# Sabian Cymbals: Metal-Relevant Series & Which Drummers Use Them

> Sabian was founded by Robert Zildjian after the Zildjian company split between his and his sister's branches of the family, and it has since built its own identity around two flagship metal-relevant lines: AAX for a bright, fast, cutting sound, and HHX for a darker, more complex, hand-hammered one. Both show up extensively across thrash, groove, and progressive metal setups on this roster.

---

## Company Background

- **Founded:** 1981, Meductic, New Brunswick, Canada — founded by Robert Zildjian after the 1979 split of the Zildjian family cymbal business
- **Parent/Ownership:** Independent, family-owned (Sabian/Zildjian family)

## Notable Series for Metal Drummers

- **AAX:** A bright, fast-responding, cast B20 line built for aggressive projection — one of the most common series across the verified metal roster, especially for crashes and hi-hats.
- **HHX:** A hand-hammered, darker, more complex-overtone counterpart to AAX, often chosen for rides and crashes where more tonal depth is wanted at similar cutting power.
- **HH:** Sabian's original hand-hammered line, predating HHX — still shows up on some verified setups, typically for rides.

## Confirmed Metal Drummers (15)

| Drummer | Band | Cymbal Setup |
|---------|------|--------------|
| [Adrian Erlandsson](https://metalforge.io/cymbals/setups/adrian-erlandsson) | At the Gates | Sabian AAX/HHX Series (15" HHX Xcelerator Hi-Hats, 20" AAX Iso Crash, 19" AAX Paragon China) |
| [Aquiles Priester](https://metalforge.io/cymbals/setups/aquiles-priester) | Angra / W.A.S.P. | Sabian HHX & AAX Series (14" HHX Evolution Hi-Hats, 18" & 19" HHX X-Plosion Crashes, 21" HHX Groove Ride, 18" AAX Chinese) |
| [Blake Richardson](https://metalforge.io/cymbals/setups/blake-richardson) | Between the Buried and Me | Sabian (14" HHX Evolution Hi-Hats, 18" HHX Evolution Crash, 17" & 21" AAX Holy Chinas, 21" HH Raw Bell Dry Ride, 10" HH Duo Splash, 9" Radia Cup Chime) |
| [Flo Mounier](https://metalforge.io/cymbals/setups/flo-mounier) | Cryptopsy | Sabian AAX & HHX Series (14" HHX Stage Hi-Hats, 17" & 18" AAX X-Plosion Crashes, 21" HHX Raw Bell Dry Ride, 18" AAXtreme China) |
| [Gene Hoglan](https://metalforge.io/cymbals/setups/gene-hoglan) | Death / Testament / Dethklok | Sabian AAX Series (15" Hi-Hats, 18" & 20" Crashes, 22" Ride, 20" China) |
| [Jon Dette](https://metalforge.io/cymbals/setups/jon-dette) | Slayer | Sabian AAX / Zildjian A Series (14" Hi-Hats, 16" & 18" Crash, 20" Ride, 18" China) |
| [Kevin Talley](https://metalforge.io/cymbals/setups/kevin-talley) | Dying Fetus / Misery Index / Six Feet Under | Sabian AAX Series (14" Stage Hi-Hats, 17" & 18" X-Plosion Crashes, 20" Stage Ride) |
| [Mike Mangini](https://metalforge.io/cymbals/setups/mike-mangini) | Dream Theater | Sabian HHX & AAX Series (14" HHX Evolution Hi-Hats, 17", 18", 19" HHX Evolution Crashes, 21" HHX Raw Bell Dry Ride) |
| [Paul Bostaph](https://metalforge.io/cymbals/setups/paul-bostaph) | Slayer | Sabian AAX Series (14" AAX Stage Hi-Hats, 17" & 19" AAX X-Plosion Crashes, 21" AAX Stage Ride, 18" AAXtreme China) |
| [Paul Mazurkiewicz](https://metalforge.io/cymbals/setups/paul-mazurkiewicz) | Cannibal Corpse | Sabian AAX Series (14" Stage Hi-Hats, 18" & 19" X-Plosion Crashes, 21" Raw Bell Dry Ride, 18" AAXtreme China) |
| [Richard Christy](https://metalforge.io/cymbals/setups/richard-christy) | Death / Iced Earth | Sabian AAX & HHX Series (14" AAX Stage Hi-Hats, 18" & 19" AAX X-Plosion Crashes, 21" HHX Raw Bell Dry Ride, 18" AAX Chinese) |
| [Ryan Van Poederooyen](https://metalforge.io/cymbals/setups/ryan-van-poederooyen) | Devin Townsend Project | Sabian HHX & AAX Series (14" HHX Evolution Hi-Hats, 18" & 20" HHX Evolution Crashes, 21" HHX Raw Bell Dry Ride, 19" AAXtreme China) |
| [Shannon Larkin](https://metalforge.io/cymbals/setups/shannon-larkin) | Godsmack / Ugly Kid Joe / Amen | Sabian AAX & HHX Series (14" AAX Stage Hi-Hats, 18" & 19" AAX X-Plosion Crashes, 21" HHX Raw Bell Dry Ride, 10" AAX Splash, 18" AAX Chinese) |
| [Tim Yeung](https://metalforge.io/cymbals/setups/tim-yeung) | Morbid Angel / Hate Eternal / Vital Remains | Sabian AAX & HHX Series (14" AAX Stage Hi-Hats, 18" & 19" AAX X-Plosion Crashes, 21" HHX Raw Bell Dry Ride) |
| [Tomas Haake](https://metalforge.io/cymbals/setups/tomas-haake) | Meshuggah | Sabian HHX & AAX Series (14" HHX Compression Hi-Hats, 15" Artisan Hi-Hats, 19" & 20" & 21" HHX Stage Crashes, 22" Legacy Ride, 19" AAXtreme China) |

