# Jason Bittner's Drum Setup on Shadows Fall's The War Within (2004)

> Complete breakdown of the drum kit, snare, cymbals, and hardware Jason Bittner used to record Shadows Fall's Grammy-nominated, RIAA Gold-certified album The War Within (2004). Tama Starclassic Performer B/B, Sabian HHX cymbals, DW 9002 double bass pedal, and the NWOAHM drumming that charted at #43 on the Billboard 200.

**Type:** Album Drum Setup
**Drummer(s):** [Jason Bittner](/llms/drummers/jason-bittner.md)
**Band / Album:** Shadows Fall — *The War Within* (2004)
**Genre:** NWOAHM / Metalcore

## Overview

Released on September 14, 2004 through Century Media Records, Shadows Fall's *The War Within* is the New Wave of American Heavy Metal's most commercially and critically successful document — a Grammy-nominated, RIAA Gold-certified album that charted at #43 on the Billboard 200, the highest position achieved by any American metalcore band at the time. Jason Bittner's drumming is the album's rhythmic and technical foundation: a demonstration of what precision double-bass, dynamic NWOAHM arrangement, and technical metalcore drumming sounded like at the peak of the genre's commercial moment.

*The War Within* was produced by Peter Wichers — the Soilwork guitarist and producer — at Zing Studios in Methuen, Massachusetts. Wichers brought a Scandinavian melodic death metal production philosophy to American metalcore: articulate guitar layering, melodic clarity above heavy rhythm, and modern drum sounds built for attack definition and rhythmic clarity. Tracks like "What Drives the Weak" — the Grammy-nominated single for Best Metal Performance — "Lead Me Home," and "The Power of I and I" became signature NWOAHM moments, with Bittner's double-bass work and dynamic snare placement defining the genre's technical language for the albums that followed.

The gear that powered those performances — a Tama Starclassic Performer B/B kit, Sabian HHX cymbals, DW 9002 double bass pedal — reflected an artist who had refined his setup to a point of complete command. Every component was chosen for a specific functional reason in the NWOAHM context. This article documents each element and examines how Bittner's choices supported the Grammy-nominated performances on Shadows Fall's most important album.

## Gear Breakdown

- **Drums:** Tama Starclassic Performer B/B (birch/bubinga hybrid shells)
- **Snare:** Tama Starphonic Steel 14" x 6.5"
- **Cymbals:** Sabian — HHX and HH Series
- **Hardware / Pedals:** DW 9002 Double Bass Pedal; Vic Firth 5B sticks
- **Heads:** Remo Powerstroke 3 (kick batter), Remo Ambassador Coated (toms batter), Remo Ambassador Coated (snare batter)
- **Snare tuning:** Medium-high for articulate attack and projection through The War Within's dense NWOAHM arrangement

### The War Within Kit: Tama Starclassic Performer B/B

Jason Bittner's drum kit on *The War Within* was his Tama Starclassic Performer B/B — the birch/bubinga hybrid shell kit that defined his playing with Shadows Fall throughout the band's peak NWOAHM period. The "B/B" designation specifies Tama's hybrid construction: outer birch plies for focused attack and controlled sustain, inner bubinga ply for warmth and additional fundamental resonance that prevents the kit from sounding brittle against Shadows Fall's wall of down-tuned guitar.

For the *War Within* sessions, the Starclassic Performer's shell character was ideally matched to Peter Wichers's production approach. The birch/bubinga combination delivers both attack definition for rhythmic clarity in the album's densest passages and tonal warmth for the more dynamic sections where melody is the primary voice.

The double 22" x 18" bass drum configuration drives the sustained double-kick work across the album. The four-tom configuration — 10", 12", 14", and 16" — provides the complete tonal range for NWOAHM arrangement fills that function as compositional elements marking section changes.

### Snare: Steel Attack for the NWOAHM Mix

Bittner's 14" x 6.5" steel snare on *The War Within* prioritized attack definition and mix projection. Peter Wichers's production stacks rhythm guitar, melodic lead, and down-tuned bass across the mid range — a dense layering where the snare needed to sit above that frequency density to register clearly. Steel shell construction focuses resonance at higher frequencies, producing a crack with immediate upper-frequency projection that naturally sits above the guitar density. The 6.5" depth provides authority on the backbeat without excessive sustain that would blur snare placement in the album's fast-moving arrangements.

Listen to "What Drives the Weak": Bittner's snare sits definitively above the guitars across the entire arrangement, providing the rhythmic grid that the Grammy-nominated track's momentum depends on.

