# Matt Halpern's Drum Setup on Periphery II: This Time It's Personal (2012)

> Complete breakdown of Matt Halpern's drum setup on Periphery II: This Time It's Personal (2012) — the album that made djent a global movement. DW Collector's Series kit, transitional Meinl Byzance cymbals, and the performances on "Scarlet" and "Make Total Destroy" that defined an era of progressive metal drumming.

**Type:** Album Drum Setup
**Drummer(s):** [Matt Halpern](/llms/drummers/matt-halpern.md)
**Band / Album:** Periphery — *Periphery II: This Time It's Personal* (2012)
**Genre:** Djent / Progressive Metal
**Label:** Sumerian Records
**Producer:** Misha Mansoor
**Studio:** Misha Mansoor's personal studio

## Overview

Released on September 14, 2012 via Sumerian Records, Periphery II: This Time It's Personal is the album that transformed djent from an internet-cultivated curiosity into a genuine global metal phenomenon. Where Periphery's 2010 self-titled debut codified the genre's vocabulary, the sequel demonstrated that the polyrhythmic displacement and groove-anchored drumming were not one-album novelties but a coherent musical identity capable of evolving into a full career.

For Matt Halpern, Periphery II was a critical gear transition moment. The album was recorded in the early years of his shift from the DW Collector's Series that had anchored the self-titled debut, with his cymbal relationship beginning to evolve from the Sabian HHX palette toward the Meinl Byzance setup that would fully define the later Periphery era. This transitional character gives Periphery II a hybrid sonic quality — the warmth and directness of the DW-era drum sound fused with the more complex, darker cymbal character that Meinl would eventually provide.

Tracks like "Make Total Destroy," "Scarlet," "Mile Zero," and "Ragnarok" became defining moments in progressive metal drumming — each one studied, transcribed, and debated by drummers who recognized that Halpern was doing something rare: making genuinely complex music feel like groove. The album is widely studied by djent drummers for the way Halpern navigates polyrhythmic displacement while maintaining the pocket that makes even Periphery's most intricate passages feel musical.

Producer and guitarist Misha Mansoor again handled production duties at his personal studio setup, maintaining the home-studio directness of the self-titled while refining the drum sound toward greater clarity and punch. The result is one of the most important drum performances in modern progressive metal, captured on gear that was itself mid-evolution — a snapshot of Halpern's playing at the exact moment his sound was transitioning from its DW/Sabian origins to its defining Mapex/Meinl character.

## Gear Breakdown

- **Drums:** DW Collector's Series (maple shells, HVX bearing edges — continuing from the self-titled era)
- **Bass Drum:** 22" x 18" single bass drum
- **Toms:** 10" x 8", 12" x 9" rack toms; 14" x 14", 16" x 16" floor toms
- **Snare:** DW Collector's Series 14" x 6.5" maple snare
- **Cymbals:** Meinl Byzance series (early adoption — transitioning from Sabian HHX of the debut era)
- **Pedals:** Pearl Demon Drive / DW 9000 series (transitional hardware era)
- **Hi-Hat Stand:** DW 9500 Series
- **Throne:** DW 9000 Series
- **Sticks:** Vic Firth Matt Halpern Signature
- **Heads:** Evans EMAD2 (kick batter), Evans G2 Coated (tom batter), Evans UV1 (snare batter), Evans Hazy 300 (snare resonant)

### The DW Era Continuing

Matt Halpern recorded Periphery II on the DW Collector's Series kit that had anchored the self-titled debut — the same maple shell, HVX bearing edge configuration that had proven itself on the tracks that launched djent. The single 22"x18" bass drum approach continued, though Halpern's kick vocabulary expanded meaningfully on tracks like "Make Total Destroy" and "Ragnarok," pushing single-pedal technique into more aggressive territory than the self-titled had explored.

### The Cymbal Transition: From Sabian to Meinl

Periphery II documents Halpern beginning his transition from the Sabian HHX setup of the debut toward the Meinl Byzance configuration that would define Periphery III and Hail Stan. The Byzance series' handcrafted B20 bronze offered a darker, more complex character than the HHX Evolution cymbals — better suited to Periphery II's extended arrangements and the dynamic range of tracks like "Scarlet" and "Mile Zero." This transitional cymbal configuration laid the foundation for the comprehensive Meinl Byzance arsenal Halpern would establish as his signature sound.

### Ghost Notes and Groove

The snare work on Periphery II is worth careful study. Halpern uses ghost notes as rhythmic connective tissue — not decoration, but structural elements that give patterns their momentum. The DW Collector's Series 14"x6.5" maple snare, tuned medium-high with Evans UV1 batter, delivered both the explosive backbeat authority that cuts through Mansoor's dense guitar arrangements and the sensitivity needed for the ghost note vocabulary across tracks like "Scarlet" and "Mile Zero."

## Key Facts

- Released September 14, 2012 on Sumerian Records — the album that made djent a global phenomenon
- Recorded at Misha Mansoor's personal studio — home-studio approach refined from the self-titled debut
- DW Collector's Series kit continuing from the 2010 debut — final major DW-era Periphery recording
- Transitional cymbal era: shifting from Sabian HHX toward Meinl Byzance
- "Make Total Destroy," "Scarlet," "Mile Zero," "Ragnarok" — among the most-studied djent drum performances
- Single 22" x 18" bass drum — single-kick discipline pushed further with more aggressive patterns than the debut
- Vic Firth Matt Halpern signature sticks anchored the rig
- Pre-Mapex era: DW Collector's Series maple shells with HVX bearing edges
- Estimated kit value: $5,500-7,500 (DW Collector's Series shell pack, 2012 era)
- Estimated cymbal value: $2,000-2,800 (transitional Meinl Byzance setup)

**Related articles:** [Periphery Self-Titled Drum Setup](/articles/periphery-self-titled-drum-setup) · [Periphery III: Select Difficulty Drum Setup](/articles/periphery-iii-drum-setup) · [Matt Halpern Drummer Profile](/drummer/matt-halpern)

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

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*Last updated: 2026-06-27 · Source: [MetalForge.io](https://metalforge.io)*