# Sound of White Noise Drum Setup: Charlie Benante's Anthrax Gear Breakdown

> Complete breakdown of Charlie Benante's drum setup on Anthrax's Sound of White Noise (1993). The DW Collector's Series kit, Sabian cymbals, and the groove-metal pivot that defined John Bush's debut as Anthrax vocalist.

**Type:** Album Drum Setup
**Drummer(s):** [Charlie Benante](/llms/drummers/charlie-benante.md)
**Band / Album:** Anthrax — *Sound of White Noise* (1993)
**Genre:** Groove Metal / Thrash Metal

## Overview

Released on May 25, 1993, Sound of White Noise was the album that redefined Anthrax. Out went Joey Belladonna's signature high-register thrash vocals; in came John Bush, the gravel-throated former Armored Saint frontman whose mid-range power and bluesy phrasing pulled the band into entirely new sonic territory. Out went the precision-thrash blueprint of Among the Living and Persistence of Time; in came a heavier, slower, groove-metal approach that mirrored the early-90s shift across the entire metal landscape. And out went Tama — Charlie Benante's brand for the entire thrash era — replaced by DW Collector's Series drums.

Produced by Dave Jerden at A&M Studios in Hollywood, the record placed Anthrax in completely different production hands than the band had ever worked with. Jerden — fresh off Alice in Chains' Dirt (1992) and Jane's Addiction's Ritual de lo Habitual (1990) — brought a thick, organic, mid-range-heavy production aesthetic that was the polar opposite of the bright, hyper-articulated thrash production of the late 1980s. Drums on a Jerden record breathe — they sound recorded in a real room, with natural resonance and a wider stereo image than the close-miked, dead-room thrash records Anthrax had made previously.

For Charlie Benante, this was a tectonic shift. The drummer who had pioneered sustained double bass in thrash with Among the Living was suddenly asked to pull back, slow down, and play with weight rather than speed. Tracks like "Only" — the album's most successful single and a song James Hetfield once called the perfect song — center on a mid-tempo groove that prizes feel over technical fireworks. "Black Lodge," co-written with Angelo Badalamenti for Twin Peaks-era atmospherics, is even slower, demanding restraint and dynamic sensitivity. The double bass is still there, but it's used as a structural device rather than a constant presence.

Sound of White Noise was a commercial triumph — debuting at #7 on the Billboard 200 (Anthrax's highest-ever chart position), certified Gold in the US, and proving that Anthrax could survive the lineup change that many fans had considered impossible. This article examines every piece of equipment Charlie Benante used to record Sound of White Noise, plus the techniques that made this album the band's groove-metal turning point.

## Gear Breakdown

- **Drums:** DW Collector's Series Maple (Natural maple lacquer finish)
- **Snare:** DW Edge Series, 14" x 6.5" — solid maple shell with brass edge rings
- **Cymbals:** Sabian — AA / HH series mix
- **Hardware / Pedals:** DW 5000 Series single bass pedals (two — one per kick); DW 5500 Hi-Hat Stand; DW 5100 Throne; Pro-Mark Hickory 2B sticks
- **Heads:** Remo Coated Ambassador (batter), Remo Ambassador Snare Side (resonant)
- **Snare tuning:** Medium tension for body and groove, with cut from the brass edge rings

### Benante's 1993 DW Collector's Series Arsenal

For Sound of White Noise, Charlie Benante played a DW Collector's Series Maple kit — a complete departure from the Tama Artstar II birch shells he had used throughout the State of Euphoria (1988) and Persistence of Time (1990) era. The switch to DW reflected both Charlie's personal preference for the warmer, more open maple sound that Jerden's production style demanded and the broader industry shift toward DW as the premium choice for studio-focused metal drummers in the early 1990s.

The dual 22" x 18" bass drums remained a non-negotiable feature of Charlie's setup — but the deeper 18" shell depth (versus the 16" depth of the Artstar II era) was a deliberate choice. Deeper bass drums produce more low-end resonance and a fuller, more rounded thud, which matched Jerden's mid-range-heavy production aesthetic perfectly. On tracks like "Only" and "Burst," the kick sound is thick and physical rather than the tight, snappy attack of the thrash years.

