# State of Euphoria Drum Setup: Charlie Benante's 1988 Anthrax Gear Breakdown

> Complete breakdown of Charlie Benante's drum setup on Anthrax's State of Euphoria (1988). Tama Granstar kit, Tama Bell Brass snare, Sabian cymbals, and the first Anthrax record with Charlie's Remo drumhead endorsement.

**Type:** Album Drum Setup
**Drummer(s):** [Charlie Benante](/llms/drummers/charlie-benante.md)
**Band / Album:** Anthrax — *State of Euphoria* (1988)
**Genre:** Thrash Metal

## Overview

Released on September 19, 1988, Anthrax's State of Euphoria followed the watershed Among the Living by a little over a year and arrived as the band's fourth studio album. Where Among the Living had been recorded at Kajem/Victory Studios in Pennsylvania with Eddie Kramer, State of Euphoria sent Anthrax to Compass Point Studios in Nassau, Bahamas, with producer Mark Dodson sharing the production credit alongside the band themselves. The change of location and personnel produced a drum recording that is distinctively brighter, drier, and more forward than its predecessor — and it captured Charlie Benante at the moment his identity as a working endorser was crystallising.

State of Euphoria debuted at #30 on the Billboard 200, Anthrax's highest chart position to date, and was certified Gold by the RIAA. It also marked the first Anthrax album recorded after Charlie Benante's Remo drumhead endorsement was finalised — the structural anchor for understanding the album's tom and bass drum tone. Songs like "Be All, End All," "Make Me Laugh," and the band's celebrated cover of Trust's "Antisocial" gave Benante platforms for the same vocabulary that powered [Among the Living drum setup](/articles/charlie-benante-among-the-living-drum-setup) — sustained right-foot triplets on a single bass drum, judicious double-bass passages, hi-hat patterns that hold groove at thrash tempo, and the disciplined fills that have always defined his playing.

For drummers tracing the arc between Among the Living (1987) and the more ambitious productions that followed, State of Euphoria is the missing middle chapter — the album where Charlie Benante's gear stabilises into the late-80s Tama configuration that would carry him through the rest of the decade.

## Gear Breakdown

- **Drums:** Tama Granstar (Black finish)
- **Bass Drums:** 22" x 16" Bass Drum (x2)
- **Toms:** 10", 12", 13" rack toms; 16" floor tom — birch shells
- **Snare:** Tama Bell Brass, 14" x 6.5"
- **Cymbals:** Sabian AA / HH series
- **Hardware / Pedals:** Tama HP35 Camco (pre-Iron Cobra era); Tama Titan Hi-Hat Stand; Tama Titan / Stage Master stands; Tama 1st Chair throne; Pro-Mark Hickory 2B sticks
- **Heads:** Remo Powerstroke 3 Clear (bass batter); Remo Emperor Clear (tom batter), Remo Ambassador Clear (tom resonant); Remo Emperor Coated (snare batter), Remo Ambassador Snare Side (resonant)
- **Snare tuning:** High tension with snare wires tensioned tight for cut and articulation

### Benante's 1988 Tama Granstar Configuration

The Tama Granstar bridged the Artstar II era of Among the Living and the configurations Charlie would adopt heading into the 1990s. The Granstar shared the Artstar's birch shell philosophy but used slightly different bearing edges and hardware, producing a tone that was a touch brighter and more aggressive in the upper midrange — well-suited to the dry, forward Compass Point drum sound Mark Dodson was after.

Two 22" bass drums remained the foundation. Charlie was an early adopter of dual kick drums in thrash, and although his right-foot single-bass technique was so developed that many of his most famous patterns were executed on a single drum, the second kick gave him symmetric tonal weight and let him voice longer sustained passages without compromising stroke consistency.

The tom array — three rack toms plus a single 16" floor tom — was tighter than the Among the Living configuration. The 10/12/13 progression gave Charlie melodic options for fills without slowing transitions, and the single floor tom produced the focused low-end thump that anchors the album's biggest accent points.

### The Tama Bell Brass — A Defining Late-80s Anthrax Voice

The Tama Bell Brass is one of the most prized snare drums in metal history. Cast from a single piece of bell-brass alloy — the same material used in church bells — it produced a tone that combined the cutting attack of a metal snare with a warm, bell-like sustain and exceptional projection.

