# The Unspoken King Drum Setup: Flo Mounier's 2008 Cryptopsy Gear

> Discover the exact drum kit, cymbals, and gear Flo Mounier used on Cryptopsy's controversial The Unspoken King (2008). Complete breakdown of how he adapted the Yamaha Recording Custom setup, changed tuning and head selection, and delivered Cryptopsy's most dynamically diverse drum performance.

**Type:** Album Drum Setup
**Drummer(s):** [Flo Mounier](/llms/drummers/flo-mounier.md)
**Band / Album:** Cryptopsy — *The Unspoken King* (2008)
**Genre:** Technical Death Metal / Death Metal

## Overview

Released on May 13, 2008 on Century Media Records, "The Unspoken King" remains the most debated entry in Cryptopsy's catalog. The album introduced Matt McGachy as vocalist — replacing Lord Worm, who had anchored [Once Was Not](/articles/once-was-not-drum-setup) (2005) — and brought clean vocals into Cryptopsy's sound for the first time. The fan reaction was immediate and largely hostile.

What receives less discussion is Flo Mounier's specific contribution to the album. The Yamaha Recording Custom kit that had powered the velocity peak of "Once Was Not" was retained, but the tuning approach and head selection were revised to serve a fundamentally different musical context. Where "Once Was Not" demanded maximum attack sharpness at extreme velocities, "The Unspoken King" required a drum sound that could sit beneath melodic vocal lines — a significantly different engineering challenge.

The result is Flo's most dynamically versatile studio performance. Tracks like "Silence the Tyrants" demonstrate that he could deploy blast beat intensity within a framework that also accommodated groove-based passages. "The Plagued" shows the clean vocal/extreme drumming juxtaposition at its most direct.

For drummers asking 'what happened to Cryptopsy in 2008,' the drum performance offers the clearest answer: the band attempted a pivot, Flo executed it with complete technical command, and the controversy was about the direction, not the execution.

## Gear Breakdown

- **Drums:** Yamaha Recording Custom Series — same shells as Once Was Not, revised tuning
- **Bass Drum:** 22" x 18" — adjusted muffling for additional resonance in dynamic passages
- **Snare:** Yamaha Recording Custom Steel Snare, 14" x 5.5" (moderate-high tension — reduced from Once Was Not)
- **Cymbals:** Zildjian ZXT Series — same setup as Once Was Not, ride more prominently featured
- **Hardware / Pedals:** DW 9002 Double Pedal; DW 9000 Hi-Hat Stand; Roc-n-Soc Nitro Throne; Vic Firth 5A American Classic
- **Heads:** Remo Ambassador Coated (batter), Remo Diplomat Snare Side (resonant); Remo Powerstroke 3 Clear with adjusted muffling (bass drum); Remo Emperor Coated, slightly looser tuning (toms)
- **Snare tuning:** Moderate-high tension — reduced from Once Was Not for dynamic versatility while maintaining blast beat clarity

### The Same Kit, A Different Configuration

The Yamaha Recording Custom kit on "The Unspoken King" is physically the same instrument Flo played on "Once Was Not" — same shells, same configuration, same fundamental hardware. The difference is in the tuning approach and head selection.

Where "Once Was Not" required maximum attack and minimum sustain for extreme velocity blast passages, "The Unspoken King" introduced passages where the kit needed to provide rhythmic support under melodic vocal lines. The revision involved loosening the overall tuning approach on the toms and adjusting the bass drum muffling to allow slightly more resonance.

This did not compromise the kit's extreme metal capability — the blast beat passages on the album are executed with the same articulation precision as "Once Was Not" — but gave the drum sound more body for the album's more dynamic sections.

**Key differences from Once Was Not configuration:**
- Tom tuning: slightly lower tension for more body in melodic passages
- Bass drum muffling: adjusted for additional resonance (less felt muffling than Once Was Not)
- Snare: moderate-high tension rather than extreme tension — calibrated for dynamic context
- Ride cymbal: significantly more prominent role in groove and melodic passages

### Zildjian ZXT: The Expanded Role

The Zildjian ZXT cymbal setup carried over from "Once Was Not" with minimal changes, but the proportional deployment shifted. On "The Unspoken King," the 20" ZXT Ride saw significantly more use in groove-oriented passages, functioning as a primary rhythmic voice in contexts where "Once Was Not" would have defaulted to hi-hat-driven blast patterns.

