# How to Sound Like Sean Reinert — Death / Cynic Drum Sound Guide

**Drummer:** Sean Reinert  
**Band:** Death / Cynic  
**Genre:** Technical Death Metal / Progressive Metal  
**Guide URL:** https://metalforge.io/guides/how-to-sound-like-sean-reinert

## Overview

Sean Reinert (April 4, 1971 – January 7, 2020) was the drummer on two of the most influential albums in technical death metal history: Death's Human (1991) and Cynic's Focus (1993). On both records, he brought a level of jazz-informed sophistication to extreme metal drumming that had rarely, if ever, been heard before — not just technical skill, but a genuine musical sensibility that made complexity serve the music rather than overwhelm it.

Human (1991) redefined what death metal drumming could be. While the genre was producing blast-beat specialists, Reinert played with dynamic contrast, jazz-influenced ride patterns, and polymetric phrasing that made the album feel like it existed in a separate dimension from contemporaries. His interplay with Chuck Schuldiner's guitar lines and Steve DiGiorgio's fretless bass created a rhythmic sophistication unprecedented in the genre. Focus (1993) with Cynic pushed even further into jazz-fusion territory, deploying advanced jazz ride technique, polyrhythmic comping, and a delicate sensitivity to the album's experimental sonic palette. That he could perform this material at death metal tempos and intensities while maintaining jazz-level musical awareness makes his playing on these two records among the most technically and musically accomplished in metal history.

## Kit Setup

Sean played **Pearl Reference** drums during the Human and Focus recording periods — all-maple professional shells:

- **Kick Drum:** 22" x 18" (single or dual) with Tama Iron Cobra Double Pedal
- **Snare:** 14" x 5.5" Pearl Sensitone Steel or Brass
- **Rack Toms:** 8" x 8", 10" x 9", 12" x 10"
- **Floor Toms:** 14" x 14", 16" x 16"
- **Cymbals:** Zildjian A Series — jazz-heritage character with articulate bell and responsive wash
- **Pedals:** Tama Iron Cobra Double Pedal (Power Glide cam, progressive feel)
- **Sticks:** Vic Firth 5A (lighter weight for ghost note sensitivity and dynamic nuance)
- **Heads:** Remo Powerstroke P3 or Evans EMAD (kick), Remo Ambassador Coated (snare), Remo Emperor Clear (toms)

## Tuning & Setup

Reinert's drums on Human are famously warm and resonant for a death metal record — a deliberate choice that allowed his jazz-influenced phrasing to breathe within dense guitar arrangements. Resist the impulse toward dead, over-muffled drums common in death metal production:

- **Kick:** Medium tension — warm thud with defined attack. Light internal muffling (small pillow touching batter head). The warmth on Human comes from the kick having body, not from being over-muffled. Attack transient should be present; muffling controls sustain, not attack.
- **Snare:** Medium tension — balanced crack with ghost note sensitivity. Remo Ambassador Coated with one small Moongel at edge for recording. The Sensitone metal shell gives brightness and projection, but medium tension keeps body in the sound. Test ghost note sensitivity before finalizing: ghost notes must register as distinct articulations at barely-touching velocity.
- **Toms:** Medium tension — musical sustain, jazz-influenced warmth. Emperor Clears with natural sustain. Let the toms ring until ring becomes a problem; in Human's dense context, some ring adds warmth. One Moongel at edge (not center) if ring is excessive in recording.

## Technique Tips

Reinert used **traditional grip on the left hand / matched grip on the right** — a hybrid approach common among jazz-trained drummers. Traditional grip on the left hand gave him arm-rotation-powered ghost note sensitivity rare in death metal.

**Signature patterns:**

- **Jazz Ride Pattern in Death Metal Context (120–200 BPM, Advanced):** Substituted jazz ride cymbal patterns (long-short rhythmic feel with accented bell notes) for straight 16th-note ride common in death metal. On Human, the ride carries jazz articulation at death metal tempos. Practice the basic jazz feel at 60 BPM increasing to 160+ BPM — the articulation difference from straight 16ths must remain audible.
- **Polymetric Phrasing — 5/8 and 7/8 Over 4/4 (100–160 BPM, Advanced):** Drum phrases in 5/8 or 7/8 groupings run against 4/4 guitar and bass, creating a floating sensation where drums and strings periodically re-align. Practice a 5-stroke phrase cycling repeatedly over a 4/4 click without trying to align — the tension and resolution IS the technique.
- **Dynamic Extremes — pp to fff Within One Song (Variable, Intermediate):** Maintained extraordinary dynamic range within individual tracks — dropping to near-silence and returning to full-force death metal. Practice any groove at ppp, mf, and fff consecutively; pattern must remain technically identical at all three levels.
- **Ghost Note Comping in Death Metal (120–180 BPM, Intermediate-Advanced):** Ghosts notes between backbeats using traditional-grip left-hand, borrowed directly from jazz drumming. On Human, these ghost notes give the groove rhythmic information density without volume — nearly inaudible (5-10% of backbeat volume) yet structurally present. Traditional grip makes these ghosts more controllable than matched grip.

