# Mike Mangini's Kit on 'The Astonishing' (Dream Theater, 2016)

> Dream Theater's sprawling two-act, 34-track rock opera demanded a different kind of drumming from Mike Mangini. Full breakdown of the Pearl Masterworks kit, Meinl Byzance cymbals, and DW double pedals used across The Astonishing's dystopian sci-fi concept album.

**Type:** Album Drum Setup
**Drummer(s):** [Mike Mangini](/llms/drummers/mike-mangini.md)
**Band / Album:** Dream Theater — *The Astonishing* (2016)
**Genre:** Progressive Metal

## Overview

By 2016, Mike Mangini had spent five years proving he could execute Dream Theater's catalog with mechanical precision and two albums showing he could help write it. The Astonishing asked for something different entirely: a drummer willing to subordinate his own technical voice to a 34-track, two-act science-fiction rock opera spanning roughly two hours of music.

Conceived primarily by John Petrucci as a dystopian narrative set in a future where music has been outlawed, The Astonishing is Dream Theater's most structurally ambitious release — a true concept album told across Act One and Act Two with recurring musical themes, named characters, and orchestral scoring throughout. Released January 29, 2016 on Roadrunner Records and recorded primarily at Cove City Sound Studios in Glen Cove, New York (with additional orchestral sessions in Astoria, Toronto, and Prague), the album divided the Dream Theater fanbase: some hailed it as the band's most audacious artistic statement, others missed the metal.

For Mangini, the assignment was unlike anything in his Dream Theater tenure. The narrative-first structure — instrumental overtures, character themes, dialogue-driven songs — required restraint rather than technical showcase. That doesn't mean the album is simple: tracks like "Moment of Betrayal" and "Machine Chatter" still deliver full-throttle metal, but the prevailing approach is theatrical rather than athletic.

The Astonishing sits between [Dream Theater's self-titled album (2013)](/articles/dream-theater-self-titled-drum-setup) and [Distance Over Time (2019)](/articles/distance-over-time-drum-setup) in the Mangini-era discography, and remains the only Mangini-era album built as a continuous narrative work with a full orchestral component layered around the core band.

## Gear Breakdown

- **Drums:** Pearl Masterworks Maple (custom lacquer finish)
- **Configuration:** 22" x 18" bass drum; rack toms 8", 10", 12", 13"; floor toms 14", 16"
- **Snare:** Pearl Free-Floating Brass, 14" x 6.5"
- **Cymbals:** Meinl Byzance Traditional series
- **Pedals:** DW 9000 Double Pedal
- **Sticks:** Vic Firth Mike Mangini (MM) Signature
- **Heads:** Remo Emperor Clear (tom batter), Remo Powerstroke 3 Clear (bass drum), Remo Coated Ambassador (snare batter)

### Pearl Masterworks: Built for an Orchestral-Scale Production

For The Astonishing, Mangini returned to the Pearl Masterworks maple kit that anchored his Dream Theater debut on A Dramatic Turn of Events, after the one-album detour into Ludwig Keystone X territory on the 2013 self-titled record. Masterworks shells deliver a controlled, focused tone that sits well underneath an orchestra without fighting for low-frequency space — a key consideration on a record layered with string and brass arrangements recorded separately in Prague.

The six-tom configuration gave Mangini the melodic range needed for the album's recurring musical themes. On instrumental passages like "Dystopian Overture," the toms function almost as a second melodic voice, tracing the contours of the orchestral score. Because so much of the album is built around vocal storytelling rather than continuous groove, Mangini's drum part frequently functions as punctuation — accenting narrative beats and stepping back into near-silence for the album's most intimate passages.

### Meinl Byzance: Orchestral Warmth for a Theatrical Record

Mangini kept his Meinl Byzance Traditional cymbal setup consistent with both A Dramatic Turn of Events and the 2013 self-titled record — a deliberate continuity choice on an album where the orchestration, narrative structure, and two-act scale were all new territory. The hand-hammered, harmonically complex Byzance tone blends into the orchestral texture on tracks like "Dystopian Overture" rather than cutting against it, while shifting into a more aggressive role on harder-edged tracks like "Moment of Betrayal" and "Machine Chatter."

