# How to Sound Like Blake Richardson — Between the Buried and Me Drum Sound Guide

**Drummer:** Blake Richardson  
**Band:** Between the Buried and Me  
**Genre:** Progressive Metal / Technical Metal  
**Guide URL:** https://metalforge.io/guides/how-to-sound-like-blake-richardson

## Overview

Blake Richardson has been the drummer of Between the Buried and Me since 2005, playing on progressive metal masterworks including Alaska, Colors, The Great Misdirect, The Parallax II: Future Sequence, and Coma Ecliptic. Across those albums, Richardson has built one of the most distinctive drum voices in progressive metal — a style that fuses death metal blast beats with complex odd-time structures and genuine melodic sensitivity.

What makes Richardson exceptional is his hybrid approach. He blasts at full death metal intensity, then pivots immediately to a polyrhythmic groove in 7/8 or a melodic passage supporting BTBAM's narrative structures. His blasts are compositional — they appear when the music requires maximum intensity, not simply to showcase speed. His odd-time work flows naturally from the band's progressive song structures. And his toms are treated as melodic instruments, tuned in musical intervals that allow his fills to have harmonic logic.

## Kit Setup

Richardson plays **DW Collector's Series** maple drums with three rack toms for full melodic range:

- **Kick Drum:** 22" x 18" Bass Drums (double kick)
- **Snare:** 14" x 6.5" DW Collector's Maple Snare
- **Rack Toms:** 10" x 8", 12" x 9", 13" x 10" (three rack toms for melodic orchestrations)
- **Floor Toms:** 16" x 16", 18" x 16"
- **Cymbals:** Meinl Byzance Traditional Series — complex overtones that suit BTBAM's wide dynamic range
- **Pedals:** DW 9000 Double Pedal
- **Sticks:** Vic Firth 5A (versatility for extreme dynamic range)
- **Heads:** Remo Powerstroke P3 Clear (kick), Remo Ambassador Coated (snare), Remo Emperor Clear (toms)

## Tuning & Setup

Richardson tunes for versatility — his drums must sound musical during delicate melodic passages and retain definition during brutal blast sections:

- **Kick:** Medium tension with moderate foam pad and port hole. Balance of punch and warmth. Tune slightly higher than pure death metal — the warmth serves BTBAM's melodic sections while definition keeps blasts clean.
- **Snare:** Medium tension, minimal muffling. A maple snare provides body and warmth with enough crack for heavy sections. Let the maple shell breathe — the warmth matters in melodic passages.
- **Toms:** Medium tension in musical intervals (thirds or fourths), light Moongel. Three rack toms tuned as melodic instruments — this is essential to Richardson's compositional approach. Tune them so that sequential patterns actually sound melodic.

## Technique Tips

Richardson plays **matched grip** with exceptional control across all dynamics. His blast beats are clean and compositionally placed, while his odd-time grooves move naturally through complex signatures. The two extremes exist simultaneously in BTBAM's music — not in separate sections, but woven together.

**Signature patterns:**

- **Prog Blast (180–240 BPM, Advanced):** Death metal blast beats deployed as compositional climaxes after quiet building sections. Practice placing blasts after quiet passages — the contrast is what gives them compositional weight.
- **Odd-Time Polyrhythm (100–160 BPM, Advanced):** Grooves in 7/8, 5/4, 11/8, and mixed meter that feel musical and physical. Internalize the feel by singing the pulse grouping while playing — 7/8 as 4+3, 5/4 as 3+2.
- **Melodic Orchestration (Variable, Intermediate):** Tom patterns treated as melodic phrases. With toms tuned in musical intervals, improvise patterns treating each tom as a scale note. Find shapes that have melodic logic — a phrase that goes somewhere.

**Key songs to study:** *Selkies: The Endless Obsession* (Alaska, 2005) · *Ants of the Sky* (Colors, 2007) · *Swim to the Moon* (The Great Misdirect, 2009) · *Telos* (The Parallax II, 2012) · *Dim Ignition* (Coma Ecliptic, 2015)

## Gear Shopping List

| Item | Richardson's Spec | Budget Alternative |
|------|-------------|-------------------|
| Drum Kit | DW Collector's Series Maple (3 rack toms) | DW Design Series or PDP Concept Maple with added rack tom (~$800) |
| Snare | DW Collector's Maple 14" x 6.5" | DW Performance Maple or Ludwig Classic Maple |
| Cymbals | Meinl Byzance Traditional Series | Meinl HCS Pack + extra crash (~$300) |
| Pedal | DW 9000 Double | DW 5000 Double (~$150) |
| Sticks | Vic Firth 5A | Promark 5A or Vater 5A |
| Kick Head | Remo Powerstroke P3 Clear | Evans EMAD Coated |

**Starter budget path (~$1,200):** DW Design Series (with 3 rack toms — critical) + Meinl HCS pack + DW 5000 double pedal. Three rack toms are important — Richardson's melodic orchestrations need the pitch range. See [/brands/dw](https://metalforge.io/brands/dw) and [/brands/meinl](https://metalforge.io/brands/meinl).