**Key songs to study:** *Lack of Comprehension* (Human, 1991) · *Suicide Machine* (Human, 1991) · *Flattening of Emotions* (Human, 1991) · *Veil of Maya* (Focus, 1993) · *I'm but a Wave to...* (Focus, 1993)

## Gear Shopping List

| Item | Reinert's Spec | Budget Alternative |
|------|---------------|-------------------|
| Drum Kit | Pearl Reference | Pearl Export Series (~$550) |
| Snare | Pearl Sensitone Steel 14" x 5.5" | Ludwig Acrolite or Pearl Free-Floating Steel |
| Cymbals | Zildjian A Series | Zildjian A Custom or A Pack (~$300) |
| Pedal | Tama Iron Cobra Power Glide Double | Tama Iron Cobra 200 Double (~$200) |
| Sticks | Vic Firth 5A | Promark Classic 5A |
| Kick Head | Remo Powerstroke P3 Clear | Evans EMAD2 Clear |

**Starter budget path (~$1,100):** Pearl Export + Zildjian A Pack + Tama Iron Cobra 200. Zildjian A cymbals are particularly important at this level — the A Series jazz heritage suits Reinert's approach better than B8-level alternatives. See [/brands/pearl](https://metalforge.io/brands/pearl) and [/brands/zildjian](https://metalforge.io/brands/zildjian).

## Practice Routine

1. **Traditional Grip Ghost Note Development (15 min daily):** With left hand in traditional grip, play quarter note backbeats at full force with matched-grip right hand, and ghost notes between them with traditional-grip left. Ghosts at 5-10% of backbeat volume. Practice until the dynamic gap is stable across a 4-minute continuous groove.
2. **Jazz Ride at Death Metal Tempo (15 min, 3x/week):** Learn the basic jazz feel ('ride-ta-ride-ta') at 60 BPM. Increase to 120, then 160 BPM. Record and compare against a straight 16th-note ride at the same tempo — the articulation difference is audible. Goal: identifiable jazz phrasing at 160 BPM.
3. **Polymetric Phrasing — 5/8 Cycling (20 min, 3x/week):** Set metronome to 80 BPM in 4/4. Play a 5-stroke snare phrase repeatedly without aligning to the click. The phrase cycles back to beat 1 every 5 bars. Add kick on the first note of each phrase cycle, then hi-hat foot on 2 and 4 of the 4/4 click.
4. **Human Album Systematic Study (30-45 min per track):** For each Human track: (1) Listen at full speed identifying main groove, fills, transitions. (2) Listen at half speed identifying kick placement. (3) Transcribe snare patterns including ghost note positions. (4) Learn the section at half tempo. Work through the album over 4-6 weeks.

**Common mistakes:** Treating complexity as only about speed (musical sophistication comes from dynamics and phrasing); skipping traditional grip development (ghost note nuance is tied to traditional left-hand technique); forcing polymetric phrases to align with the click (the tension intentionally doesn't align); playing at one dynamic level (Human's emotional power comes from contrast).

## FAQ

**Q: What drum kit did Sean Reinert use on Death's Human?**  
A: Sean Reinert played Pearl Reference drums during the Human (1991) recording period — an all-maple professional kit. The Pearl Reference's full, warm maple tone is audible on Human's production, contributing to the organic warmth that distinguishes the album from drier contemporary death metal recordings.

**Q: What cymbals did Sean Reinert use on Human?**  
A: Sean Reinert played Zildjian A Series cymbals, including 14" A New Beat Hi-Hats and A Medium Ride and Crash cymbals. The Zildjian A Series traces its heritage to jazz drumming — this lineage is audible in Reinert's ride work on Human, where the A Medium Ride provides articulate bell and responsive wash suited to jazz ride phrasing at death metal tempos.

**Q: What is Sean Reinert's signature drumming technique?**  
A: Reinert's defining technique was applying jazz drumming concepts — traditional grip ghost notes, jazz ride phrasing, polymetric odd-meter cycling, and wide dynamic range — within death metal intensity and tempo contexts. His traditional grip left hand gave him ghost note sensitivity rare in the genre. His jazz ride patterns on Human gave the album a rhythmic texture fundamentally different from contemporaries using straight 16th-note ride patterns.

**Q: Did Sean Reinert use traditional or matched grip?**  
A: Sean Reinert used traditional grip on his left hand and matched grip on his right — a hybrid approach common among jazz-trained drummers. Traditional grip on the left hand gave him arm-rotation-powered ghost note sensitivity and jazz nuance. His right hand used matched grip for power strokes on crashes and rides.

**Q: What are the best songs to learn Sean Reinert's style?**  
A: Start with 'Lack of Comprehension' and 'Suicide Machine' from Death's Human (1991) — both showcase jazz ride technique and ghost note work in accessible contexts. 'Flattening of Emotions' demonstrates polymetric phrasing. For Cynic material, 'Veil of Maya' and 'I'm but a Wave to...' from Focus (1993) show how his approach extended into jazz-fusion territory. Study the full Human album systematically — every track contains distinct vocabulary examples.

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**Full interactive guide:** [https://metalforge.io/guides/how-to-sound-like-sean-reinert](https://metalforge.io/guides/how-to-sound-like-sean-reinert)  
**Drummer profile:** [https://metalforge.io/drummer/sean-reinert](https://metalforge.io/drummer/sean-reinert)  
**Licks & patterns:** [https://metalforge.io/drummers/sean-reinert/licks](https://metalforge.io/drummers/sean-reinert/licks)  
**Related guides:** [Brann Dailor](https://metalforge.io/llms/guides/how-to-sound-like-brann-dailor.md) · [Matt Garstka](https://metalforge.io/llms/guides/how-to-sound-like-matt-garstka.md) · [Mike Mangini](https://metalforge.io/llms/guides/how-to-sound-like-mike-mangini.md)

*Source: [MetalForge.io](https://metalforge.io) · Last updated: 2026-06-24*