# Top 7 Metal Drummers Playing Zildjian Cymbals — Complete Ranked Guide > **Last updated:** 2026-07-06 · **Source:** [MetalForge.io](https://metalforge.io) · [View full list →](https://metalforge.io/lists/best-metal-drummers-playing-zildjian-cymbals) --- ## Overview MetalForge's gear-angle lists have already ranked signature snares and drummer-producers — this one ranks by cymbal brand, starting with Zildjian, the company whose A Custom and K Custom lines show up more often across MetalForge's drummer gear guides than any other cymbal manufacturer. The brighter, brilliant-finish A Custom line is built for cutting, articulate attack that slices through dense guitar walls, while the darker K Custom line trades some of that brightness for a more controlled, musical wash — two distinct tonal philosophies that both trace back to the same Massachusetts cymbal maker. This list ranks the metal drummers whose Zildjian setup is independently documented and verifiable against MetalForge's own gear-guide, price-history, or biography content, not just a casual brand mention. Lars Ulrich's Zildjian A Custom setup has anchored Metallica's cymbal sound since the band's earliest thrash days, while George Kollias built Nile's entire cymbal identity around the darker K Custom Dark line to keep 240+ BPM blast beats musical instead of washed-out noise. Mario Duplantier takes the most maximalist approach here, layering three separate Zildjian sub-series — K Sweet, A Custom, and K Custom Hybrid — into a single graduated crash setup for Gojira's progressive death metal. Because every entry here needs a sourced, model-specific equipment relationship rather than an assumed brand association, this list ships as a top 7 instead of a padded top 10 — six of MetalForge's roster clearly belong here, and a seventh, Jaska Raatikainen, earns his spot with one of the longest unbroken Zildjian setups in metal. Ranked by how extensively and consistently that Zildjian relationship is documented, from Ulrich's decades-long signature sound down to Raatikainen's steady rig, unchanged across Children of Bodom's entire ten-album catalog. The metal drummers with verified Zildjian cymbal setups, ranked. Lars Ulrich's A Custom Series, George Kollias's K Custom Dark, Mario Duplantier's layered K/A Custom rig, Jay Weinberg, Raymond Herrera, John Otto, and Jaska Raatikainen — sourced from MetalForge's own gear guides, not guesswork. --- ## Rankings Ranked by documented performance records, genre-defining influence, and technical contribution. Top entries: Lars Ulrich, George Kollias, Mario Duplantier, Jay Weinberg, Arin Ilejay, and more. ### 1. Lars Ulrich **Band:** Metallica **Highlight:** Zildjian A Custom — the definitive metal cymbal sound **Why ranked here:** Lars Ulrich has built Metallica's cymbal sound on the Zildjian A Custom Series since the band's earliest days — 14" hi-hats, 18" and 19" crashes, a 20" China, and a 22" ride, the exact configuration that has anchored his setup for decades. The brilliant-finish B20 bronze delivers the bright, cutting attack that drives "Master of Puppets" and "...And Justice for All" without disappearing under Metallica's wall of guitars at stadium volume. Ulrich earns rank #1 as the most recognizable and most extensively documented Zildjian artist in metal. Lars Ulrich (Metallica) earns rank #1 for: zildjian a custom — the definitive metal cymbal sound. Lars Ulrich has built Metallica's cymbal sound on the Zildjian A Custom Series since the band's earliest days — 14" hi-hats, 18" and 19" crashes, a 20" China, and a 22" ride, the exact configuration that has anchored his setup for decades. The brilliant-finish B20 bronze delivers the bright, cutting attack that drives "Master of Puppets" and "...And Justice for All" without disappearing under Metallica's wall of guitars at stadium volume. Ulrich earns rank #1 as the most recognizable and most extensively documented Zildjian artist in metal.. Full drummer profile: [Lars Ulrich on MetalForge](https://metalforge.io/drummer/lars-ulrich) ### 2. George Kollias **Band:** Nile **Highlight:** Zildjian K Custom Dark — the death metal cymbal standard **Why ranked here:** George Kollias built his entire Nile cymbal identity around the Zildjian K Custom Dark line, the thin, dark B20 bronze crashes and hi-hats that give his 240+ BPM technical death metal blast beats a controlled, musical wash instead of washing out into noise. He pairs that dark