# St. Anger Drum Setup: Lars Ulrich's 2003 Custom DW Collector's Series Maple Kit

> Complete gear breakdown for Metallica's St. Anger (2003) — including the most controversial snare sound in metal history. Discover how Lars Ulrich and Bob Rock made the deliberate, defended choice to disengage the snare wires for the entire record, the custom DW Collector's Series Maple kit assembled at HQ inside the Presidio, and the production decisions that defined one of metal's most polarising drum sounds.

**Type:** Album Drum Setup
**Drummer(s):** [Lars Ulrich](/llms/drummers/lars-ulrich.md)
**Band / Album:** Metallica — *St. Anger* (2003)
**Genre:** Thrash Metal / Nu Metal

## Overview

Released on June 5, 2003 (Elektra in the US, Vertigo internationally), Metallica's eighth studio album St. Anger debuted at #1 in 30 countries and arrived as one of the most context-dependent records in heavy metal history. Founding bassist Jason Newsted had departed in January 2001. James Hetfield entered a rehabilitation program partway through the writing period and the sessions paused for an extended period. Producer Bob Rock — co-producing his final Metallica record — played all the bass parts. Robert Trujillo did not join the band until after recording was complete. The entire process was documented in the feature film "Some Kind of Monster," and that documentary, more than any prior Metallica release, framed how listeners heard the album.

At the centre of it sits the most argued-about percussion choice in modern metal: Lars Ulrich's snare, tuned ultra-tight on a DW Collector's Series 14" maple drum, with the snare wires intentionally disengaged for the entire record. The result is a dry, metallic "clang" — frequently and not unfairly compared to a trashcan lid or a steel pipe being struck — that runs through every track on the album. It is not a recording mistake. It is not the product of broken hardware. It is a deliberate aesthetic decision, made by Lars and Bob Rock, defended in interviews ever since, and committed to with no "corrected" version mixed for radio singles.

## Why does St. Anger snare sound this way?

Because Lars and Bob Rock turned the wires off and tuned the batter head extremely tight, on purpose, for every track. The snare-ness of a snare drum comes from the wires stretched across the underside of the bottom head vibrating sympathetically when the batter head is struck. Disengage the wires and the drum becomes a small, tight, high-tuned tom — and that is exactly the metallic "clang" heard across St. Anger. The production brief was raw, industrial, garage-band — a hard rejection of the Black Album's polished, room-mic-driven groove tone — and disengaging the snare wires was the most direct way to deliver it. Listener reception has been deeply polarised since release. The band has never described the sound as a mistake; it was the sound they meant to make.

## Gear Breakdown

- **Drums:** Custom DW Collector's Series Maple (Black with chrome hardware) — assembled at HQ / The Presidio
- **Snare:** DW Collector's Series 14" Maple snare, ultra-tight tuning, **SNARE WIRES DISENGAGED**
- **Cymbals:** Zildjian Z Custom + A Custom hybrid (14" A Custom hi-hats; 16"/19" Z Custom and 18" A Custom crashes; 20" Z Custom ride; 18" A Custom China)
- **Pedals:** Tama Speed Cobra HP910 (Lars's signature pedal era)
- **Sticks:** Ahead Lars Ulrich Signature (aluminium-core)
- **Heads:** Evans EMAD (kick), Evans EC2 (toms), Evans Heavyweight (snare batter)

### The Custom DW Kit at HQ

For the St. Anger sessions, Lars moved away from the Tama Artist Maple and Starclassic kits he had used through the Black Album, Load, and ReLoad eras and worked with DW to assemble a custom Collector's Series Maple kit at HQ, Metallica's San Francisco facility inside the Presidio. It was the first Metallica album recorded primarily at the band's own studio.

The configuration was a true double bass setup — two 22" x 18" kick drums rather than a single kick with double pedal. This was deliberate: two independent drums project two independent attacks, with the physical mass of dual shells producing a heavier low-end footprint in the room than a single kick with double pedal can match. The tom configuration was deliberately spartan: one 12" rack tom and two floor toms (14" and 16"), reducing the kit to its functional core for a record whose drum sound philosophy was raw impact over melodic tom orchestration. The black finish with chrome hardware matched the album's visual aesthetic.