### Sabian HHX: Brightness and Definition Above the NWOAHM Wall

Bittner's Sabian HHX cymbal setup on *The War Within* addressed the core challenge of NWOAHM production: maintaining cymbal clarity in a guitar environment with very high mid-frequency density. Sabian's HHX series — hand-hammered B20 bronze with brilliant finish — emphasizes upper harmonics that project above the guitar density rather than competing within it.

The hi-hat patterns that drive "Lead Me Home" and "What Drives the Weak" cut cleanly through the guitar arrangements because the HHX hi-hats' upper-frequency character sits above the mid-frequency guitar mass. The 16" HHX crash responds fast with short sustain for quick accents between riff changes; the 18" provides the fuller response for major structural moments. The HH 20" ride's defined bell marks rhythmic divisions with a pitched, percussive attack distinct from the hi-hat pulse. The china cymbal appears at the most aggressive breakdown moments.

### DW 9002: The Double-Bass Engine

The DW 9002 double bass pedal was the mechanical engine behind *The War Within*'s double-kick work. The 9002's dual-chain drive system provides matched action across both the primary and slave pedal sides — essential for the sustained double-bass patterns on "What Drives the Weak," "Lead Me Home," and "The Power of I and I" at the tempos the album demands. Any mechanical variation between pedal sides would appear as rhythmic unevenness; Peter Wichers's clean, articulate production approach would have made it immediately audible. The 9002's engineering prevented it.

## Key Facts

- Released September 14, 2004 on Century Media Records — Shadows Fall's Grammy-nominated breakthrough
- Grammy nomination for Best Metal Performance ("What Drives the Weak") at the 47th Grammy Awards (2005)
- RIAA Gold certified — 500,000+ US copies sold; charted at #43 on the Billboard 200
- Highest Billboard 200 position for any American metalcore band at the time of release
- Produced by Peter Wichers (Soilwork) at Zing Studios, Methuen, Massachusetts
- Jason Bittner played a Tama Starclassic Performer B/B with birch/bubinga hybrid shells
- Double 22" x 18" bass drums with DW 9002 dual-chain double bass pedal
- Four-tom configuration (10", 12", 14", 16") for NWOAHM compositional fill range
- Tama Starphonic Steel snare 14" x 6.5" — upper-frequency attack projection through the dense mix
- Sabian HHX and HH cymbals throughout — hand-hammered B20 bronze for upper-frequency clarity
- Vic Firth 5B sticks — weight and durability for high-velocity NWOAHM performance
- Remo Powerstroke 3 kick heads, Ambassador Coated toms and snare batter heads

## FAQ

**Q: What drums did Jason Bittner use on The War Within?**
A: Jason Bittner played a Tama Starclassic Performer B/B kit on *The War Within* — birch/bubinga hybrid shells in a double bass drum configuration (two 22" x 18" kicks), with 10" and 12" rack toms and 14" and 16" floor toms. The birch/bubinga construction provided attack definition for rhythmic clarity through the dense guitar mix combined with warmth for the album's more dynamic passages. See [Jason Bittner at MetalForge](/drummer/jason-bittner) for full career gear context.

**Q: Was The War Within Grammy nominated?**
A: Yes — "What Drives the Weak" from *The War Within* received a Grammy nomination for Best Metal Performance at the 47th Grammy Awards (2005), the highest mainstream recognition for any American metalcore or NWOAHM band at the time. The album also achieved RIAA Gold certification (500,000+ US copies sold) and charted at #43 on the Billboard 200.

**Q: Who produced The War Within?**
A: *The War Within* was produced by Peter Wichers — the Soilwork guitarist and producer — at Zing Studios in Methuen, Massachusetts. Wichers applied a Scandinavian melodic death metal production philosophy: articulate guitar layering, melodic clarity above heavy rhythm, and modern drum sounds built for attack definition.

**Q: What double bass pedal did Jason Bittner use on The War Within?**
A: Jason Bittner used the DW 9002 double bass pedal. Its dual-chain drive provides matched action across both pedal sides — essential for the precise, sustained double-bass patterns on the Grammy-nominated "What Drives the Weak" and the album's other demanding tracks. See [double-bass technique at MetalForge](/technique/double-bass/drummers).

**Q: What cymbals did Jason Bittner use on The War Within?**
A: Jason Bittner played Sabian HHX and HH series cymbals — HHX 14" hi-hats, HHX 16" and 18" crash cymbals, an HH 20" ride, and an HHX china. The HHX series's upper-frequency character projects above Shadows Fall's dense guitar arrangements, keeping the cymbal work clearly audible in the mix throughout the album.

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

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*Last updated: 2026-06-29 · Source: [MetalForge.io](https://metalforge.io)*