# Rescue & Restore Drum Setup: Matt Greiner's Gear on August Burns Red's 2014 Album

> Discover the exact drum kit, cymbals, and gear Matt Greiner used to record August Burns Red's Rescue & Restore (2014). Complete breakdown of the Pearl Reference Pure kit, Meinl Byzance cymbals, Pearl Demon Drive pedals, and the modern, hometown-recorded sound of metalcore's most musical drummer.

**Type:** Album Drum Setup
**Drummer(s):** [Matt Greiner](/llms/drummers/matt-greiner.md)
**Band / Album:** August Burns Red — *Rescue & Restore* (2014)
**Genre:** Metalcore

## Overview

Released on June 24, 2014, August Burns Red's *Rescue & Restore* marked a significant transitional moment for the band — their first studio album recorded entirely at Atrium Audio in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, just minutes from the band's hometown. After three records with Jason Suecof at Audiohammer in Florida, ABR partnered with longtime collaborators Carson Slovak and Grant McFarland for a hometown production that fundamentally reshaped the album's sonic identity. At the rhythmic foundation of every track was Matt Greiner, now playing with the polish and ambition of a fully matured artist.

*Rescue & Restore* was the band's most experimental statement to date. Tracks like the saxophone-infused "Beauty in Tragedy," the cinematic instrumental "Spirit Breaker," and the Eastern-tinged "Sincerity" pushed metalcore into territory that genre purists had not anticipated. Through every detour and dynamic shift, Greiner's drumming remained the unwavering anchor — equal parts precision and musicality.

The gear context for *Rescue & Restore* matters enormously to understanding its sound. By 2014, Greiner had completed his transition from the Ludwig Classic Maple kit of *Leveler* (2011) to the Pearl Reference Pure setup that would define the next chapter of his career. The shift from Paiste 2002 to Meinl Byzance cymbals was equally consequential — bringing darker, more controlled cymbal character that suited the album's more nuanced production. Pearl Demon Drive double pedals replaced the DW 9000s, offering a different mechanical feel that matched Greiner's evolving technique.

For drummers and gear historians, *Rescue & Restore* documents Matt Greiner's first fully realized Pearl/Meinl setup in studio — the moment his modern signature sound crystallized.

## Gear Breakdown

- **Drums:** Pearl Reference Pure (Black Mist / Custom finish)
- **Snare:** Pearl Matt Greiner Signature Steel Snare, 14" x 6"
- **Cymbals:** Meinl — Meinl Byzance
- **Hardware / Pedals:** Pearl Demon Drive Double Pedal; Pearl Eliminator Hi-Hat Stand; Roc-N-Soc Nitro Throne; Vic Firth Matt Greiner Signature
- **Heads:** Remo Ambassador Coated (batter), Remo Ambassador Snare Side (resonant)
- **Snare tuning:** Medium-high tension — cutting attack with controlled body for dense mix translation

### Matt's Rescue & Restore Kit: Pearl Reference Pure

Matt Greiner's Pearl Reference Pure kit on *Rescue & Restore* represented the fully realized successor to his earlier Ludwig Classic Maple setup. Where the Ludwig had emphasized warmth and vintage-style resonance, the Reference Pure's pure-maple, six-ply construction delivered a tighter, more articulate sound with more focused attack — a perfect match for the more precise production approach of the Atrium Audio sessions.

Pearl's Reference Pure series uses 100% maple shells across all sizes, deliberately departing from the Reference series' hybrid maple/birch/mahogany construction. The decision to choose Reference Pure over the standard Reference reflects Greiner's preference for shell consistency: every drum in the kit shares the same tonal character, allowing fills and rolls to translate across the kit without the timbral shifts that hybrid shells produce.

The double 22" bass drum configuration remained the non-negotiable foundation of Greiner's setup. His lever-driven double bass technique requires two fully independent kicks delivering equivalent attack, and the 22" size provides the fundamental low-end that ABR's heavy passages demand. The compact tom configuration — two rack toms, one floor tom — remained Greiner's signature setup choice. Rather than expanding the kit as his career progressed, he doubled down on the philosophy that creative fill choices come from constraint, not abundance.

### The Rescue & Restore Snare: Pearl Steel Power

Matt Greiner's snare on *Rescue & Restore* was the early studio iteration of what would become his Pearl Matt Greiner Signature snare — a 14" x 6" steel-shell drum tuned to deliver both the cutting attack metalcore demands and the dynamic sensitivity his jazz-informed playing requires. The shift from the Ludwig aluminum of *Leveler* to the Pearl steel represented a deliberate tonal evolution toward brighter attack and more controlled decay.

Steel snare shells produce a sharper, more focused attack than wood or aluminum alternatives — qualities essential in the dense Atrium Audio production context. The 6" depth (deeper than the 5" Ludwig of the *Leveler* era) adds body and sustain that complement the brighter attack. This combination — sharp top-end with controlled lower midrange — became a defining characteristic of Greiner's modern sound.

Greiner tuned the snare toward medium-high tension for the *Rescue & Restore* sessions — tight enough for projection through the mix, but not so high as to eliminate the warm midrange that distinguishes his snare from harder, more clinical metalcore tones.

### Meinl Byzance: The Dark, Controlled Cymbal Character of Rescue & Restore

The transition from Paiste 2002 to Meinl Byzance cymbals between *Leveler* (2011) and *Rescue & Restore* (2014) was one of the most consequential gear shifts in Matt Greiner's career. Where the Paiste 2002 had delivered a cutting, brighter attack with classic rock and metal heritage, the Meinl Byzance series brought a darker, more controlled character — a more refined musical palette that suited *Rescue & Restore*'s experimental ambitions.

Meinl's Byzance line is hand-hammered Turkish bronze (B20 alloy), produced in Turkey using traditional methods. The Byzance Medium and Medium Thin variants Greiner adopted balance attack and complexity — bright enough to articulate through ABR's dense mixes, dark enough to provide musical complexity that the more aggressive 2002 series simply doesn't offer. On a track like "Beauty in Tragedy," where saxophone shares the arrangement, the Byzance hi-hats sit in the mix musically rather than fighting for sonic space.

The 22" Medium Ride is the cornerstone of the modern Greiner sound. The 18" China cymbal added the dark, controlled trash accent that *Rescue & Restore*'s compositional ambitions required — Greiner deployed it sparingly, treating each hit as a musical statement rather than a textural constant. The Byzance series would remain central to his sound across every subsequent ABR album.

## Key Facts

- Released June 24, 2014 on Solid State Records — ABR's first hometown-recorded studio album
- First album produced by Carson Slovak & Grant McFarland at Atrium Audio in Lancaster, Pennsylvania
- Matt Greiner's first studio documentation of his Pearl Reference Pure kit and Meinl Byzance cymbals
- Experimental arrangements — saxophone, instrumentals, Eastern-tinged passages — supported by jazz-informed drumming
- Pearl Reference Pure: 100% maple six-ply shells — tighter and more articulate than the Ludwig Classic Maple era
- Double 22" bass drums: independent kick response essential for Greiner's lever-driven technique
- Pearl Demon Drive direct-drive double pedals replaced DW 9000 cam-drive pedals from the Leveler era
- Meinl Byzance hand-hammered Turkish B20 bronze: darker, more controlled character than Paiste 2002
- Estimated kit value: $3,500–5,500 (2014) / $2,500–4,500 (used today)
- Estimated snare value: $350–550 (2014)

**Source:** https://metalforge.io/articles/rescue-and-restore-drum-setup

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