The tom configuration — three rack toms (10", 12", 13") and a single 16" floor tom — was streamlined compared to the extended Among the Living layout. The smaller setup matched the album's more focused, groove-oriented arrangements. DW's maple shells delivered the warmth and harmonic complexity that Jerden's production process required, producing a balanced, full-spectrum tone with strong fundamental and rich mid-range — exactly the sonic profile needed to sit inside the dense, mid-range-heavy guitar tones of Scott Ian and Dan Spitz.

### The Mid-90s Voice: DW Edge Series

Charlie Benante's snare on Sound of White Noise was a DW Edge Series — the hybrid construction model featuring a solid maple shell with brass edge rings at the top and bottom bearing edges. The Edge Series became Charlie's signature mid-90s snare voice, providing a tonal character that bridged the bright, cutting steel snare attack of the thrash era with the warmer, woodier body that the groove-metal pivot demanded.

The hybrid maple-and-brass construction is the key to the Edge Series sound. The maple shell provides the warm fundamental and rounded body that matched Jerden's production aesthetic — a snare that sits in the mix as a musical voice rather than a piercing attack-only instrument. The brass edge rings add weight and density at the bearing edges, sharpening the initial transient and giving the drum the cut needed to be heard above Sound of White Noise's thick guitar arrangements without resorting to the brightness of a pure steel shell.

Tuned medium tension, the Edge snare on Sound of White Noise has a fatter, more pocket-friendly voice than the high-tuned crack of Among the Living. On tracks like "Only," the snare anchors the mid-tempo groove with weight and authority. On "Black Lodge," it responds dynamically to the song's quieter, more atmospheric passages without losing presence.

### Sabian: The 1993 Switch from Paiste

Sound of White Noise marked another major gear shift for Charlie Benante: the move from the Paiste 2002 cymbals of the Among the Living era to Sabian, beginning what would become a long-running endorsement relationship that continues to this day. Sabian's AA and HH lines offered the tonal palette Charlie needed for the album's broader stylistic range — bright, cutting cymbals for the heavier sections, warmer and more musical voices for the dynamic, atmospheric passages.

The 14" AA Rock Hi-Hats anchored Charlie's groove vocabulary on the record. The AA Rock pair provides a tight, focused chick sound for closed playing and a full, controlled open-hat tone for the half-open patterns that drive tracks like "Potter's Field" and "Hy Pro Glo." Compared to the Paiste 2002 Sound Edge hi-hats of the thrash era, the AA Rock pair has a slightly drier, more articulate character — better suited to the mid-tempo groove playing that defines Sound of White Noise.

The crash configuration spans bright, fast AA Rock crashes (16" and 18") for cutting accents and a darker, warmer 17" HH Medium Crash for musical transitions and dynamic moments. The 21" AA Rock Ride became Charlie's primary ride voice on the record — defined bell for accent work, controlled wash for extended ride patterns. The 18" AA Chinese provides the trashy, explosive accent voice that Anthrax had always relied on, though used more strategically here than on the band's pure-thrash records.

## Key Facts

- Recorded at A&M Studios, Hollywood, California in late 1992 / early 1993
- Produced by Dave Jerden (Alice in Chains' Dirt, Jane's Addiction's Ritual de lo Habitual)
- John Bush's debut as Anthrax vocalist, replacing Joey Belladonna
- Groove-metal pivot — distinct era from Among the Living and Persistence of Time
- Album debuted at #7 on the Billboard 200 — Anthrax's highest-ever chart position
- Certified Gold in the US
- Singles "Only" (#1 Mainstream Rock) and "Black Lodge" expanded the band's sonic range
- Charlie Benante's first Anthrax album recorded on DW Collector's Series drums
- Dual 22" x 18" bass drums — deeper shells than the thrash-era 16" depth
- Began Charlie Benante's long-running Sabian cymbal endorsement
- DW 5000 Series pedals replaced the Tama HP35 Camco of the thrash era
- Estimated kit value: $4,500-6,500 (1993 era DW Collector's Series configuration)
- Estimated snare value: $500-750 (1993 DW Edge Series)

**Source:** https://metalforge.io/articles/sound-of-white-noise-drum-setup

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