### Recording a Rock Opera: Cove City, Astoria, Toronto, and Prague

Core band tracking took place at Cove City Sound Studios in Glen Cove, New York — the same room that hosted A Dramatic Turn of Events and the 2013 self-titled sessions — but the album's orchestral component required additional recording at the Samurai Hotel Recording Studio in Astoria, New York, Street of Dreams in Toronto, and a session with the City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra. John Petrucci produced throughout. Mangini often tracked drum parts months ahead of the orchestral overdubs, anchoring arrangements not yet fully realized — a discipline suited to his mathematical, analytical approach to tempo and structure.

## Key Facts

- Two-act, 34-track concept album — Dream Theater's most structurally ambitious release
- Released January 29, 2016 on Roadrunner Records
- Recorded primarily at Cove City Sound Studios, Glen Cove, New York, with orchestral sessions in Astoria, Toronto, and Prague
- Produced by John Petrucci
- Pearl Masterworks Maple kit — a return to the A Dramatic Turn of Events configuration
- Meinl Byzance Traditional cymbals — consistent across 2011, 2013, and 2016
- DW 9000 double pedal and Vic Firth Mike Mangini Signature sticks
- Estimated drum kit value: $7,000-12,000 (Pearl Masterworks configuration)
- Estimated cymbal rig value: $2,200-3,000

## FAQ

**Q: What drums did Mike Mangini use on The Astonishing?**
On The Astonishing (2016), Mike Mangini played a Pearl Masterworks Maple kit, returning to the configuration he used on A Dramatic Turn of Events (2011) after a one-album detour to Ludwig Keystone X on the 2013 self-titled record. The setup included a 22" x 18" bass drum, four rack toms (8", 10", 12", 13"), and two floor toms (14" and 16"), paired with a Pearl Free-Floating brass snare and DW 9000 double pedals. See the [Mike Mangini drummer profile](/drummer/mike-mangini) for his complete career gear breakdown.

**Q: What cymbals did Mike Mangini use on The Astonishing?**
Mike Mangini used Meinl Byzance Traditional series cymbals throughout The Astonishing, continuing the setup from A Dramatic Turn of Events and the 2013 self-titled album: 14" hi-hats, crashes at 16", 18", and 20", a 22" ride, an 18" China, and a 10" splash. He switched to Sabian cymbals starting with [Distance Over Time (2019)](/articles/distance-over-time-drum-setup).

**Q: What is Dream Theater's most ambitious concept album?**
The Astonishing (2016) is widely regarded as Dream Theater's most ambitious concept album — a two-act, 34-track dystopian sci-fi rock opera conceived primarily by John Petrucci, with named characters, recurring musical themes, and a full orchestral component recorded in Astoria, Toronto, and Prague. It sits in the Mangini-era discography between [Dream Theater's self-titled album (2013)](/articles/dream-theater-self-titled-drum-setup) and [Distance Over Time (2019)](/articles/distance-over-time-drum-setup).

**Q: What Dream Theater albums did Mike Mangini record?**
Mike Mangini recorded five studio albums as Dream Theater's drummer: A Dramatic Turn of Events (2011), the self-titled Dream Theater (2013), The Astonishing (2016), Distance Over Time (2019), and A View from the Top of the World (2021). See full breakdowns: [A Dramatic Turn of Events](/articles/a-dramatic-turn-of-events-drum-setup), [Dream Theater self-titled](/articles/dream-theater-self-titled-drum-setup), [Distance Over Time](/articles/distance-over-time-drum-setup), and [A View from the Top of the World](/articles/a-view-from-the-top-of-the-world-drum-setup).

**Source:** https://metalforge.io/articles/the-astonishing-drum-setup

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*Last updated: 2026-06-30 · Source: [MetalForge.io](https://metalforge.io)*