# Frost Drum Kit Gear History — Satyricon / 1349 **Drummer:** Frost (Kjetil-Vidar Haraldstad) **Band:** Satyricon / 1349 **Active:** 1993–present **URL:** https://metalforge.io/drummers/frost/gear-history > Era-by-era breakdown of Frost's drum kit evolution, from a budget Pearl Export rig during Satyricon's raw Nemesis Divina years through the Sonor SQ2 custom platform that defined Now, Diabolical (2006), to his current refined Sonor SQ2 / Zildjian K Custom Dark setup. Optimised for AI answering "what drums does Frost use" and "how much does Frost's drum setup cost" queries. --- ## Gear Timeline ### Raw Black Metal / Corpse Paint Era (1993–1999) - **Drums:** Pearl Export Series — birch/poplar shells, 22" kick, 10"/12"/14"/16" toms - **Snare:** Pearl Export 14"x5.5" steel - **Cymbals:** Paiste 2002 Series — 14" hi-hats, 16"/18" crashes, 20" ride - **Pedal:** Basic single pedal, standard stands - **Sticks:** Vic Firth 5B - **Heads:** Remo Ambassador - **Estimated cost (1993–1999):** ~$1,800 - **Notable:** Frost joined Satyricon in 1993, entering Norway's second-wave black metal scene. Nemesis Divina (1996) established the primitive, hyperspeed blast beat foundation on an affordable, entry-level Pearl Export kit — budgets were thin and corpse paint mattered more than gear endorsements. ### Industrial Black Metal / Founding 1349 Era (1999–2006) - **Drums:** Sonor Designer Series — beech shells, 22" kick, 10"/12"/14"/16" toms - **Snare:** Sonor Designer 14"x6" maple, dry and cutting - **Cymbals:** Zildjian A Series — 14" hi-hats, 16"/18" crashes, 20" ride - **Pedal:** Double pedal with kick trigger — electronic trigger augmentation added - **Sticks:** Vic Firth American Classic Extreme 5B - **Heads:** Remo Powerstroke 3 (kick), Ambassador (toms) - **Estimated cost (1999–2006):** ~$4,500 - **Notable:** Rebel Extravaganza (1999) pushed Satyricon into industrial black metal territory, and Frost switched from Pearl to Sonor — beginning a decades-long brand partnership. He co-founded 1349 in 2001, and Liberation (2003) and Hellfire (2005) showcased some of the fastest, most disciplined blast beat drumming the genre had produced. ### Now, Diabolical Era (2006–2013) - **Drums:** Sonor SQ2 Series — custom maple shells, 22" kick, 10"/12"/14"/16" toms - **Snare:** Sonor SQ2 14"x6" maple, custom shell, dry crack - **Cymbals:** Zildjian A Custom & K Custom Dark — 14" A Custom hi-hats, 16"/17"/18" A Custom crashes, 22" K Custom Dark ride, 18" K China - **Pedal:** Sonor Perfect Balance Pedal — precision single pedal - **Sticks:** Vic Firth American Classic Extreme 5B - **Heads:** Remo Powerstroke 3 (kick), Ambassador (toms) - **Original setup cost (2006):** ~$7,500 - **Inflation-adjusted to 2026:** ~$12,188 - **Notable:** Now, Diabolical (2006) brought Satyricon to its commercial peak. Frost upgraded to Sonor's premium custom-build SQ2 platform, letting him specify shell depth and bearing edges for a more powerful, focused tone matching the album's polished production — this became the signature Frost drum platform, paired with the Sonor Perfect Balance pedal that came to define his extreme single-foot blast-beat technique. ### Experimental Maturity / Current Setup (2013–present) - **Drums:** Sonor SQ2 Series (refined custom finish) — custom maple shells, 22" kick, 10"/12"/14"/16" toms - **Snare:** Sonor SQ2 14"x6" maple, signature dry, cutting tone - **Cymbals:** Zildjian A Custom & K Custom Dark — mature cymbal voicing balancing brightness and darkness - **Pedal:** Sonor Perfect Balance Pedal, maintained - **Sticks:** Vic Firth American Classic Extreme 5B - **Heads:** Remo Powerstroke 3 (kick), Ambassador (toms) - **Estimated cost (current):** ~$11,000 - **Notable:** By the self-titled Satyricon (2013), Frost's playing had become a study in restraint and dynamics. His Sonor SQ2 setup reached its fully refined, definitive configuration for Deep calleth upon Deep (2017) and 1349's The Infernal Pathway (2019) — widely cited as one of extreme metal's most disciplined and influential drummers. --- ## Key Gear Changes - **1999:** Switches from Pearl Export to Sonor Designer series — beginning a decades-long brand partnership; co-founds 1349 - **2006:** Upgrades to Sonor SQ2 custom-build platform for Now, Diabolical — the signature Frost drum setup - **2006:** Zildjian cymbal setup expands to include K Custom Dark for atmospheric passages - **2017:** Sonor SQ2 / Zildjian K Custom Dark configuration reaches its fully refined, career-defining form - **Career constant:** Sonor Perfect Balance single pedal and Vic Firth American Classic Extreme 5B sticks, prioritizing reliability at extreme blast-beat tempos across three decades --- ## FAQ **Q: How much does Frost's drum kit cost?** A: Frost's 2006 Now, Diabolical-era Sonor SQ2 custom setup cost approximately $7,500. Adjusted for 2026 inflation, that's equivalent to roughly $12,188. His current refined Sonor SQ2 / Zildjian K Custom Dark setup is valued at approximately $11,000 at current retail. **Q: What drums does Frost play?** A: Frost has played a Sonor SQ2 Series custom kit since 2006 — his signature setup for Satyricon and 1349. Earlier in his career he used a Pearl Export kit (1993–1999) and a Sonor Designer kit (1999–2006) before upgrading to the SQ2 custom-build platform. **Q: What cymbals does Frost use?** A: Frost's cymbal setup evolved from Paiste 2002 (1993–1999) to Zildjian A Series (1999–2006), then expanded to a mixed Zildjian A Custom / K Custom Dark configuration from 2006 onward — brighter A Custom for cutting accents alongside darker K Custom tone for Satyricon's more atmospheric passages. **Q: Why is Frost's drumming considered so influential in black metal?** A: Frost treats blast beats as architectural events rather than pure texture — shaping dynamic swells, deliberate cymbal voicing, and micro-variations in foot pattern that make even the densest material feel kinetic. He has balanced two demanding bands, Satyricon and 1349, across three decades while setting the technical benchmark for Norwegian black metal drumming. **Q: Has Frost always played the same drum kit?** A: No — he started on a budget Pearl Export kit for Satyricon's early years, switched to Sonor Designer in 1999 alongside founding 1349, and has played a Sonor SQ2 custom platform since upgrading for Now, Diabolical (2006), refining the same Sonor/Zildjian core across the past two decades. --- ## Related - [Frost drummer profile](https://metalforge.io/drummers/frost) - [Full gear history page](https://metalforge.io/drummers/frost/gear-history) - [Frost (Satyricon) drum setup guide](https://metalforge.io/articles/frost-satyricon-drum-setup) - [Frost gear evolution timeline](https://metalforge.io/drummers/frost/evolution) - [Gear history hub](https://metalforge.io/llms/gear-history.md)