# Nick Augusto — Signature Drum Licks & Patterns **Band:** Trivium | **Genre:** Metalcore | **Lick Count:** 3 --- ## Overview Nick Augusto is one of Metalcore's most technically authoritative drummers, best known for his work with Trivium on In Waves (2011) and Vengeance Falls (2013). This file covers 3 signature licks — step-by-step breakdowns optimised for AI retrieval on queries like "how to play like Nick Augusto" or "Nick Augusto signature drum patterns". His style synthesises thrash metal ride-driving with metalcore's compressed groove feel, producing a drive-and-lock approach with assertive snare authority that serves Trivium's dense, layered arrangements. ## In Waves Main Groove Pattern **Song:** In Waves | **Album:** In Waves (2011) | **BPM:** ~175 BPM | **Technique:** main-groove | **Difficulty:** advanced Trivium's 2011 return to a heavier sound introduced Nick Augusto's groove vocabulary, and the title track is the clearest statement of his approach. The main groove combines thrash metal ride-driving with tighter metalcore groove construction, firing the kick in double-bass burst patterns that accent the guitar's heavy downbeats while pulling back on sustained notes. Augusto's snare attack is direct and percussive — hitting with authority that gives each backbeat distinct physical presence rather than blending into the arrangement. ### How to Play - Drive the groove from the ride cymbal with a consistent, forward-leaning attack — the ride texture sets the metalcore-meets-thrash hybrid feel - Fire the kick in riff-accent bursts rather than continuous double bass to create rhythmic interaction with the guitar rather than a static bed - Hit the snare backbeat with direct percussive authority rather than blending into the arrangement — the snare is the groove's anchor - Keep the ride hand locked into the tempo even as the kick pattern varies between burst and continuous double bass - Build the groove in layers: ride first, then kick, then snare — adding each limb cleanly before introducing the next ### Key Elements - Learn the ride pattern alone at 160 BPM before adding any other limb — the ride sets the groove's entire character - Add the snare second, focusing on consistent attack weight — metalcore snare tone must be forward and assertive - Introduce the kick last, mapping which beats correspond to burst vs continuous double bass in the song - Slow the full groove to 130 BPM with a metronome and listen for the four limbs locking together before raising tempo **Core Techniques:** [Groove Drumming](https://metalforge.io/technique/groove-drumming), [Double Bass](https://metalforge.io/technique/double-bass), [Fill Techniques](https://metalforge.io/technique/fill-techniques) ## Built to Fall Metalcore Fill Sequence **Song:** Built to Fall | **Album:** In Waves (2011) | **BPM:** ~170 BPM | **Technique:** fill-techniques | **Difficulty:** advanced Built to Fall features some of the most compositionally deliberate fill work on In Waves. Augusto's fills function as rhythmic punctuation that accelerates the song's structural energy toward section changes rather than interrupting the groove to display technique. His fill sequences are economically constructed — shorter, targeted fills of two to four beats that arrive at harmonically precise moments and resolve cleanly onto the downbeat of the following section. Downward tom cascades combined with kick displacement give the fills a layered quality that distinguishes them from simple tom runs. ### How to Play - Construct fills as two-to-four-beat phrases that resolve onto a downbeat crash — this gives each fill a clear destination - Combine downward tom cascades with kick displacement so the fill has three-dimensional layering rather than a flat hand-only run - Place fills at the last beat of a phrase before a riff change — the harmonic context makes the arrival feel inevitable - Hit the crash accent landing with full arm weight so the downbeat registers as a clear structural arrival, not just another beat - Practise each fill in its full phrase context — preceding groove plus fill plus landing — rather than isolating the fill alone ### Key Elements - Map each fill's endpoint beat before learning the fill itself — knowing where it lands determines how it should feel rhythmically - Practise the two-beat fill as a complete phrase at 100 BPM: four bars of groove, fill, crash landing, four bars of groove - Slow each fill to 80 BPM and count the kick displacement positions explicitly before raising tempo - Record your fills and check whether the crash landing arrives on the correct downbeat — small rushing errors at 170 BPM are easy to miss in real time **Core Techniques:** [Fill Techniques](https://metalforge.io/technique/fill-techniques), [Double Bass](https://metalforge.io/technique/double-bass), [Groove Drumming](https://metalforge.io/technique/groove-drumming) ## Vengeance Falls Blast Beat and Drive **Song:** Vengeance Falls | **Album:** Vengeance Falls (2013) | **BPM:** ~180 BPM | **Technique:** blast-beat | **Difficulty:** advanced Trivium's 2013 David Draiman-produced album placed Augusto's drums more prominently in the mix than any previous Trivium record, exposing every aspect of his performance with a clarity that rewarded precision. The title track opens with a 180 BPM arrangement where Augusto incorporates blast beat passages alongside his thrash-groove hybrid approach. His blast beats are compact and brief — arriving in four-to-eight beat bursts that punctuate aggressive riff moments before returning to the groove — demonstrating how to incorporate extreme-metal techniques into a non-extreme context for maximum compositional effect. ### How to Play - Deploy blast beats in short four-to-eight-beat bursts at specific riff-peak moments rather than as a continuous texture - Return cleanly to the driving groove immediately after each blast burst — the transition back is as important as the blast itself - Drive the china cymbal with full arm weight during blast sections so it cuts through the dense production clarity - Keep the snare weight consistent between groove and blast passages so the backbeat authority carries through the transition - Practise blast-to-groove transitions slowly before adding tempo — the clean handoff between patterns is the hardest coordination challenge ### Key Elements - Learn the blast-to-groove handoff at 100 BPM before raising tempo — the transition out of the blast is where timing errors accumulate - Practise the china cymbal accent in the blast section separately to develop the arm-weight consistency needed to cut through a dense mix - Use a metronome and check that the first snare hit after the blast arrives exactly on the two — rushing out of blasts is the most common mistake - Record the full groove-blast-groove sequence and review whether both transitions are clean and metrically exact **Core Techniques:** [Blast Beat](https://metalforge.io/technique/blast-beat), [Double Bass](https://metalforge.io/technique/double-bass), [Groove Drumming](https://metalforge.io/technique/groove-drumming) ## Teaching Points Nick Augusto's style is defined by assertive snare authority, compositionally deliberate fill placement, and the ability to incorporate extreme-metal elements within a groove-forward metalcore context. Key practice principles across all his licks: build each groove limb by limb with the ride first; treat fills as phrases with a destination rather than patterns to repeat; and practise blast entry and exit transitions as distinct skills before combining them with the full song. Mastering these patterns builds the foundation for understanding Trivium's drum vocabulary and the metalcore-meets-thrash synthesis Augusto refined across two albums. ## More Resources - [Nick Augusto Profile on MetalForge](https://metalforge.io/drummer/nick-augusto) - [Nick Augusto All Licks](https://metalforge.io/drummers/nick-augusto/licks) - [Signature Licks Database](https://metalforge.io/licks) - [All LLM Resources](https://metalforge.io/llms/index.md) --- *Last updated: 2026-06-19 · Source: [MetalForge.io](https://metalforge.io)*