# George Kollias Drum Setup: Nile's 'What Should Not Be Unearthed' (2015) Gear Breakdown

> Discover the exact drum kit, cymbals, and pedals George Kollias used on Nile's 'What Should Not Be Unearthed' (2015) — the album that debuted his co-designed Pearl Demon XR pedal alongside his matured Pearl Reference Maple and Meinl Byzance setup.

**Type:** Album Drum Setup
**Drummer(s):** [George Kollias](/llms/drummers/george-kollias.md)
**Band / Album:** Nile — *What Should Not Be Unearthed* (2015)
**Genre:** Technical Death Metal / Brutal Death Metal

## Overview

Released August 28, 2015, on Nuclear Blast Records, "What Should Not Be Unearthed" is Nile's eighth studio album and the last to feature longtime guitarist/vocalist Dallas Toler-Wade before his 2017 departure. Self-produced by the band, with Neil Kernon handling the mix, drum tracking took place at Sound Lab Studios in Columbia, South Carolina — the same room that had captured George Kollias's drums since "Ithyphallic" — while additional tracking happened at Serpent Headed Studios/OTB in Greenville.

For Kollias's gear history, this album marks a quiet but pivotal debut: it is the first Nile studio album on the Pearl Demon XR, the double bass drum pedal Kollias co-designed with Pearl's engineers and released that same year. Everything else in his rig — the Pearl Reference Maple kit and Meinl Byzance cymbal voice documented on "At the Gate of Sethu" three years earlier — carried forward unchanged, making "What Should Not Be Unearthed" the album where one new, career-defining piece of equipment entered an otherwise settled and fully matured setup.

Tracks like the title cut "What Should Not Be Unearthed," the album-opening "Call to Destruction," and "Evil to Cast Out Evil" showcase Kollias adapting his heel-toe technique to a pedal built around his own specifications rather than adjusting to someone else's engineering choices. The result is a documented before-and-after moment in his equipment timeline, four years before the Demon XR reached full maturity on "Vile Nilotic Rites."

This article breaks down every piece of gear George Kollias used during the "What Should Not Be Unearthed" sessions, the technique adjustments the new Demon XR required, and why this overlooked entry completes the drum-setup arc connecting his classic Meinl Byzance era to his modern Zildjian-equipped rig.

## Gear Breakdown

- **Drums:** Pearl Pearl Reference Maple (Various (Reference series) finish)
- **Snare:** Pearl Pearl Free-Floating Snare, 14" x 6.5"
- **Cymbals:** Meinl — Meinl Byzance Series
- **Hardware / Pedals:** Pearl Demon XR Double Pedal (co-designed); Pearl H-2050 Eliminator Hi-Hat Stand; Pearl D-3500 Roadster Drum Throne; Vic Firth SGK George Kollias Signature
- **Heads:** Remo Ambassador Coated (batter), Remo Ambassador Snare Side (resonant)
- **Snare tuning:** Medium-high tension, unchanged since 2009

### George's 2015 Kit: Pearl Reference Maple, Unchanged and Proven

"What Should Not Be Unearthed" carries forward the same Pearl Reference Maple platform George Kollias had played since "Those Whom the Gods Detest" (2009) and refined through "At the Gate of Sethu" (2012) — by 2015, a full six years of touring and recording familiarity. Rather than changing shells, Kollias directed his attention toward the pedal upgrade documented below, a deliberate choice to isolate variables: change one major piece of equipment at a time, keep everything else constant.

The double 22" bass drum configuration remained the non-negotiable foundation, still delivering the independent per-foot resonance Kollias's heel-toe technique depends on at 240+ BPM. The compact 10"/12"/14" rack tom and 16" floor tom spread — unchanged since "Annihilation of the Wicked" a decade earlier — continued to prioritize reach efficiency over expansive tonal range, the same philosophy that would carry through to the Masterworks Stadium Exotic four years later.

Recording at Sound Lab Studios in Columbia, South Carolina, gave engineers a known quantity: the same room and the same kit that had captured Kollias's drums since "Ithyphallic," meaning studio time went toward capturing the Demon XR transition rather than re-learning the kit's recorded character from scratch.

### The Snare: Pearl Free-Floating, Still the Standard

George Kollias played the same Pearl Free-Floating 14" x 6.5" snare on "What Should Not Be Unearthed" that he had used since "Those Whom the Gods Detest" (2009) — his third full studio album cycle on the drum. The Free-Floating shell's isolation from lug and throw-off hardware continued to deliver the even, hardware-damping-free response his blast beat technique requires, a consistency that mattered even more with the Demon XR transition introducing a genuinely new variable elsewhere in the setup.

The medium-high tension tuning carried over unchanged from "At the Gate of Sethu," giving tracks like "Call to Destruction" and the title cut the same crack and immediacy that had defined Kollias's sound since 2009. Keeping the snare identical while the pedal changed reflects the same isolate-one-variable approach that shaped the kit decisions on this album.

### The Cymbals: Meinl Byzance, One Final Album

"What Should Not Be Unearthed" is the last Nile studio album where Meinl Byzance appears as George Kollias's exclusive cymbal voice, before the first Zildjian pieces entered his rig on "Vile Nilotic Rites" (2019). The configuration itself — 14" Byzance Medium hi-hats, a 17"/18"/19" crash spread, a 20" Byzance Medium ride, and an 18" Byzance China — is identical to "At the Gate of Sethu," carried forward without alteration.

