# Relentless Reckless Forever Drum Setup: Jaska Raatikainen's Gear on Children of Bodom's 2011 Album

> Discover the exact drum kit, cymbals, and gear Jaska Raatikainen used on Children of Bodom's Relentless Reckless Forever (2011). Complete breakdown of the Pearl Masters MCX kit, Zildjian A Custom and K Custom cymbals, and Pearl Eliminator double pedal behind CoB's seventh studio album.

**Type:** Album Drum Setup
**Drummer(s):** [Jaska Raatikainen](/llms/drummers/jaska-raatikainen.md)
**Band / Album:** Children of Bodom — *Relentless Reckless Forever* (2011)
**Genre:** Melodic Death Metal

## Overview

Released on February 11, 2011, *Relentless Reckless Forever* is Children of Bodom's seventh full-length album and one of the most focused and controlled drum performances of Jaska Raatikainen's studio career. Recorded at Sonic Pump Studios in Helsinki with producer Anssi Kippo — the environment that had shaped *Blooddrunk* (2008) — the album captured the Pearl Masters era at peak refinement: every component understood, every performance deliberate.

The Pearl Masters MCX shells — an evolved construction from the Premium Maple that had debuted on *Are You Dead Yet?* (2005) — brought improved attack clarity and tighter sustain to the settled Zildjian A Custom and K Custom cymbal setup. The Pearl Eliminator double pedal, six years into continuous familiarity after its debut on *Are You Dead Yet?*, delivered the most assured double-kick performance of Raatikainen's Pearl-era studio work.

Tracks like "Shovel Knockout" demonstrate double-kick authority at 175 BPM with the mechanical confidence that only six years of Pearl Eliminator familiarity can produce, while "Was It Worth It?" showcases the dynamic intelligence behind the technical ferocity — melodic fill work tracking Janne Wirman's keyboard countermelodies with the precision that defines CoB's compositional approach at its peak.

## Gear Breakdown

- **Drums:** Pearl Masters MCX (evolved shell construction from Pearl Masters Premium Maple)
- **Snare:** Pearl Masters MCX 14" x 5.5" Maple Snare
- **Cymbals:** Zildjian A Custom / Zildjian K Custom (settled configuration from Pearl era debut)
- **Hardware / Pedals:** Pearl Eliminator Double Pedal (six years of touring and studio confidence); Vic Firth American Classic 5A; Remo Emperor Coated; Remo Powerstroke 3
- **Heads:** Remo Emperor Coated (batter), Remo Ambassador Snare Side (resonant)
- **Snare tuning:** Medium-bright — attack priority maintained for aggressive passages, controlled body for dynamic range

### Pearl Masters MCX: The Pearl Era at Peak Refinement

The Pearl Masters MCX on *Relentless Reckless Forever* represented the evolved Pearl Masters shell construction: improved shell stiffness and more uniform maple ply selection compared to the Premium Maple delivered a more immediate attack transient and a tighter, more controlled sustain. In Sonic Pump Studios' established acoustic environment — fully understood across two previous CoB albums — the MCX shells' attack-forward character translated directly to the mix with minimal post-processing.

The double bass drum configuration — twin 22" x 18" kick drums — remained the cornerstone of Raatikainen's approach, deployed across *Relentless Reckless Forever*'s varied tempo landscape. The compact tom spread (10" and 12" rack toms, 14" and 16" floor toms) maintained the CoB fill vocabulary: Janne Wirman's keyboard lines tracked by melodic tom phrases that serve as compositional countermelody rather than pure rhythmic punctuation.

### Zildjian A Custom and K Custom: Settled Configuration at Peak Familiarity

By *Relentless Reckless Forever*, the A Custom / K Custom combination had been in Raatikainen's hands for six years of touring and recording. The familiarity is audible in placement precision: crashes landing at structurally significant moments with the deliberateness of a drummer who knows exactly what each cymbal sounds like in every dynamic context. The K Custom 20" ride's darker bell character provided textural warmth for melodic passages and keyboard-driven sections; the A Custom crashes' bright cut served intensity peaks and riff transitions with the Paiste-era aggression fully replaced by a more articulate, defined brightness.

### Pearl Eliminator: Six Years of Confidence

The Pearl Eliminator on *Relentless Reckless Forever* was the most settled piece of hardware in Raatikainen's setup. Six years of continuous use — from the *Are You Dead Yet?* (2005) sessions through years of CoB touring — had made the Eliminator's cam geometry and chain-drive response an extension of Raatikainen's physical vocabulary. "Shovel Knockout" demonstrates the result: double-kick patterns deployed with mechanical confidence that reflects accumulated familiarity rather than learned competence.

## Historical Context

*Relentless Reckless Forever* (2011) is CoB's Nuclear Blast debut and the seventh studio album, sitting between *Blooddrunk* (2008) and *Halo of Blood* (2013) in the band's discography. It represents the Pearl Masters era at peak concentration: the Pearl / Zildjian / Eliminator setup that had debuted on *Are You Dead Yet?* refined across six years of live and studio use into the most settled configuration of Raatikainen's career. The album's production — Anssi Kippo's most refined treatment of the Pearl MCX setup at Sonic Pump — captures this refinement cleanly.

The album also preceded the subsequent gear change documented on *I Worship Chaos* (2015), making it the last fully settled Pearl-era CoB studio record before the DW transition.

## Key Facts

- Released February 11, 2011 — Nuclear Blast debut, seventh CoB studio album
- Recorded at Sonic Pump Studios, Helsinki — third CoB album at this location
- Pearl Masters MCX — evolved shell construction, most refined Pearl-era drum sound
- Zildjian A Custom and K Custom — six years of settled familiarity at this point
- Pearl Eliminator double pedal — six years of continuous use, peak confidence
- "Shovel Knockout" primary double-kick showcase — 175 BPM with established Eliminator authority
- Anssi Kippo production — most refined treatment of the Pearl MCX configuration at Sonic Pump
- Estimated kit value: $2,400–4,800 (Pearl Masters MCX shell pack, 2011)
- Part of the arc: Blooddrunk (2008) → **Relentless Reckless Forever (2011)** → I Worship Chaos (2015)

## Related Articles

- [Blooddrunk drum setup (2008)](/articles/blooddrunk-drum-setup) — Pearl era consolidated, previous album in arc
- [Follow the Reaper drum setup (2000)](/articles/follow-the-reaper-drum-setup) — Tama era peak, contrast with Pearl MCX character
- [Hate Crew Deathroll drum setup (2003)](/articles/hate-crew-deathroll-drum-setup) — Tama Starclassic era, Paiste 2002 cymbals
- [I Worship Chaos drum setup (2015)](/articles/i-worship-chaos-drum-setup) — DW transition era, next album in arc
- [Jaska Raatikainen drummer profile](/drummer/jaska-raatikainen) — complete gear history across CoB's career

**Source:** https://metalforge.io/articles/relentless-reckless-forever-drum-setup

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