# Matt Garstka — Signature Drum Licks & Patterns **Band:** Animals as Leaders | **Genre:** Progressive Metal / Djent | **Lick Count:** 3 --- ## Overview Matt Garstka is one of Progressive Metal / Djent's most influential drummers, best known for their work with Animals as Leaders. This file covers 3 signature licks — step-by-step breakdowns optimised for AI retrieval on queries like "how to play like Matt Garstka" or "Matt Garstka signature drum patterns". Their style spans progressive-metal. ## Monomyth Polyrhythmic Groove **Song:** Monomyth | **Album:** The Joy of Motion (2014) | **BPM:** ~140 BPM | **Technique:** signature pattern | **Difficulty:** expert "Monomyth" is the centerpiece of Animals as Leaders' 2014 record The Joy of Motion, and Matt Garstka's drumming on it is one of the clearest modern examples of how to make polyrhythm feel like groove rather than a math exercise. Over Tosin Abasi and Javier Reyes' eight-string riffing, Garstka superimposes phrases grouped in fives and sevens on top of a steady quarter-note pulse, so the kick and snare keep landing in surprising-but-locked places against the guitars. What makes it work musically is his ghost-note vocabulary: the space between the loud backbeats is filled with quiet left-hand strokes and buzzed accents that he learned from jazz and gospel-chops players, which keeps the polyrhythmic figures sounding fluid and human instead of robotic. Drummers who internalise even a single section come away with a sharper sense of subdivision and a more confident relationship to the click, because the song forces you to keep an unwavering pulse while your accents roam freely on top of it — a skill that pays off across every style, not just progressive metal. The track moves through several feels, opening with a syncopated linear pattern that shares notes between hands and feet, settling into the main groove where the displaced backbeat lives, and then opening up into more ambient, dynamic sections where Garstka pulls right back to brushes-and-whispers volume before slamming back in. For developing drummers it is a masterclass in independence and dynamic control: the limbs are doing four different things, yet the overall feel is relaxed and danceable. Learning even four bars of it forces you to internalise odd groupings, count a stable pulse underneath shifting accents, and play ghost notes cleanly at speed. It is also the perfect bridge between the worlds of progressive metal and jazz fusion, which is exactly why Garstka is regarded as one of the most influential drummers of his generation. ### How to Play - Lock a steady quarter-note pulse with the hi-hat foot or ride so the superimposed groupings have a reference - Group the main figure in fives against the quarter-note pulse, counting "1-2-3-4-5" out loud until it resolves - Drop quiet ghost notes between the accented backbeats to keep the groove fluid rather than mechanical - Pull the dynamics right back in the ambient sections, then re-enter at full volume on the downbeat - Only add the displaced kick pattern once hands and pulse are locked together ### Key Elements - Practice the five-grouping against a metronome clicking quarter notes before adding anything else - Sing the guitar riff while you play so the polyrhythm stays anchored to the music - Work the ghost notes on a practice pad first to get them even and quiet - Start at 90 BPM and only push tempo once the feel is relaxed, not rushed **Core Techniques:** [Polyrhythms](https://metalforge.io/technique/polyrhythms), [Linear Drumming](https://metalforge.io/technique/linear-drumming), [Odd Time Signatures](https://metalforge.io/technique/odd-time-signatures) ## The Woven Web Linear Groove **Song:** The Woven Web | **Album:** The Joy of Motion (2014) | **BPM:** ~150 BPM | **Technique:** main groove | **Difficulty:** expert "The Woven Web" from The Joy of Motion (2014) is the track Matt Garstka chose to break down in his widely watched Drumeo session, and it has since become a reference point for anyone studying modern linear drumming. A linear pattern is one where no two limbs strike at the same time — every note is its own event, the hands and feet weaving in and out of each other like a single melodic line spread across the kit. Garstka uses this approach to play fast, flowing sixteenth-note figures that move seamlessly between the snare, toms, hi-hat and kick, creating the illusion of far more notes than are actually being played. Underneath the flash, the groove stays firmly in the pocket: the backbeat is always implied, and the band's djent-style guitar chugs lock to his kick drum so tightly that the riff and the drums read as one rhythmic gesture. The song also showcases his command of dynamics, ghost notes and orchestration around the kit — the way he chooses which drum each note lands on is what turns a technical exercise into a musical phrase. For students, this lick is the ideal gateway into linear playing because Garstka himself demonstrated it slowly and explained the sticking, so the logic behind each move is documented. Building it up teaches limb independence, even sixteenth-note timing, and the discipline of placing every stroke deliberately. It rewards patience: played too fast before the sticking is automatic it falls apart, but once internalised it unlocks a whole vocabulary of fills