### The Snare: Wires Off, on Purpose, for the Entire Record

The instrument itself is a DW Collector's Series 14" maple snare — quality gear by any standard, the kind of drum that produces a textbook fat, articulate crack in normal use. On St. Anger it does not sound like that, and the reason is straightforward: Lars and Bob Rock tuned the batter head extremely tight and deliberately disengaged the snare wires for the recording.

Combine ultra-high batter tension with snare wires off and the result is exactly what is heard on St. Anger: a metallic, ringing "clang" with a sharp, almost percussive-industrial character. Some fans hear it as a bold, brave commitment to a raw sonic identity. Others consider it the band's worst single creative decision. Both reactions are valid responses to a sound that was, by design, supposed to provoke. The snare appears in this configuration on every track. There was no corrected version mixed for radio singles. What was committed to tape was what shipped.

### Zildjian Z Custom + A Custom Hybrid

Lars's St. Anger cymbal setup blended the heavier, brighter Zildjian Z Custom line with the more musical A Custom series. The 14" A Custom hi-hats were a continuation of the hi-hat size he had used for years. The crash array mixed Z Custom 16" and 19" — sharp, aggressive Z Custom voices for the album's raw aesthetic — with an A Custom 18" providing a slightly more musical crash for transitions. The Z Custom 20" ride delivered bright, cutting bell definition for St. Anger's aggressive ride passages, and an A Custom 18" China handled the trashy accents punctuating frequent riff transitions and breakdown moments.

### Pedals, Sticks, Heads

Lars retained Tama hardware for pedals despite moving to DW for shells on this album — the Tama Speed Cobra HP910 series, the pedal line identified with his signature touch through this era. The Speed Cobra's long footboard and Cobra Coil spring assist give the smooth feel that suits his playing style. Sticks were the Ahead Lars Ulrich signature aluminium-core — a fundamentally different construction from the hickory and maple sticks most metal drummers use. Heads were a full Evans pack: EMAD on the kicks for controlled attack with built-in muffling, EC2 on the toms for controlled sustain and warm attack, and Evans Heavyweight on the snare batter — a two-ply, high-tension-tolerant head suited to the ultra-tight tuning the record required.

### Production at HQ / The Presidio

The St. Anger production brief — articulated by Lars and Bob Rock in interviews and visible throughout the Some Kind of Monster film — was a deliberate rejection of the polished, room-mic-heavy Black Album sound. The aesthetic target was raw, dry, garage-band, and industrial. Close-miked drums with minimal ambience. Snare wires off. No gated reverb, no cavernous room blooms. Tight, controlled, and intentionally rough around the edges. Where most 2003 metal records emphasised triggered samples and quantised perfection, St. Anger committed to a raw, take-as-it-happened character that prioritised live-band energy over engineered precision.

## Key Facts

- Debuted at #1 in 30 countries on release June 5, 2003 (Elektra US / Vertigo international)
- Producer: Bob Rock + Metallica — Bob Rock's final Metallica production credit
- Bob Rock played bass on the record; Robert Trujillo joined the band only after tracking was complete
- Recorded at HQ inside the Presidio — Metallica's San Francisco facility
- Custom DW Collector's Series Maple kit — Lars's departure from Tama for this album cycle
- True double bass: two 22"x18" kick drums, not a single kick with double pedal
- Snare wires DISENGAGED for the entire record — the defining production choice
- DW Collector's Series 14" maple snare tuned ultra-tight with batter head at extreme tension
- Zildjian Z Custom + A Custom hybrid setup; Tama Speed Cobra HP910 pedals
- Ahead Lars Ulrich aluminium-core signature sticks; full Evans head pack (EMAD / EC2 / Heavyweight)
- Production rejected gated reverb and room ambience — close-miked, dry capture throughout
- Documented extensively in the Some Kind of Monster feature film
- Estimated kit value: $5,500-8,500 (DW Collector's Series shell pack, 2003)

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

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