# Daniel Erlandsson's Drum Setup on Arch Enemy's Rise of the Tyrant (2007)

> Daniel Erlandsson's drum setup on Arch Enemy's Rise of the Tyrant (2007) — peak commercial Angela Gossow era, Pearl Masters Premium shells, Meinl Byzance Dark and Vintage cymbals, Pearl Eliminator pedals, and the album that landed on Guitar Hero: Smash Hits.

**Type:** Album Drum Setup
**Drummer(s):** Daniel Erlandsson
**Band / Album:** Arch Enemy — *Rise of the Tyrant* (2007)
**Genre:** Melodic Death Metal
**Label:** Century Media Records
**Studio:** Andy Sneap's Backstage Studio, Derbyshire, England
**Producer:** Andy Sneap

## Overview

Released September 21, 2007 on Century Media Records, Arch Enemy's seventh studio album Rise of the Tyrant represents the commercial peak of the Angela Gossow era — the record that brought the band's audience to its largest point and cemented their position as one of extreme metal's most commercially successful acts. Following the Billboard 200–charting Doomsday Machine (2005), Rise of the Tyrant pushed further into the mainstream metal consciousness: the lead single "Revolution Begins" became one of Arch Enemy's most widely heard tracks and landed the band on Guitar Hero: Smash Hits, bringing their music to an audience well beyond the dedicated melodic death metal fanbase.

Behind the kit, Daniel Erlandsson had now spent nearly fifteen years refining his Gothenburg melodic death metal drumming approach, and Rise of the Tyrant is one of the clearest documents of his mature playing at peak professional form. Working again with producer Andy Sneap at Backstage Studio in Derbyshire, England — whose production philosophy had shaped the band's sound since Wages of Sin (2002) — Erlandsson delivered performances combining technical precision with compositional intelligence.

Erlandsson's setup for Rise of the Tyrant had evolved to the Pearl Masters Premium — Pearl's flagship all-maple professional shell series of the mid-2000s, positioned above the MMX configuration and delivering the brighter, more defined maple tonal character that Sneap's modern metal production approach required. His cymbal work deepened within the Meinl Byzance family, now incorporating the Byzance Dark and Vintage series alongside the Traditional line — expanding the tonal palette toward warmer, more complex characters suited to the album's melodic sophistication.

## Gear Breakdown

- **Drums:** Pearl Masters Premium (all-maple flagship professional shells, custom finish)
- **Bass Drums:** 22" x 18" (x2 — true double-kick configuration)
- **Toms:** 10" x 9" rack, 12" x 10" rack, 14" x 14" floor, 16" x 16" floor
- **Snare:** Pearl Daniel Erlandsson Signature 14" x 5.5" (co-designed model)
- **Cymbals:** Meinl Byzance Dark, Vintage, and Traditional Series (14" Dark Hi-Hats, 16" Vintage Medium Crash, 18" Medium Crash, 20" Dark Ride, 18" China, 10" Splash)
- **Bass Drum Pedal:** Pearl Eliminator Double Bass Pedal
- **Sticks:** ProMark 5B hickory
- **Heads:** Remo Powerstroke 3 (kick batter); Remo Emperor Coated (toms); Evans Genera HD (snare)
- **Snare tuning:** Medium-bright tension — clarity and attack through the dense Rise of the Tyrant guitar production

### Pearl Masters Premium: All-Maple Clarity for Commercial Melodic Death Metal

The Pearl Masters Premium's all-maple shells deliver the bright, defined attack and fast transient response that Andy Sneap's modern metal production approach has always prioritised. Close-miked capture at Backstage Studio needs drums that speak with immediate, articulate clarity: the Masters Premium's all-maple construction provides maximum tonal focus before the mixing stage, contributing to the commercial polish of Rise of the Tyrant's production. The double 22"x18" bass drum configuration provides the genuine two-drum independence that Arch Enemy's sustained double-kick passages require, with stereo separation that gives the low end dimensional character in the mix.