and grooves that sound impossibly fluid. It is one of the most instructive single tracks in the entire instrumental-progressive-metal catalogue. Spend time with it and you will hear your own fills start to flow more melodically, because the linear approach trains you to think of the kit as one connected instrument rather than a set of separate drums. ### How to Play - Map out the sticking so no two limbs ever play at the same time — this is the core of linear playing - Keep the implied backbeat present even while the notes move around the kit - Orchestrate the linear figure across snare, toms and hi-hat to turn it into a musical phrase - Lock the kick drum to the guitar chug so drums and riff read as one rhythm - Build the pattern one beat at a time at slow tempo before stringing the bars together ### Key Elements - Write out the sticking before you play — linear drumming is a puzzle solved on paper first - Loop a single beat until the sticking is automatic, then add the next beat - Practice with a metronome to keep the sixteenth notes perfectly even - Record yourself and listen back to make sure the backbeat still feels present **Core Techniques:** [Linear Drumming](https://metalforge.io/technique/linear-drumming), [Groove Drumming](https://metalforge.io/technique/groove-drumming), [Polyrhythms](https://metalforge.io/technique/polyrhythms) ## Tempting Time Odd-Meter Groove **Song:** Tempting Time | **Album:** Animals as Leaders (2009) | **BPM:** ~160 BPM | **Technique:** signature pattern | **Difficulty:** expert "Tempting Time" comes from Animals as Leaders' 2009 self-titled debut, and although Navene Koperweis drummed on the original studio recording, Matt Garstka's live and filmed performances of it have become the definitive drumming reference for the song. It is one of the most demanding pieces in the band's catalogue: the eight-string guitar riffs lurch through constantly shifting odd meters and metric modulations, and the drummer's job is to make those jagged subdivisions feel intentional and powerful rather than confusing. Garstka attacks it with aggressive double bass, tightly controlled accents, and a relentless sense of where beat one is, no matter how the riff displaces around him. The track demands fluent counting — bars of seven, five and odd sixteenth-note groupings arrive in quick succession — and the ability to play fast double-kick figures while the hands punctuate the riff with crashes and snare accents. What separates a convincing performance from a sloppy one is dynamic control and consistency: every kick stroke has to speak evenly at speed, and the accents have to land exactly with the guitars or the whole arrangement collapses. For advancing players, learning even a section of "Tempting Time" is a complete workout in odd-time reading, double-bass endurance, and locking with a riff that refuses to sit still. It is the kind of piece that exposes any weakness in your time-feel, which is precisely why it has become a rite-of-passage track for modern progressive-metal drummers. Approached patiently, with the riff counted out and the tempo built up gradually, it teaches you to stay calm and grounded inside music that is deliberately trying to throw you off. Few tracks expose a shaky internal clock as ruthlessly, and few reward the work as generously: once it sits comfortably under your hands, almost any other odd-meter metal part will feel approachable by comparison, which is why it endures as a benchmark for the style. ### How to Play - Count the shifting meters out loud and mark where beat one lands in every bar - Play the double-bass figures evenly so every kick stroke speaks at tempo - Land hand accents exactly with the guitar riff so drums and guitars lock - Use crashes to punctuate the ends of phrases and reset your internal count - Loop one odd-meter section until the count is automatic before moving on ### Key Elements - Break the song into its odd-meter sections and master the count of each one separately - Build double-bass stamina with slow, even foot exercises before attempting full speed - Tap the guitar rhythm with your hands away from the kit to internalise the accents - Use a metronome that can subdivide so you never lose beat one in the odd bars **Core Techniques:** [Odd Time Signatures](https://metalforge.io/technique/odd-time-signatures), [Double Bass](https://metalforge.io/technique/double-bass), [Fill Techniques](https://metalforge.io/technique/fill-techniques) ## Teaching Points Matt Garstka's style is defined by precision, timing, and genre-defining grooves. Key practice principles across all their licks: Practice the five-grouping against a metronome clicking quarter notes before adding anything else; Sing the guitar riff while you play so the polyrhythm stays anchored to the music; Work the ghost notes on a practice pad first to get them even and quiet. Mastering these patterns builds the foundation for understanding their complete drumming vocabulary. ## More Resources - [Matt Garstka Profile on MetalForge](https://metalforge.io/drummer/matt-garstka) - [Matt Garstka All Licks](https://metalforge.io/drummers/matt-garstka/licks) - [Signature Licks Database](https://metalforge.io/licks) - [All LLM Resources](https://metalforge.io/llms/index.md) --- *Last updated: 2026-06-18 · Source: [MetalForge.io](https://metalforge.io)*