The B20 bronze construction continued to deliver the balance Kollias's playing demands: legible articulation at 240+ BPM without losing the tonal complexity that keeps the setup from sounding purely functional. On "In the Name of Amun" and "To Walk Forth from Flames Unscathed," the crash spread's dynamic range supports the album's shifts between blast intensity and Nile's atmospheric, Egyptological interludes.

Looking back, this album closes out the classic all-Byzance chapter of Kollias's career — a cymbal voice that had defined every Nile studio album since 2005, about to give way to the mixed Meinl/Zildjian setup of the following record.

## Key Facts

- Nile's eighth studio album, released August 28, 2015 on Nuclear Blast Records
- Self-produced by the band; mixed by Neil Kernon; drums tracked at Sound Lab Studios, Columbia, South Carolina
- The last Nile album to feature guitarist/vocalist Dallas Toler-Wade before his 2017 departure
- Debuts George Kollias's co-designed Pearl Demon XR pedal, replacing the Demon Drive used since 2009
- Pearl Reference Maple kit and Meinl Byzance cymbal voice carried forward unchanged from "At the Gate of Sethu" (2012)
- Key tracks: "What Should Not Be Unearthed," "Call to Destruction," "Evil to Cast Out Evil"
- Pearl Reference Maple — unchanged from "At the Gate of Sethu," now six years into Kollias's tenure with this platform
- Double 22" bass drums for independent per-foot control at extreme tempo
- Compact 10/12/14" rack tom and 16" floor tom spread, consistent since 2005
- This is the final full Nile studio album on Reference Maple before the 2019 Masterworks Stadium Exotic upgrade
- Estimated kit value: $4,500–7,000 (Pearl Reference Maple shell pack, 2015 era)
- Estimated snare value: $500–700 (Pearl Free-Floating snare, 2015 era)

## Frequently Asked Questions

**Q: What drum kit does George Kollias use on What Should Not Be Unearthed?**

A: On Nile's 'What Should Not Be Unearthed' (2015, Nuclear Blast), George Kollias played the same Pearl Reference Maple kit documented on 'At the Gate of Sethu' (2012) — double 22" bass drums, 10/12/14" rack toms, and a 16" floor tom — paired with his Pearl Free-Floating 14" x 6.5" snare. This is the final Nile studio album on this platform before his 2019 upgrade to the Pearl Masterworks Stadium Exotic. See the full current gear breakdown: [What's in George Kollias's Kit](/articles/whats-in-george-kollias-kit).

**Q: What pedal did George Kollias debut on What Should Not Be Unearthed?**

A: 'What Should Not Be Unearthed' (2015) is the first Nile studio album on the Pearl Demon XR, the double bass drum pedal George Kollias co-designed with Pearl and released that same year, replacing the Demon Drive he had used since 'Those Whom the Gods Detest' (2009). The pedal would go on to reach full maturity four years later on 'Vile Nilotic Rites' (2019). Full drummer profile: [George Kollias at MetalForge](/drummer/george-kollias).

**Q: What cymbals does George Kollias use on What Should Not Be Unearthed?**

A: George Kollias played an all-Meinl Byzance setup on 'What Should Not Be Unearthed' (2015) — 14" Medium hi-hats, a 17"/18"/19" crash spread, a 20" Medium ride, and an 18" China — identical to 'At the Gate of Sethu' (2012). This is the last Nile studio album with Byzance as his exclusive cymbal voice before the first Zildjian cymbals appeared on 'Vile Nilotic Rites' (2019).

**Q: How fast does George Kollias play on What Should Not Be Unearthed?**

A: George Kollias sustains blast beats between 200–260 BPM across 'What Should Not Be Unearthed,' with tracks like 'Evil to Cast Out Evil' and 'Age of Famine' showing no loss of speed or clarity despite the new Demon XR pedal introduced this album cycle. He is Guinness World Record-certified for sustaining 280 BPM single strokes. Compare his speed against another extreme-tempo specialist: [George Kollias vs Pete Sandoval](/vs/george-kollias-vs-pete-sandoval).

**Q: Why is What Should Not Be Unearthed significant in George Kollias's gear history?**

A: 'What Should Not Be Unearthed' (Nile, 2015) is the debut album for George Kollias's co-designed Pearl Demon XR pedal, while every other piece of his rig — Pearl Reference Maple kit, Pearl Free-Floating snare, Meinl Byzance cymbals, and Vic Firth SGK signature sticks — carried forward unchanged from 'At the Gate of Sethu' (2012). It closes out the classic Byzance-and-Reference-Maple chapter of his career before 'Vile Nilotic Rites' (2019) introduced Zildjian cymbals and the Pearl Masterworks Stadium Exotic. See the complete arc: [At the Gate of Sethu drum setup (2012)](/articles/at-the-gate-of-sethu-drum-setup) and [Vile Nilotic Rites drum setup (2019)](/articles/vile-nilotic-rites-drum-setup).

**Source:** https://metalforge.io/articles/what-should-not-be-unearthed-drum-setup

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*Last updated: 2026-07-07 · Source: [MetalForge.io](https://metalforge.io)*