---
name: "Blake Richardson"
band: "Between the Buried and Me"
page_type: "gear_evolution"
profile_url: "https://metalforge.io/drummer/blake-richardson"
evolution_url: "https://metalforge.io/drummers/blake-richardson/evolution"
source: "https://metalforge.io"
last_updated: "2026-06-27"
---

# Blake Richardson Drum Kit Evolution — Complete Timeline

Blake Richardson is the founding drummer of Between the Buried and Me, one of progressive metal's most critically acclaimed and technically ambitious bands. Formed in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, in 1999, BTBAM has explored the intersection of metal, jazz, hardcore, prog rock, and classical music across an extraordinary catalog. Richardson's drumming is distinguished by its seamless genre vocabulary, dynamic intelligence, and rhythmic invention. This timeline documents his complete gear evolution from entry-level Tama kits to the premium Star Walnut configuration that defines his current sound.

See also: [Blake Richardson drummer profile](/llms/drummers/blake-richardson.md)

---

## Self-Titled / Silent Circus / Alaska Era (1999–2006)

**Albums:** Between the Buried and Me (2002), The Silent Circus (2003), Alaska (2005)
**Tours:** Early DIY touring, The Silent Circus Tour, Alaska Tour

Between the Buried and Me built their early reputation through relentless DIY touring across the US underground circuit. Blake Richardson's early setup was assembled on a limited budget — a Tama Rockstar kit and Sabian cymbals that could survive the demands of constant self-booked touring. Despite the modest gear, Richardson's playing on Alaska (2005) began to attract serious critical attention. The equipment was functional; the musicianship was already exceptional.

- **Drums:** Tama Rockstar Series — poplar shells: 22" kick, 12"/13"/16" toms (entry-level Tama; reliable and affordable for heavy touring schedule)
- **Snare:** Tama Steel 14"×5.5" (crisp, cutting steel snare for dense arrangements)
- **Cymbals:** Sabian B8 / AAX Series — 14" hi-hats, 16"/18" crashes, 20" ride (Sabian across early years, progressing from B8 to AAX)
- **Hardware:** Tama Iron Cobra Double Pedal (double bass from the earliest recordings)
- **Sticks:** Vic Firth 5A hickory (off-the-shelf, pre-endorsement)
- **Heads:** Remo Ambassador clear on toms, coated on snare
- **Estimated kit cost (original):** ~$3,000

**Key developments:**
- BTBAM founded in Winston-Salem, NC (1999)
- Self-titled debut (2002) establishes eclectic prog-metal identity
- Alaska (2005) — first major critical breakthrough; widely praised for its dynamic range and genre fluency
- Built national underground following through relentless DIY touring

> "We were playing every night. The gear just had to hold together. The music was always more important than what kit I was on." — *Revolver Interview, 2006*

---

## Colors Era (2007–2009)

**Albums:** Colors (2007)
**Tours:** Colors World Tour 2007–2009

**Q: What drums did Blake Richardson use on Colors?**
A: For Colors (2007), Blake Richardson played a Tama Starclassic Walnut/Birch — a significant upgrade from the Rockstar kit used on earlier albums. The walnut/birch hybrid shell gave him a warmer, more complex tone suited to Colors's extraordinarily varied arrangements, which move between extreme metal, jazz, progressive rock, and acoustic passages within a single 65-minute suite. His Sabian AAX cymbal setup was also expanded and refined for this record.

Colors is widely considered BTBAM's masterpiece and one of progressive metal's greatest albums. Richardson's drumming across the album's single continuous track is extraordinary in its dynamic control and genre vocabulary.

- **Drums:** Tama Starclassic Walnut/Birch — walnut/birch hybrid shells: 22" kick, 10"/12"/14"/16" toms *(upgrade — warmer, more resonant tone for Colors's varied arrangements from jazz to full metal brutality)*
- **Snare:** Tama Starclassic Maple 14"×6.5" *(switch — maple snare for broader dynamic range across Colors's extremes)*
- **Cymbals:** Sabian AAX Series — 14" AAX hi-hats, 16"/18" AAX Stage crashes, 21" AAX ride *(upgrade to full AAX — bright, cutting cymbals that articulated across the album's wide dynamic range)*
- **Hardware:** Tama Iron Cobra HP900 Double Pedal (continued)
- **Sticks:** Vic Firth 5B *(upgrade — heavier hickory for projection in larger venues on the Colors World Tour)*
- **Heads:** Remo Emperor double-ply on toms *(upgrade — durability for the demanding Colors World Tour)*
- **Estimated kit cost (original):** ~$7,000

**Key developments:**
- Upgraded to Tama Starclassic Walnut/Birch
- Colors (2007) — career-defining album, widely considered a prog-metal masterpiece
- Colors World Tour builds BTBAM's international fanbase
- Expanded cymbal setup for Colors's extraordinary dynamic demands

