# Parrhesia Drum Setup: Matt Garstka's Matured Signature Rig

> Matt Garstka's drum gear on Animals as Leaders' Parrhesia (2022) — the fully matured Pearl Masterworks kit, signature snare, and expanded Meinl Byzance cymbal stack behind his most refined recorded performance.

**Type:** Album Drum Setup
**Drummer(s):** [Matt Garstka](/llms/drummers/matt-garstka.md)
**Band / Album:** Animals as Leaders — *Parrhesia* (2022)
**Genre:** Progressive Metal / Djent

## Overview

Released March 25, 2022 on Sumerian Records, "Parrhesia" is Matt Garstka's third and, to date, most recent album with Animals as Leaders — released six years after "The Madness of Many" and following a stretch dominated by touring, clinics, and Garstka's continued growth as one of the most-watched drum educators of his generation. The album's title, Greek for "frank, fearless speech," suits a record that finds the band pushing further into ambient and electronic textures without softening the technical demands on its drummer.

Tracks like "Monomyth" and "Gestaltzerfall" showcase Garstka at his most controlled — a drummer who, by this point, had spent nearly a decade refining the exact same core gear setup: a Pearl Masterworks Maple kit, his Pearl Matt Garstka Signature Snare, an expanded Meinl Byzance cymbal stack, and his Vic Firth signature sticks. Nothing here represents a dramatic gear departure from "The Madness of Many" — instead, "Parrhesia" documents what nearly a decade of touring, teaching, and refinement does to a setup that was already well-established.

This article covers the specific gear and playing approach Garstka brought to "Parrhesia." For the earlier chapters of this gear evolution, see [The Joy of Motion drum setup](/articles/the-joy-of-motion-drum-setup) and [The Madness of Many drum setup](/articles/the-madness-of-many-drum-setup), and for his complete biography, visit [Matt Garstka's drummer profile](/drummer/matt-garstka).

## Gear Breakdown

- **Drums:** Pearl Pearl Masterworks Maple (Natural Maple / Black (per-tour configuration) finish)
- **Snare:** Pearl Pearl Matt Garstka Signature Snare, 14" x 5"
- **Cymbals:** Meinl — Meinl Byzance (Multiple lines)
- **Hardware / Pedals:** Pearl Demon Drive Double Pedal; Pearl Demon Drive Hi-Hat Stand; Pearl Roadster D-3500 Throne; Vic Firth Matt Garstka Signature
- **Heads:** Remo Ambassador Coated or Evans G1 Coated (batter), Remo Ambassador Snare Side (resonant)
- **Snare tuning:** Medium tension for balance of sensitivity and crack

### The Fully Refined Masterworks Setup

By the time Animals as Leaders recorded "Parrhesia," Garstka's Pearl Masterworks Maple configuration had been his standard setup for nearly a decade — the same 20" bass drum, 10" and 12" rack toms, and 14" floor tom he used on "The Joy of Motion" and "The Madness of Many." What changes on this record isn't the equipment but the level of command behind it: years of touring both albums, plus a steady stream of Drumeo lessons and international clinics, meant every dynamic nuance was second nature by the time he tracked "Monomyth" and "Gestaltzerfall."

The compact configuration continued to serve the same purpose it always had: forcing musical decisions rather than relying on additional drums to cover more sonic ground. On an album that leans further into ambient and electronic textures than its predecessors, the kit's clarity and quick decay kept Garstka's parts from ever blurring into the denser production, even during the record's most atmospheric passages.

This is the setup documented as "refined" in Garstka's own general gear timeline for the 2016-2022 "Peak Era" — the same core kit that carried him from the arrival of his signature snare through to his most mature recorded performance.

### The Mature Pearl Matt Garstka Signature Snare

Garstka's Pearl Matt Garstka Signature Snare — introduced during "The Madness of Many" era — is the drum heard throughout "Parrhesia," now road-tested across years of touring both preceding albums. The custom bearing edge that gives the drum its dual character (sensitive enough for barely-audible ghost notes, sharp enough for full backbeats) remains unchanged, but Garstka's command of that dynamic range is audibly more refined here than on either earlier record.

On "Gestaltzerfall," often cited by fans as peak-era Garstka, the snare tracks a dynamic range from whisper-quiet grace notes to explosive accents within single phrases — a demand that would overwhelm a less specialized instrument. The maple shell's warmth keeps that full range musical rather than harsh, even under "Parrhesia"'s more layered, atmospheric production choices.