## Practice Routine

1. **Odd-Time Internalization (20 min daily):** At 100 BPM, play in 7/8 using a 4+3 grouping. Sing the grouping while playing — "one-two-three-four, one-two-three." Increase tempo only when the feel is completely natural. Then try 5/4, 11/8, and mixed signatures.
2. **Compositional Blast Placement (15 min daily):** Build a 16-bar sequence: 8 bars of prog groove, 4 bars of building intensity, 4 bars of full blast. Record it and listen back — does the blast feel earned and explosive? Adjust the build until it does.
3. **Melodic Tom Vocabulary (15 min daily):** With toms tuned in musical intervals, improvise 4-beat patterns treating each tom as a note in a scale. Find patterns with melodic logic — shapes that feel like they go somewhere. Practice until they're clean and repeatable.

**Common mistakes:** Treating odd time as a technical exercise rather than a musical feel; using blasts gratuitously rather than as compositional climaxes; ignoring tom tuning (melodic orchestration requires musical intervals); neglecting quiet passages (BTBAM's dynamics are as important as the intensity).

## FAQ

**Q: What makes Blake Richardson's drumming unique?**  
A: Richardson fuses death metal blast beats with progressive odd-time structures in a way that sounds compositional rather than genre-switching. His blasts are used as climactic moments within BTBAM's epic song structures, while his odd-time grooves feel musical rather than academic. He treats his toms melodically — tuned in musical intervals — giving his playing a harmonic dimension rare in metal drumming.

**Q: How does Blake Richardson handle odd time signatures?**  
A: Richardson internalizes odd signatures by feeling their natural pulse groupings rather than counting beats. In 7/8 he feels a 4+3 grouping; in 5/4 a 3+2. He practices singing the grouping while playing, building the feel in his body rather than his head. This is why his odd-time work sounds musical and physical, not academic.

**Q: What drums and cymbals does Blake Richardson use?**  
A: Richardson plays DW Collector's Series maple drums with three rack toms for melodic range, DW 9000 double pedals, and Meinl Byzance cymbals. The Byzance series is particularly important — its complex, musical overtones suit both BTBAM's brutal and delicate passages. He uses Vic Firth 5A sticks for versatility across extreme dynamics.

**Q: Which BTBAM albums should I study for drumming?**  
A: Alaska (2005) establishes his hybrid style — especially Selkies: The Endless Obsession. Colors (2007) is the band's masterwork and shows his odd-time mastery at its peak. The Parallax II demonstrates full compositional range. Coma Ecliptic shows his theatrical restraint. Start with Selkies and Ants of the Sky.

**Q: How do I develop blast beats that serve progressive music rather than just demonstrating speed?**  
A: Build the context around the blast. Practice placing blasts after quiet passages — the contrast is what gives them compositional weight. Ask "does this blast feel earned?" when listening back. BTBAM's blast beats always arrive where the music has been building toward maximum intensity. Practice the whole sequence, not just the blast itself.

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**Full interactive guide:** [https://metalforge.io/guides/how-to-sound-like-blake-richardson](https://metalforge.io/guides/how-to-sound-like-blake-richardson)  
**Drummer profile:** [https://metalforge.io/drummer/blake-richardson](https://metalforge.io/drummer/blake-richardson)  
**Related album articles:** [Alaska Drum Setup](https://metalforge.io/guides/alaska-drum-setup) · [The Parallax II Drum Setup](https://metalforge.io/guides/the-parallax-ii-future-sequence-drum-setup)  
**Related guides:** [Ben Koller](https://metalforge.io/llms/guides/how-to-sound-like-ben-koller.md) · [Brann Dailor](https://metalforge.io/llms/guides/how-to-sound-like-brann-dailor.md)

*Source: [MetalForge.io](https://metalforge.io) · Last updated: 2026-06-28*