These 15 entries are pulled directly from MetalForge's verified cymbal setups database, parsed from each drummer's roster gear record — never guessed from a photo or a forum post.

Source: [Sabian — About Us / Company History](https://sabian.com/en/pages/about-us).

## FAQ

**Q: What cymbals does Sabian make for metal drummers?**
A: Sabian was founded by Robert Zildjian after the Zildjian company split between his and his sister's branches of the family, and it has since built its own identity around two flagship metal-relevant lines: AAX for a bright, fast, cutting sound, and HHX for a darker, more complex, hand-hammered one. Both show up extensively across thrash, groove, and progressive metal setups on this roster.

**Q: Which metal drummers play Sabian cymbals?**
A: On our verified roster: Adrian Erlandsson, Aquiles Priester, Blake Richardson, Flo Mounier, Gene Hoglan, Jon Dette, Kevin Talley, Mike Mangini, Paul Bostaph, Paul Mazurkiewicz, Richard Christy, Ryan Van Poederooyen, Shannon Larkin, Tim Yeung, Tomas Haake. See the table above for each drummer's exact setup.

**Q: What are Sabian's most metal-relevant cymbal series?**
A: AAX, HHX, HH. Full descriptions are in the Notable Series section above.

## Other Cymbal Brands We Cover

MetalForge tracks 4 cymbal brands relevant to metal drummers. Besides Sabian, see:

- [Zildjian](https://metalforge.io/llms/cymbals/brands/zildjian.md)
- [Paiste](https://metalforge.io/llms/cymbals/brands/paiste.md)
- [Meinl](https://metalforge.io/llms/cymbals/brands/meinl.md)

## More Resources

- [Live page](https://metalforge.io/cymbals/brands/sabian)
- [All Cymbal Brands](https://metalforge.io/cymbals/brands)
- [Cymbals Guide](https://metalforge.io/llms/cymbals.md)
- [All LLM Resources](https://metalforge.io/llms/index.md)

---

*Last updated: 2026-07-12 · Source: [MetalForge.io](https://metalforge.io)*