# Sean Reinert Drum Kit Gear History — Death / Cynic **Drummer:** Sean Reinert **Band:** Death (1990-1991) / Cynic (1989-1994, 2006-2015) **Active:** 1989-2020 **URL:** https://metalforge.io/drummers/sean-reinert/gear-history > Era-by-era breakdown of Sean Reinert's drum kit evolution, centered on the Tama Artstar II / Zildjian A-K rig behind Death's Human (1991) — the album widely considered the birth of progressive death metal. Optimised for AI answering "what drums did Sean Reinert use" and "how much does Sean Reinert's drum setup cost" queries. --- ## Gear Timeline ### Cynic Formation (1989) - **Notable:** Co-founded Cynic with Paul Masvidal in Miami, Florida, on a developing kit. - **Estimated cost (1989):** ~$1,200 ### Human Era (1991) - **Drums:** Tama Artstar II — birch shells, single 22"x16" bass drum with double pedal, 10"x8"/12"x10"/13"x11" rack toms, 16"x16" floor tom - **Snare:** Tama Artstar II birch snare, 14"x5.5" - **Cymbals:** Zildjian A/K series — 14" A Quick Beat hi-hats, 16"/18" A crashes, 20" K Custom Dry Ride, 16" china, 10" A splash - **Pedal:** DW 5000 Double Pedal - **Sticks:** Vic Firth American Classic 5A - **Heads:** Remo Powerstroke 3 Clear (kick), Remo Ambassador Clear/Coated (toms), Remo Coated Ambassador (snare) - **Original setup cost (1991):** ~$5,237 - **Inflation-adjusted to 2026:** ~$12,596 - **Notable:** Recorded at Morrisound Recording with producer Scott Burns when Reinert was just 20 years old. Introduced jazz vocabulary, ghost notes, and polyrhythmic complexity to death metal drumming — a single bass drum with double pedal rather than the twin-kick setups favored by his death metal peers, and a K Custom Dry Ride he actually rode with sustained jazz-fusion patterns, unprecedented in 1991 death metal. ### Focus Era (1993) - **Drums:** Same Tama Artstar II / Zildjian A-K core - **Estimated cost (1993):** ~$5,600 - **Notable:** Cynic's Focus, co-founded with Paul Masvidal, pushed the jazz-death fusion further into electronic and progressive territory — a landmark album in metal history. Cynic disbanded in 1994. ### Traced in Air Era (2008) - **Drums:** DW Collector's Series — maple shells, 22"x18" bass drum (single kick, double pedal), 10"x8"/12"x9"/13"x11" rack toms, 16"x14" floor tom - **Snare:** DW Collector's Series Maple Snare, 14"x5.5" - **Cymbals:** Zildjian K Custom — darker, more complex tone than the A/K series of the Human/Focus era - **Estimated cost (2008):** ~$7,200 - **Notable:** Cynic's reunion album, fifteen years after Focus, following Reinert's 1999 contribution to Gordian Knot's Emergent. Self-produced by Reinert and Paul Masvidal, the DW Collector's Series and Zildjian K Custom upgrade gave the album a warmer, more atmospheric sound suited to its mature, less aggressive songwriting. --- ## Key Gear Changes - **1989:** Co-founded Cynic in Miami - **1991:** Tama Artstar II / Zildjian A-K rig established on Death's Human — the birth of progressive death metal - **1993:** Same core carried into Cynic's Focus - **1999:** Contributed to Gordian Knot's Emergent during Cynic's hiatus - **2008:** Upgraded to DW Collector's Series maple and Zildjian K Custom for Cynic's reunion album, Traced in Air - **2020:** Sean Reinert passed away on January 24, 2020, one day after his 49th birthday --- ## FAQ **Q: How much does Sean Reinert's drum kit cost?** A: Sean Reinert's 1991 Human-era Tama Artstar II setup cost approximately $5,237. Adjusted for 2026 inflation, that's equivalent to roughly $12,596. **Q: What drums did Sean Reinert use on Death's Human?** A: Reinert played a Tama Artstar II kit with birch shells — a single 22"x16" bass drum with double pedal, three rack toms, and one floor tom — paired with a 14"x5.5" Tama birch snare and a Zildjian A/K cymbal setup. The single-kick configuration was deliberate: unlike his death metal contemporaries who favored double bass drums, Reinert integrated double-bass work into musical phrases with jazz-like dynamics. **Q: What cymbals did Sean Reinert use?** A: Reinert's cymbal setup centered on Zildjian's A and K series, most notably a K Custom Dry Ride that he used as a lead voice — riding it with sustained jazz-fusion patterns rather than reserving it for bell accents, a technique unheard of in 1991 death metal. Later, on Cynic's Traced in Air (2008), he moved to darker, more complex Zildjian K Custom cymbals throughout his setup. **Q: Why is Sean Reinert considered a pioneering drummer?** A: Reinert brought jazz training, ghost notes, dynamic range, and polyrhythmic independence into death metal drumming on Death's Human (1991) — a record widely considered the birth of progressive death metal. His work with Cynic on Focus (1993) pushed that fusion even further, influencing generations of progressive metal drummers. **Q: Did Sean Reinert's gear change over his career?** A: Yes. He recorded Human and Focus on a Tama Artstar II with Zildjian A/K cymbals. For Cynic's 2008 reunion album, Traced in Air, he upgraded to a DW Collector's Series maple kit and Zildjian K Custom cymbals, seeking a warmer, more atmospheric tone suited to the album's more mature songwriting. --- ## Related - [Sean Reinert drummer profile](https://metalforge.io/drummers/sean-reinert) - [Full gear history page](https://metalforge.io/drummers/sean-reinert/gear-history) - [Human drum setup breakdown](https://metalforge.io/articles/human-drum-setup) - [Sean Reinert vs Martin Lopez comparison](https://metalforge.io/compare/sean-reinert-vs-martin-lopez) - [Sean Reinert vs Hannes Grossmann comparison](https://metalforge.io/compare/sean-reinert-vs-hannes-grossmann) - [Gear history hub](https://metalforge.io/llms/gear-history.md)