For thrash drumming, the Bell Brass had a critical advantage: it sustained intelligibly even at high tunings. Many steel and aluminium snares either choke at high tension or produce too much unwanted ring; the Bell Brass kept its full-bodied tone while delivering the crack required for fast backbeats and ghost-note articulation. Charlie tuned it tight, the way every thrash player tuned snares in 1988, and the result is the sharp, present, full-throated snare voice that anchors every track on the album.

### Sabian AA / HH at Compass Point

Charlie Benante's Sabian endorsement is one of the longest-running relationships in metal drumming, and State of Euphoria captures him in the late-80s Sabian AA / HH era. The setup featured 14" Rock Hats, 16"/17"/18" AA Medium Crashes, a 21" AA Rock Ride, and an 18" AA Chinese. The AA series gave him bright, cutting projection that survived Mark Dodson's aggressive mix.

### The Tama HP35 Camco — Pre-Iron Cobra Pedal Era

The Tama Iron Cobra would not arrive until 1993, so for State of Euphoria Charlie was firmly in the Tama HP35 Camco era. The Camco chain-drive design provided a direct, responsive feel with consistent spring action — the foundation of the sustained right-foot triplets and double-bass passages on the album. Charlie used these pedals from 1984 to 2010, more than 25 years of continuous deployment.

## Key Facts

- Recorded at Compass Point Studios, Nassau, Bahamas in 1988
- Produced by Mark Dodson with Anthrax — first Anthrax album not produced by Eddie Kramer
- First Anthrax album recorded with Charlie Benante's Remo drumhead endorsement
- Debuted at #30 on the Billboard 200 — Anthrax's highest chart position at the time
- Certified Gold by the RIAA
- Includes the band's cover of Trust's "Antisocial," a fan-favourite live staple
- Tama Granstar kit with two 22" bass drums and birch shells
- Tama Bell Brass 14" x 6.5" snare — one of the most prized snare drums in metal
- Sabian AA / HH cymbal setup
- Tama HP35 Camco pedals (pre-Iron Cobra era)
- Pro-Mark Hickory 2B sticks
- Estimated kit value: $2,000-3,000 (1988 era)
- Estimated snare value: $400-600 (1988 era) / $1,500-3,500 (modern vintage market)

## FAQ

**Q: What drum kit did Charlie Benante use on State of Euphoria?**
A: Charlie Benante used a Tama Granstar kit on State of Euphoria (1988). The setup included two 22" bass drums, three rack toms (10", 12", 13"), and a 16" floor tom, all with birch shells in a black finish. This was the late-80s Tama configuration that bridged the Artstar II era of Among the Living and the kits Charlie used heading into the 1990s.

**Q: What snare did Charlie Benante use on State of Euphoria?**
A: Charlie Benante used a Tama Bell Brass 14" x 6.5" snare on State of Euphoria. The Bell Brass — a seamless cast bell-brass shell — is one of the most prized snare drums in metal history, known for combining cutting attack with warm sustain and exceptional projection. Charlie tuned it tight, and producer Mark Dodson placed it forward in the mix, giving the album its defining snare voice.

**Q: Where was State of Euphoria recorded and who produced it?**
A: State of Euphoria was recorded at Compass Point Studios in Nassau, Bahamas, in 1988. It was produced by Mark Dodson together with Anthrax — the first Anthrax album not produced by Eddie Kramer. Dodson chose a tighter, drier, more forward drum mix than Kramer's Among the Living approach.

**Q: What cymbals did Charlie Benante play on State of Euphoria?**
A: Charlie Benante played Sabian AA / HH cymbals on State of Euphoria — 14" Rock Hats, 16"/17"/18" AA Medium Crashes, a 21" AA Rock Ride, and an 18" AA Chinese. His Sabian endorsement was already well established by 1988.

**Q: Why is State of Euphoria important in Charlie Benante's gear story?**
A: State of Euphoria is the first Anthrax album recorded after Charlie Benante's Remo drumhead endorsement was finalised, making it the structural anchor for understanding his late-80s tom and bass drum tone. It also bridges the Among the Living (1987) configuration and the late-80s Tama setup Charlie carried into the 1990s, filling the middle chapter of his Anthrax studio arc.

## Related Content

- [Charlie Benante — Among the Living Drum Setup (1987)](/articles/charlie-benante-among-the-living-drum-setup) — the album immediately preceding this one
- [What's in Charlie Benante's Kit](/articles/whats-in-charlie-benantes-kit) — complete modern gear breakdown
- [Thrash Metal Drummers](/articles/thrash-metal-drummers) — broader genre context

**Source:** https://metalforge.io/articles/state-of-euphoria-drum-setup

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