work at extreme tempos. On the 22-inch Yamaha bass drum, the pedal's adjustable beater angle allowed precise tuning of the impact point — critical for maintaining attack transient consistency across extended blast sequences.

## Key Facts

- Recorded at Piccolo Studio, St-Hubert, Quebec in 2005
- Producer Chris Donaldson — first Cryptopsy album produced in-house by a band member
- Lord Worm returned on vocals after the Mike DiSalvo era (1998-2000)
- Gear shift: Yamaha Recording Custom replaces Pearl Masters BRX
- Zildjian ZXT cymbals replace the Paiste Alpha series
- 22" bass drum — return to smaller shell after the 26" configuration of And Then You'll Beg
- Considered Flo Mounier's fastest and most technically dense recorded performance
- Sustained blast beat tempos reaching 270-290 BPM in extreme passages
- Estimated kit value: $3,000-4,500 (2005 prices)

## Why Once Was Not Is the Velocity Peak

What separates "Once Was Not" from the technical death metal field of 2005 is not compositional complexity — "And Then You'll Beg" holds that crown — but sheer velocity combined with precision. By 2005, numerous drummers could approach Flo's BPM numbers. None maintained stroke-level precision at those velocities across full-length album performances.

**The velocity increase over And Then You'll Beg:** "Once Was Not" consistently operates at 10-20 BPM faster in comparable passage types. At the 260-290 BPM range the album inhabits, a 15 BPM increase represents a fundamental physical demand increase.

**Birch as a technical advantage:** The Yamaha Recording Custom's faster attack transient supported higher velocities by reducing the time between stroke and audible response. Less decay meant each stroke could be evaluated and the next placed with higher accuracy.

**Jazz foundation under extreme metal:** The precise timing that makes 285 BPM blast beats rhythmically meaningful rather than merely fast derives from Flo's jazz training. Technical death metal at this level is jazz played with extreme force.

## Album Arc Context

"Once Was Not" continues the Cryptopsy studio evolution:

- **[None So Vile (1996)](/articles/none-so-vile-drum-setup)** — Pearl MX, Sabian AA. Speed and precision in 4/4. The landmark.
- **[And Then You'll Beg (2000)](/articles/and-then-youll-beg-drum-setup)** — Pearl Masters BRX, 26" kick, Paiste Alpha. Odd-time blast beats. Compositional peak.
- **Once Was Not (2005)** — Yamaha Recording Custom, 22" kick, Zildjian ZXT. Maximum velocity. Physical peak.
- **[The Unspoken King (2008)](/articles/unspoken-king-drum-setup)** — Same Yamaha kit, revised tuning. Dynamic pivot.

## Related Resources

- [Flo Mounier complete gear breakdown](/articles/whats-in-flo-mouniers-kit) — modern kit vs. 2005 configuration
- [None So Vile drum setup](/articles/none-so-vile-drum-setup) — the 1996 Pearl MX foundation
- [And Then You'll Beg drum setup](/articles/and-then-youll-beg-drum-setup) — the 2000 odd-time peak
- [The Unspoken King drum setup](/articles/unspoken-king-drum-setup) — the 2008 follow-up

**Source:** https://metalforge.io/articles/once-was-not-drum-setup

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*Last updated: 2026-06-26 · Source: [MetalForge.io](https://metalforge.io)*