crash-and-hi-hat core with a 21" Zildjian A Custom Mega Bell Ride, whose oversized bell cuts through Nile's dense arrangements even at his most extreme tempos. Kollias earns rank #2 for the most extensively documented Zildjian setup in extreme metal. George Kollias (Nile) earns rank #2 for: zildjian k custom dark — the death metal cymbal standard. George Kollias built his entire Nile cymbal identity around the Zildjian K Custom Dark line, the thin, dark B20 bronze crashes and hi-hats that give his 240+ BPM technical death metal blast beats a controlled, musical wash instead of washing out into noise. He pairs that dark crash-and-hi-hat core with a 21" Zildjian A Custom Mega Bell Ride, whose oversized bell cuts through Nile's dense arrangements even at his most extreme tempos. Kollias earns rank #2 for the most extensively documented Zildjian setup in extreme metal.. Full drummer profile: [George Kollias on MetalForge](https://metalforge.io/drummer/george-kollias) ### 3. Mario Duplantier **Band:** Gojira **Highlight:** A sprawling, layered Zildjian setup across three sub-series **Why ranked here:** Mario Duplantier layers three different Zildjian cymbal lines for Gojira's progressive death metal — 14" K Sweet and A Custom hi-hats for flexible texture, 18" K Custom Hybrid, 19" A Custom, and 20" K Sweet crashes for graduated accent weights, and a 21" Zildjian Z Custom Mega Bell Ride built to speak clearly under a full mix. That combination gives Gojira's crushing, down-tuned material its tectonic body on "From Mars to Sirius" and "Magma." Duplantier earns rank #3 for the most harmonically layered Zildjian setup on this list. Mario Duplantier (Gojira) earns rank #3 for: a sprawling, layered zildjian setup across three sub-series. Mario Duplantier layers three different Zildjian cymbal lines for Gojira's progressive death metal — 14" K Sweet and A Custom hi-hats for flexible texture, 18" K Custom Hybrid, 19" A Custom, and 20" K Sweet crashes for graduated accent weights, and a 21" Zildjian Z Custom Mega Bell Ride built to speak clearly under a full mix. That combination gives Gojira's crushing, down-tuned material its tectonic body on "From Mars to Sirius" and "Magma." Duplantier earns rank #3 for the most harmonically layered Zildjian setup on this list.. Full drummer profile: [Mario Duplantier on MetalForge](https://metalforge.io/drummer/mario-duplantier) ### 4. Jay Weinberg **Band:** Slipknot / Suicidal Tendencies **Highlight:** Zildjian A Custom & K Custom — Slipknot's modern engine room **Why ranked here:** Jay Weinberg runs a dual-series Zildjian setup for Slipknot — 14" A New Beat hi-hats, 18" and 19" A Custom crashes, a 21" K Custom ride, and a 19" K China — mixing the brighter A Custom line for cutting crash articulation with the darker K Custom line for a ride that holds up under Slipknot's nine-piece wall of sound. Weinberg earns rank #4 for maintaining Slipknot's Zildjian lineage since taking over the drum chair in 2014. Jay Weinberg (Slipknot / Suicidal Tendencies) earns rank #4 for: zildjian a custom & k custom — slipknot's modern engine room. Jay Weinberg runs a dual-series Zildjian setup for Slipknot — 14" A New Beat hi-hats, 18" and 19" A Custom crashes, a 21" K Custom ride, and a 19" K China — mixing the brighter A Custom line for cutting crash articulation with the darker K Custom line for a ride that holds up under Slipknot's nine-piece wall of sound. Weinberg earns rank #4 for maintaining Slipknot's Zildjian lineage since taking over the drum chair in 2014.. Full drummer profile: [Jay Weinberg on MetalForge](https://metalforge.io/drummer/jay-weinberg) ### 5. Arin Ilejay **Band:** ex-Avenged Sevenfold **Highlight:** From triggered Z Custom pioneer to a modern A/Z Custom rig **Why ranked here:** Raymond Herrera pioneered a hybrid acoustic/electronic Zildjian setup on Fear Factory's "Demanufacture" (1995), pairing Zildjian Z Custom cymbals with a full Roland/ddrum trigger rack in a rig that cost roughly $5,200 at the time and helped define industrial metal's mechanical drum sound. His current setup has consolidated onto Tama Starclassic shells with Zildjian A Custom and Z Custom cymbals, dropping the dedicated trigger rack as modern triggering technology became more compact. Herrera earns rank #5 for a Zildjian relationship documented across three decades of gear evolution. Arin Ilejay (ex-Avenged Sevenfold) earns rank #5 for: from triggered z custom pioneer to a modern