### Meinl Byzance Dark and Vintage: Expanded Tonal Palette

The Byzance Dark series — produced with lathing and hammering that creates deeper, more overtone-rich character — gives Erlandsson's groove playing a warmer, more enveloping texture than the Traditional line. The 14" Byzance Dark hi-hats and 20" Byzance Dark Ride provide the complex, deep groove texture that Rise of the Tyrant's more melodically developed sections demand. The Byzance Vintage series, with its aged-alloy manufacturing process, delivers a crash cymbal with musical warmth and overtone complexity — the 16" Byzance Vintage Medium Crash provides a distinctly musical quality to left-side accent work that suits the album's melodic crash moments.

### Andy Sneap at Backstage Studio: Commercial Metal Precision

Produced by Andy Sneap at his Backstage Studio in Derbyshire, England, Rise of the Tyrant received the most commercially polished drum production in Arch Enemy's Gossow-era catalog to that point. Sneap's close-mic approach — individual dynamics on each drum component, sample augmentation of kick and snare for commercial weight, mixing choices giving each kit element clear sonic territory — produced the tight, defined kick-and-snare sound that became one of the album's sonic signatures. The Pearl Masters Premium's tonal clarity and the expanded Byzance palette's variety gave Sneap the most musically diverse source material of any Arch Enemy album to that date.

## Technique on Rise of the Tyrant

Rise of the Tyrant represents Erlandsson's drumming at the commercial peak of the Angela Gossow era — playing that had to serve both the technical demands of melodic death metal and the accessibility requirements of music reaching mainstream audiences via Guitar Hero and major festival platforms. "Revolution Begins" demonstrates Erlandsson's capacity to make technically demanding drumming feel effortlessly driving: relentless double-kick foundation with groove-forward delivery that is accessible to the Guitar Hero audience without compromising extreme metal credentials. Extended double-kick sections on "The Last Enemy" and "Blood on Your Hands" test sustained endurance — the Pearl Masters Premium's fast-responding all-maple shells and the Pearl Eliminator's mechanical consistency ensure that every stroke registers with the same definition across extended passages.

## Track Highlights

- **Revolution Begins** — lead single on Guitar Hero: Smash Hits; relentless double-kick with groove-forward delivery that makes technical demands feel effortless
- **The Last Enemy** — extended double-kick endurance showcase; Pearl Eliminator consistency audible across the longest kick passages
- **Blood on Your Hands** — high-velocity track; all-maple Masters Premium under sustained blast and double-kick conditions
- **In This Shallow Grave** — mid-tempo track demonstrating dynamic range; Byzance Vintage crash warmth in melodic passages

## Key Facts

- Released September 21, 2007 on Century Media Records — commercial peak of the Angela Gossow era
- "Revolution Begins" featured on Guitar Hero: Smash Hits — largest mainstream crossover to that point
- Produced by Andy Sneap at Backstage Studio, Derbyshire, England
- Pearl Masters Premium — all-maple flagship professional shell series of the mid-2000s
- Pearl Daniel Erlandsson Signature snare 14" x 5.5" — co-designed at full maturity in studio context
- Meinl Byzance Dark, Vintage, and Traditional series — most tonally sophisticated cymbal palette to that point
- Pearl Eliminator double bass pedal — continued foot technique foundation from the early 2000s
- Sample augmentation of kick and snare — standard modern metal production enhancement
- Follows Doomsday Machine (2005) and precedes Khaos Legions (2011) in the Gossow-era arc
- Estimated kit value: $3,500–5,500 (Pearl Masters Premium full kit, 2007 era)
- Estimated cymbal value: $1,800–2,800 (Meinl Byzance multi-series full setup, 2007)

**Internal links:**
- [Anthems of Rebellion drum setup (2003)](/articles/anthems-of-rebellion-drum-setup) — Gossow era foundation
- [Doomsday Machine drum setup (2005)](/articles/doomsday-machine-drum-setup) — Billboard 200 breakthrough
- [Khaos Legions drum setup (2011)](/articles/khaos-legions-drum-setup) — Angela Gossow's final album
- [Daniel Erlandsson drum setup](/articles/daniel-erlandsson-drum-setup) — full career gear profile
- [Daniel Erlandsson drummer profile](/drummer/daniel-erlandsson) — full career context
- [How to sound like Daniel Erlandsson](/guides/how-to-sound-like-daniel-erlandsson) — technique guide

**Source:** https://metalforge.io/articles/rise-of-the-tyrant-drum-setup

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