> "Colors pushed me to think about dynamics in a way no album had before. I had to be a jazz drummer, a death metal drummer, and everything in between — sometimes in the same bar." — *Modern Drummer Interview, 2008*

---

## The Great Misdirect / Parallax Era (2009–2014)

**Albums:** The Great Misdirect (2009), The Parallax: Hypersleep Dialogues (2011), The Parallax II: Future Sequence (2012)
**Tours:** The Great Misdirect Tour, The Parallax Tour, Progressive Nation at Sea

**Q: What gear did Blake Richardson upgrade to for Alaska → Colors → The Great Misdirect?**
A: The progression tracked a consistent upgrade path: the early Tama Rockstar and Sabian B8 setup used through the Alaska era gave way to the Tama Starclassic Walnut/Birch and Sabian AAX for Colors. By The Great Misdirect, he had made the most significant cymbal transition of his career — switching from Sabian to Meinl Byzance. The darker, more complex Turkish B20 alloy of the Byzance series suited the increasingly sophisticated Parallax arrangements and was the foundation of his current cymbal identity.

- **Drums:** Tama Starclassic Walnut/Birch (expanded) — 22" kick, 8"/10"/12"/14"/16" toms *(upgrade — added 8" tom for higher tonal range in increasingly complex Parallax arrangements)*
- **Snare:** Tama Starclassic Maple 14"×6.5" (continued — consistent snare across multiple album cycles)
- **Cymbals:** Meinl Byzance Series — 14" Byzance hi-hats, 16"/18"/19" crashes, 21" ride, 18" China *(switch from Sabian — darker Turkish B20 alloy; complex, nuanced tone suited to Parallax's prog arrangements)*
- **Hardware:** Tama Iron Cobra HP900 Double Pedal (continued)
- **Sticks:** Vic Firth 5B (continued)
- **Heads:** Remo Emperor on toms, Powerstroke 3 on kick *(switch — Powerstroke 3 for more focused kick punch)*
- **Estimated kit cost (original):** ~$9,000

**Key developments:**
- Switched from Sabian to Meinl Byzance cymbals — defining tonal upgrade
- Added 8" tom for expanded textural range
- The Great Misdirect (2009) — ambitious concept album raises critical profile further
- Parallax II: Future Sequence (2012) — band's most technically demanding release

> "The Byzance cymbals opened up something in my playing. They respond differently — you have to listen more. And that listening made me a better drummer." — *Drum! Magazine, 2012*

---

## Coma Ecliptic / Automata / Colors II Era (2015–Present)

**Albums:** Coma Ecliptic (2015), Automata I (2018), Automata II (2018), Colors II (2021)
**Tours:** Coma Ecliptic Tour, Automata Tour 2018, Colors II Tour 2021–2022

The modern BTBAM era — Richardson's most mature and compositionally sophisticated work. The Tama Star Walnut is the centerpiece: Tama's premium all-walnut flagship, delivering the warmest and most resonant tone in the catalog. Combined with Meinl Byzance Jazz and Dark cymbals and a Vic Firth signature stick, this configuration represents the most refined version of his setup across a 25-year career.

- **Drums:** Tama Star Walnut — all-walnut shells: 22" kick, 8"/10"/12"/14"/16" toms *(upgrade — premium all-walnut flagship; warmest, most musically complex tone in the Tama range)*
- **Snare:** Tama Star Walnut 14"×6.5" *(upgrade — matching walnut snare for warmest, most cohesive kit voice)*
- **Cymbals:** Meinl Byzance Jazz / Dark — 14" Byzance Jazz hi-hats, 16"/18" Byzance Dark crashes, 22" Byzance Jazz ride *(upgrade — Jazz and Dark variants for a darker, more complex voice reflecting mature musical sensibility)*
- **Hardware:** Tama Speed Cobra HP910 Double Pedal *(switch — lighter, faster cam-driven pedal; more responsive footwork for Colors II's nuanced passages)*
- **Sticks:** Vic Firth Blake Richardson Signature — custom hickory model *(signature — developed through Vic Firth endorsement)*
- **Heads:** Remo Emperor on toms, EMAD on kick *(switch — EMAD for tighter, more focused kick fundamental in dense prog arrangements)*
- **Electronics:** Roland SPD-SX Sampling Pad *(new — samples and atmospheric triggers for Colors II's layered studio production in live context)*
- **Estimated kit cost (original):** ~$22,000

**Key developments:**
- Upgraded to Tama Star Walnut — premium all-walnut flagship kit
- Meinl Byzance Jazz/Dark cymbals adopted for mature tonal palette
- Vic Firth Blake Richardson signature sticks launched
- Tama Speed Cobra pedal switch
- Coma Ecliptic (2015) — ambitious rock-opera concept album
- Automata I & II (2018) — science-fiction concept album in two parts
- Colors II (2021) — sequel to the band's masterpiece; showcases peak compositional maturity