a/z custom rig. Raymond Herrera pioneered a hybrid acoustic/electronic Zildjian setup on Fear Factory's "Demanufacture" (1995), pairing Zildjian Z Custom cymbals with a full Roland/ddrum trigger rack in a rig that cost roughly $5,200 at the time and helped define industrial metal's mechanical drum sound. His current setup has consolidated onto Tama Starclassic shells with Zildjian A Custom and Z Custom cymbals, dropping the dedicated trigger rack as modern triggering technology became more compact. Herrera earns rank #5 for a Zildjian relationship documented across three decades of gear evolution.. Full drummer profile: [Arin Ilejay on MetalForge](https://metalforge.io/drummer/arin-ilejay) ### 6. John Otto **Band:** Limp Bizkit **Highlight:** Zildjian K Custom Series across Limp Bizkit's career **Why ranked here:** John Otto has anchored Limp Bizkit's rhythm section on a Zildjian K Custom Series setup — 14" hi-hats, 17" and 18" dark crashes, a 20" ride, and 18" China — since the band's earliest recordings, giving Otto's jazz-trained, groove-first playing a darker, more complex cymbal voice than the brighter A Custom setups favored by many of his nu-metal peers. Otto earns rank #6 for a Zildjian setup that has stayed consistent across Limp Bizkit's entire commercial run. John Otto (Limp Bizkit) earns rank #6 for: zildjian k custom series across limp bizkit's career. John Otto has anchored Limp Bizkit's rhythm section on a Zildjian K Custom Series setup — 14" hi-hats, 17" and 18" dark crashes, a 20" ride, and 18" China — since the band's earliest recordings, giving Otto's jazz-trained, groove-first playing a darker, more complex cymbal voice than the brighter A Custom setups favored by many of his nu-metal peers. Otto earns rank #6 for a Zildjian setup that has stayed consistent across Limp Bizkit's entire commercial run.. Full drummer profile: [John Otto on MetalForge](https://metalforge.io/drummer/john-otto) ### 7. Drummer #55 **Band:** Unknown **Highlight:** Zildjian A Custom — unchanged across a ten-album career **Why ranked here:** Jaska Raatikainen adopted a Zildjian A Custom cymbal setup for Children of Bodom's "Follow the Reaper" (2000), widely considered the band's defining album, and barely changed it for the rest of the band's 26-year run — adding only a Zildjian K Custom ride for extra atmosphere during "Are You Dead Yet?" (2005) and "Blooddrunk" (2008). That steadiness carried through to "Hexed" (2019), the band's final album before their 2019 dissolution. Raatikainen earns rank #7 for one of the longest unbroken Zildjian setups in metal, trusted essentially unchanged for two decades. Drummer #55 (Unknown) earns rank #7 for: zildjian a custom — unchanged across a ten-album career. Jaska Raatikainen adopted a Zildjian A Custom cymbal setup for Children of Bodom's "Follow the Reaper" (2000), widely considered the band's defining album, and barely changed it for the rest of the band's 26-year run — adding only a Zildjian K Custom ride for extra atmosphere during "Are You Dead Yet?" (2005) and "Blooddrunk" (2008). That steadiness carried through to "Hexed" (2019), the band's final album before their 2019 dissolution. Raatikainen earns rank #7 for one of the longest unbroken Zildjian setups in metal, trusted essentially unchanged for two decades.. Full drummer profile: [Drummer #55 on MetalForge](https://metalforge.io/drummer/drummer-55) --- ## Frequently Asked Questions --- ## Related Lists - [Top 10 Metal Drummers Playing Sabian Cymbals](https://metalforge.io/lists/best-metal-drummers-playing-sabian-cymbals) — [LLM Reference](https://metalforge.io/llms/lists/best-metal-drummers-playing-sabian-cymbals.md) - [Top 10 Metal Drummers' Signature Snare Drums](https://metalforge.io/lists/metal-drummers-signature-snare-drums) — [LLM Reference](https://metalforge.io/llms/lists/metal-drummers-signature-snare-drums.md) - [Top 10 Death Metal Drummers](https://metalforge.io/lists/death-metal-drummers) — [LLM Reference](https://metalforge.io/llms/lists/death-metal-drummers.md) ## More Resources - [Top 7 Metal Drummers Playing Zildjian Cymbals — Full List](https://metalforge.io/lists/best-metal-drummers-playing-zildjian-cymbals) - [All MetalForge Top-10 Lists](https://metalforge.io/lists) - [Top-10 Lists Overview (LLM)](https://metalforge.io/llms/lists.md) - [All Metal Drummers](https://metalforge.io/drummers) --- *Last updated: 2026-07-06 · Source: [MetalForge.io](https://metalforge.io)*