**ZXT cymbal configuration:**
- 14" ZXT Medium Hi-Hats — blast beat foundation; also used in open groove mode in melodic sections
- 16" ZXT Crash — fast-decaying accent voice for blast beat punctuation
- 18" ZXT Crash — primary accent; heavier use in dynamic passages
- 20" ZXT Ride — significantly expanded role as rhythmic accompaniment voice
- 18" ZXT China — maintained section-boundary accent role

The ride cymbal's expanded role was the most significant cymbal usage change between albums. Matt McGachy's melodic vocal lines required rhythmic support that a ride cymbal provides more naturally than hi-hat/blast patterns.

## Key Facts

- Released May 13, 2008 on Century Media Records
- Producer Chris Donaldson — second consecutive Cryptopsy album produced in-house
- Matt McGachy on vocals — first Cryptopsy album with clean vocal elements
- Same Yamaha Recording Custom shells as Once Was Not — revised tuning and head selection
- Ride cymbal significantly more prominent than any previous Cryptopsy album
- Flo Mounier's most dynamically diverse studio performance in Cryptopsy's catalog
- The 'what happened to Cryptopsy' album — fan controversy about direction, not execution
- Flo's last studio album with Cryptopsy before the four-year hiatus (returned 2012)
- Estimated kit value: $3,000-4,500 (2008 prices)

## The Tuning Lesson: What The Unspoken King Teaches About Gear

The most significant technical lesson from this album is not what equipment Flo used — it's how he configured it. The same Yamaha Recording Custom shells that produced "Once Was Not"'s extreme attack character were adjusted to produce more body and resonance for "The Unspoken King"'s dynamic context.

**Head tension as expression:** Reducing tension on the toms and snare from "Once Was Not"'s extreme settings added sustain and body — making the drums more present in dynamic passages rather than a purely percussive attack element.

**Muffling as a musical choice:** The bass drum's muffling adjustment was not a technical accommodation — it was a musical decision to let the drum's natural character contribute to the melodic sections.

**Ride cymbal as the signature change:** The most audible difference between the two albums is the ride cymbal's expanded role. Flo deployed it as a structural rhythmic voice in contexts no previous Cryptopsy album had presented — demonstrating that existing gear serves new contexts through approach, not replacement.

## Blast Beats as Contrast: What Changed

On every previous Cryptopsy album, blast beats were the natural state — the default mode. On "The Unspoken King," this relationship inverts in some tracks. The blast beat sections become the contrast element against surrounding melodic material. This required Flo to understand his extreme technique as one color in a wider dynamic palette — deploying blast intensity for dramatic effect rather than as constant practice.

This compositional inversion is most audible in "Silence the Tyrants" and "The Unspoken King" title track, where the blast sections arrive as deliberate intensification of surrounding melodic material rather than as the default state.

## Album Arc Context

"The Unspoken King" occupies a specific place in the Cryptopsy discography:

- **[None So Vile (1996)](/articles/none-so-vile-drum-setup)** — Pearl MX, Sabian AA. Speed and precision in 4/4. The landmark.
- **[And Then You'll Beg (2000)](/articles/and-then-youll-beg-drum-setup)** — Pearl Masters BRX, 26" kick, Paiste Alpha. Odd-time blast beats. Compositional peak.
- **[Once Was Not (2005)](/articles/once-was-not-drum-setup)** — Yamaha Recording Custom, 22" kick, Zildjian ZXT. Maximum velocity. Physical peak.
- **The Unspoken King (2008)** — Same Yamaha kit, revised tuning. Dynamic range expansion. Controversial pivot.

After "The Unspoken King," Cryptopsy went on a four-year hiatus before returning in 2012 with a self-titled album that returned to extreme technical death metal. Flo eventually transitioned to the Tama Starclassic Maple setup that defines his modern configuration. See [What's In Flo Mounier's Kit](/articles/whats-in-flo-mouniers-kit) for where the gear journey ended up.

## Related Resources

- [Flo Mounier complete gear breakdown](/articles/whats-in-flo-mouniers-kit) — modern Tama setup vs. 2008 Yamaha era
- [Once Was Not drum setup](/articles/once-was-not-drum-setup) — the 2005 velocity peak this album follows
- [And Then You'll Beg drum setup](/articles/and-then-youll-beg-drum-setup) — the 2000 odd-time complexity peak
- [None So Vile drum setup](/articles/none-so-vile-drum-setup) — the 1996 landmark that defined Cryptopsy

**Source:** https://metalforge.io/articles/unspoken-king-drum-setup

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