# Requiem Drum Setup: Ray Luzier's 2022 Korn Gear Breakdown

> Ray Luzier's drum setup on Korn's Requiem (2022) — the band's 14th studio album and most recent release, recorded at Buck Owens Studio in their hometown of Bakersfield. Pearl Reference Maple drums, Sabian AAX cymbals, Pearl Demon Drive pedals. Full gear breakdown including 'Start the Healing' and 'Forgotten.'

**Type:** Album Drum Setup
**Drummer(s):** [Ray Luzier](/llms/drummers/ray-luzier.md)
**Band / Album:** Korn — *Requiem* (2022)
**Genre:** Nu-Metal
**Producer:** Chris Collier
**Label:** Loma Vista Recordings

## Overview

Released on February 4, 2022, through Loma Vista Recordings, *Requiem* is Korn's fourteenth studio album — and, as of this writing, their most recent. The answer to "What is Korn's newest album?" is *Requiem*. Where the band's two prior records had explored accessible crossover territory (*The Paradigm Shift*, 2013) and dark, heavy focus (*The Serenity of Suffering*, 2016), *Requiem* pushed further into atmosphere and restraint — a leaner, more introspective nine-track record built during a period when the COVID-19 pandemic gave the band an unusual gift: time.

Recording took place from April to July 2021 at Buck Owens Studio in Bakersfield, California — Korn's actual hometown, where Jonathan Davis, Fieldy, Munky, and Head grew up together and formed the band in 1993. Returning to Bakersfield to record wasn't incidental; it gave *Requiem* a grounded, full-circle quality that fans and critics both picked up on. Produced by Chris Collier alongside the band itself, the album trades some of the maximalist production of earlier records for a more direct, performance-forward sound.

For Ray Luzier, *Requiem* marks his fourth full studio album with Korn and closes out a drumming arc that began with *Korn III* in 2010. By 2021, Luzier had spent fourteen years locked into Korn's rhythmic identity — through Ross Robinson's raw aggression, Skrillex's dubstep experiments, Don Gilmore's radio-ready polish, and Nick Raskulinecz's natural heaviness. *Requiem* called for something different again: restraint, dynamic control, and the ability to let space do as much work as the groove itself. Lead single "Start the Healing" (released November 11, 2021) reached #1 on the Mediabase Active Rock radio chart in February 2022, and the album debuted at #14 on the US Billboard 200 — Korn's first album since their 1994 debut not to reach the chart's Top 10, though the record was widely praised by critics as one of the band's most cohesive statements in years.

Luzier's rig for the *Requiem* sessions continued the Pearl platform he'd built since *The Paradigm Shift* — Pearl Reference Maple drums, Pearl Reference Brass snare, Sabian AAX cymbals, and the Pearl Demon Drive double pedal.

## Gear Breakdown

- **Drums:** Pearl Reference Maple — double 22" x 18" bass drums, 10"/12"/14" rack toms, 16" and 18" floor toms
- **Snare:** Pearl Reference 14" × 6.5" Brass
- **Cymbals:** Sabian AAX Series (14" Stage Hi-Hats, 18" and 19" X-Plosion Crashes, 21" Stage Ride, 18" AAXtreme China)
- **Hardware / Pedals:** Pearl Demon Drive Double Bass Pedal; Pearl D-2000 Roadster Throne
- **Sticks:** Promark Ray Luzier Signature TX420X
- **Heads:** Remo Coated Emperor (batter)/Remo Hazy Ambassador Snare Side (resonant) — snare; Evans EC2 Coated (toms); Evans EMAD2 (bass drum)
- **Snare tuning:** Medium tension, controlled sustain for exposed backbeats in a spacious mix

### Pearl Reference Maple: Restraint and Atmosphere in Bakersfield

Ray Luzier carried his Pearl Reference Maple kit into the *Requiem* sessions — the same platform he'd used since *The Paradigm Shift* (2013) and *The Serenity of Suffering* (2016). Chris Collier's production leans into space and atmosphere rather than dense, maximal aggression, which meant Luzier's kit needed to sound full and present at lower dynamic intensities, not just at full volume. The double 22" bass drum configuration remained the rhythmic foundation, but *Requiem*'s tracks — "Let the Dark Do the Rest," "Disconnect," "Hopeless and Beaten" — often call for more deliberate, spaced-out kick patterns rather than the sustained double-kick runs of earlier records.

### Pearl Reference Brass: The Crack in the Quiet

Luzier's Pearl Reference brass snare carried into *Requiem*, and in this more spacious production it does even more work than on Korn's denser records. With fewer competing guitar layers and a mix that leaves more room to breathe, the snare's bright, brass-shell crack becomes one of the most exposed elements in the recording — every backbeat on "Start the Healing" and "Forgotten" is a clearly defined event rather than one layer among many.

### Sabian AAX: Controlled Brightness for an Atmospheric Record

Luzier's Sabian AAX setup continued unchanged into *Requiem*, but the way it's deployed reflects the album's more controlled, atmospheric identity. Where *Serenity of Suffering* leaned on the AAXtreme China for constant aggressive punctuation, *Requiem* uses it sparingly — saving the raw trash tone for genuine peak moments rather than routine accents, which makes those moments hit harder.

## Key Facts

- Korn's 14th studio album and most recent release — answers "What is Korn's newest album?"
- Recorded at Buck Owens Studio in Bakersfield, California — Korn's hometown
- Produced by Chris Collier and the band, April–July 2021
- Released February 4, 2022 on Loma Vista Recordings — debuted at #14 US Billboard 200
- Lead single "Start the Healing" hit #1 on the Mediabase Active Rock chart
- Ray Luzier's fourth full studio album with Korn — closes the Luzier-era arc through the present
- Estimated kit value: $4,000–7,000 (Pearl Reference shell pack)
- Estimated snare value: $500–700 (Pearl Reference brass snare)

## FAQ

**Q: What drums did Ray Luzier use on Requiem?**

A: Ray Luzier used his Pearl Reference Maple drum kit on Korn's *Requiem* (2022), continuing the setup he'd used since *The Paradigm Shift* (2013) and *The Serenity of Suffering* (2016). The configuration included double 22" bass drums with a Pearl Demon Drive pedal, a five-tom spread, and a Pearl Reference 14" × 6.5" Brass snare. His cymbals were Sabian AAX.

**Q: When was Korn's Requiem released?**

A: Korn's *Requiem* was released on February 4, 2022, through Loma Vista Recordings — the band's fourteenth studio album. It debuted at #14 on the US Billboard 200.

**Q: Is Requiem Korn's newest album?**

A: Yes — as of this writing, *Requiem* (released February 4, 2022) is Korn's most recent studio album, their fourteenth overall, following *The Nothing* (2019) and closing out Ray Luzier's studio discography with the band through the present day.

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

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*Last updated: 2026-07-01 · Source: [MetalForge.io](https://metalforge.io)*