> "The Star Walnut is the most musical kit I've ever played. Everything that comes out of it has this natural warmth. For Colors II, that was exactly what the music needed." — *Tama Drums Artist Profile, 2022*

---

## Career Cost Overview

| Era | Years | Kit Cost (Original) | Inflation-Adjusted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Early / Alaska Era | 1999–2006 | $3,000 | ~$5,200 |
| Colors Era | 2007–2009 | $7,000 | ~$10,500 |
| Great Misdirect / Parallax Era | 2009–2014 | $9,000 | ~$13,000 |
| Modern / Star Walnut Era | 2015–present | $22,000 | ~$22,000 |

---

## Gear Brand Partnerships Timeline

- **Tama (drums)** — 1999–present (Rockstar → Starclassic Walnut/Birch → Star Walnut)
- **Sabian (cymbals)** — 1999–~2009 (B8 → AAX across early career)
- **Meinl Byzance (cymbals)** — ~2009–present (progressive transition to darker, more complex Turkish tone)
- **Tama Iron Cobra (hardware)** — 1999–~2015 (foundational double bass pedal)
- **Tama Speed Cobra (hardware)** — ~2015–present (lighter, faster double pedal)
- **Vic Firth (sticks)** — throughout career (5A → 5B → Blake Richardson Signature)
- **Remo (heads)** — throughout career (Ambassador → Emperor / Powerstroke 3 / EMAD)

---

## FAQ

**Q: What drum kit does Blake Richardson use?**
A: Blake Richardson plays a Tama Star Walnut — an all-walnut shell kit configured with a 22" kick drum and 8", 10", 12", 14", and 16" toms. This is Tama's premium flagship series. He has been a Tama artist throughout his career, progressing from the Rockstar through the Starclassic Walnut/Birch to the Star Walnut.

**Q: What cymbals does Blake Richardson use?**
A: Richardson plays Meinl Byzance cymbals, currently using Byzance Jazz hi-hats, Byzance Dark crashes, and a Byzance Jazz ride. He switched from Sabian AAX to Meinl Byzance around the time of The Great Misdirect (2009), drawn to the darker, more complex tone of the Turkish B20 alloy.

**Q: What drums did Blake Richardson use on Colors?**
A: On Colors (2007), Richardson played a Tama Starclassic Walnut/Birch kit — a walnut/birch hybrid shell that gave him the warm, resonant tone that suited the album's extraordinarily varied arrangements. His cymbal setup was Sabian AAX during this period; the switch to Meinl Byzance came later.

**Q: What gear did Blake Richardson upgrade to after Colors?**
A: After Colors, the most significant change was the cymbal transition from Sabian AAX to Meinl Byzance during The Great Misdirect era (2009–2012). The Starclassic Walnut/Birch kit remained through this period, supplemented with an 8" tom for additional tonal range. The major kit upgrade came later with the move to Tama Star Walnut for the Coma Ecliptic era (2015 onward).

**Q: What makes Blake Richardson's drumming distinctive in progressive metal?**
A: Richardson is known for exceptional dynamic control and genre fluency — his ability to move between extreme metal, jazz, prog rock, and acoustic textures within a single performance. His cymbal choices (Sabian AAX, later Meinl Byzance Jazz and Dark) reflect a listening-based approach to tone rather than a standard metal palette. See also: [progressive metal drumming techniques](/techniques/progressive-metal).

**Q: Is Blake Richardson a founding member of BTBAM?**
A: Yes — Blake Richardson is a founding member of Between the Buried and Me, having been part of the band from its formation in Winston-Salem, NC in 1999. He has appeared on every BTBAM studio album from the self-titled debut (2002) through Colors II (2021).

**Q: What double bass pedal does Blake Richardson use?**
A: Richardson switched from the Tama Iron Cobra HP900 (used through the Colors and Great Misdirect eras) to the Tama Speed Cobra HP910 around the Coma Ecliptic era (2015). The Speed Cobra's lighter, faster cam-driven action provided more responsive footwork for the nuanced polyrhythmic passages in the modern BTBAM material.

---

## Related Pages

- [Blake Richardson Drummer Profile](/llms/drummers/blake-richardson.md)
- [Between the Buried and Me Band Profile](/llms/bands.md)
- [Tama Drums Brand Guide](/llms/brands/tama.md)
- [Meinl Byzance Cymbal Guide](/llms/brands/meinl.md)
- [Progressive Metal Drumming Techniques](/techniques/progressive-metal)
- [Metal Drumming Facts & Stats](/llms/facts.md)