By this point in his career, the signature snare wasn't a new product Garstka was breaking in — it was the instrument his entire technique had been built around for years, and "Parrhesia" is the clearest recorded document of that relationship.

### The Complete Byzance Stack

The Meinl Byzance stack Garstka used on "Parrhesia" is the full, settled version of the setup he'd been assembling since "The Joy of Motion" — the same Dual Hi-Hats, Extra Dry Thin Crash, Dual Crashes, Sand Ride, effect stack, and Vintage Trash Hat China that had defined his touring rig since "The Madness of Many." No new pieces were added for this record; instead, "Parrhesia" is where the stack gets used with maximum intentionality.

The 22" Sand Ride — Garstka's most consistent cymbal choice across all three studio albums — carries even more of the album's atmospheric weight here, its dry, complex wash suiting "Parrhesia"'s more ambient production sensibility better than a brighter, more aggressive ride would. The effect stack and China see increased use on tracks that lean into the album's electronic-adjacent textures, giving Garstka short, controlled accents that don't fight with the production's synthesized elements.

Across three albums and eight years, this Byzance configuration represents one of the most consistent cymbal setups in modern progressive metal — evidence that Garstka's dark, complex cymbal voice was fully formed well before "Parrhesia," and this record simply lets it operate at its most confident.

## Key Facts

- Released March 25, 2022 on Sumerian Records — Garstka's third Animals as Leaders album
- Recorded after six years of touring and educational work between studio albums
- Same core rig as The Madness of Many: Pearl Masterworks kit, signature snare, expanded Byzance stack
- "Monomyth" and "Gestaltzerfall" showcase Garstka's most controlled, mature dynamic playing
- Represents the fully settled version of the setup documented across his "Peak Era" gear timeline
- Same 20" bass drum / 10", 12" rack tom / 14" floor tom configuration used since 2014
- Nearly a decade of touring refinement behind this specific recording
- Kept the mix clear against Parrhesia's more ambient, electronic-leaning production
- Consistent with the "refined setup" noted in Garstka's Peak Era gear timeline
- Configuration varies slightly (natural maple or black finish) per tour cycle
- Estimated kit value: $4,000-6,000 (Masterworks Maple configuration)
- Estimated snare value: $400-500 (signature model)

## Frequently Asked Questions

**Q: What drum kit did Matt Garstka use on Parrhesia?**

A: Matt Garstka used the same core Pearl Masterworks Maple configuration on Parrhesia (2022) that he'd used since The Joy of Motion (2014) — a 20x16 inch bass drum, 10x7 and 12x8 inch rack toms, and a 14x14 inch floor tom in maple with MasterCast hoops. The gear stayed consistent; what changed over eight years was the level of command behind it.

**Q: What snare did Matt Garstka use on Parrhesia?**

A: Garstka used his Pearl Matt Garstka Signature Snare on Parrhesia — a 14x5 inch maple drum with a custom bearing edge, first developed during The Madness of Many era. By Parrhesia, the drum had been road-tested across years of touring, and the recording captures Garstka's most refined command of its dynamic range.

**Q: How does Parrhesia's gear compare to The Madness of Many?**

A: Parrhesia (2022) uses essentially the same rig as The Madness of Many (2016): the Pearl Masterworks Maple kit, Pearl Matt Garstka Signature Snare, expanded Meinl Byzance cymbal stack, Pearl Demon Drive pedals, and Vic Firth Matt Garstka Signature sticks. No new gear was introduced — Parrhesia instead documents nearly a decade of refinement on an already-settled setup.

**Q: When was Parrhesia released?**

A: Parrhesia was released March 25, 2022 on Sumerian Records, six years after The Madness of Many (2016). It is Matt Garstka's third studio album with Animals as Leaders and, as of this writing, his most recent.

**Q: What cymbals does Matt Garstka use on Parrhesia?**

A: Garstka's Parrhesia cymbal setup is built on Meinl Byzance, including 15 inch Dual Hi-Hats, 18 and 20 inch Dual and Extra Dry crashes, a 22 inch Sand Ride, an 18 inch Dual Crash / 16 inch Trash Crash effect stack, and an 18 inch Vintage Trash Hat China — the same full stack he'd used since The Madness of Many, with the 22 inch Sand Ride remaining his signature ride voice across all three studio albums.

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

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*Last updated: 2026-07-08 · Source: [MetalForge.io](https://metalforge.io)*