# Ben Koller vs Flo Mounier — Drum Kit Comparison > Side-by-side gear comparison between Ben Koller (Converge / Mutoid Man / Killer Be Killed) and Flo Mounier (Cryptopsy). **Category:** Extreme / Death / Black Metal · **URL:** https://metalforge.io/vs/ben-koller-vs-flo-mounier Converge's Ben Koller vs Cryptopsy's Flo Mounier. Raw hardcore-driven mathcore intensity versus benchmark-setting technical death metal blast speed. Gear, technique, and legacy compared. --- ## Ben Koller Setup - **Drums:** Tama Starclassic Maple - **Cymbals:** Zildjian (14" K Dark Thin Hi-Hats, 18" & 19" K Dark Medium Thin Crashes, 21" K Custom Ride, 18" K China) - **Snare:** Tama S.L.P. 14x6" Brass - **Pedals/Hardware:** Tama Iron Cobra 900 Double Pedal, Tama Throne - **Sticks:** Vic Firth American Classic 5B ## Flo Mounier Setup - **Drums:** Pearl Masters Maple Complete - **Cymbals:** Sabian AAX & HHX Series (14" HHX Stage Hi-Hats, 17" & 18" AAX X-Plosion Crashes, 21" HHX Raw Bell Dry Ride, 18" AAXtreme China) - **Snare:** Pearl Masters 14x5.5" Maple - **Pedals/Hardware:** Pearl Demon Drive Double Pedal, Pearl D-3000 Throne - **Sticks:** Vic Firth American Classic 5A ## Playing Style Ben Koller joined Converge in late 1999 and became central to the band's mathcore evolution, driving landmark records including "Jane Doe" (2001), "You Fail Me" (2004), and "The Dusk in Us" (2017) with a chaotic, improvisational intensity built from hardcore punk and grindcore roots. Flo Mounier has been the only constant member of Canada's Cryptopsy since 1992, defining technical death metal's blast beat vocabulary on albums like "None So Vile" (1996) and "Whisper Supremacy" (1998), where his gravity blast technique set a benchmark for sheer velocity and complexity that still stands three decades later. ## Technique Koller's technique favors loose, explosive unpredictability — sudden tempo shifts and dynamic swings that thrive on Converge's constantly shifting song structures, prioritizing gut-level feel over rehearsed precision. Mounier's technique is built around the gravity blast, a technique he helped pioneer to push blast beat tempos beyond what traditional single-stroke blasting allows, layered with jazz-influenced timing that gives his playing a swing most pure speed specialists lack. ## Key Differences Ben Koller plays a Tama Starclassic Maple kit with a Tama S.L.P. 14x6" Brass snare and Zildjian K Dark Series cymbals (14" K Dark Thin Hi-Hats, 18" & 19" K Dark Medium Thin Crashes, 21" K Custom Ride, 18" K China), driven by a Tama Iron Cobra 900 double pedal and Vic Firth American Classic 5B sticks. Flo Mounier plays a Pearl Masters Maple Complete kit with a Pearl Masters 14x5.5" Maple snare and Sabian AAX & HHX Series cymbals (14" HHX Stage Hi-Hats, 17" & 18" AAX X-Plosion Crashes, 21" HHX Raw Bell Dry Ride, 18" AAXtreme China), powered by a Pearl Demon Drive double pedal and Vic Firth American Classic 5A sticks. Koller's technique favors loose, explosive unpredictability — sudden tempo shifts and dynamic swings that thrive on Converge's constantly shifting song structures, prioritizing gut-level feel over rehearsed precision. Mounier's technique is built around the gravity blast, a technique he helped pioneer to push blast beat tempos beyond what traditional single-stroke blasting allows, layered with jazz-influenced timing that gives his playing a swing most pure speed specialists lack. ## Influence & Legacy Koller is widely regarded as one of the most respected drummers in extreme and hardcore music, and Converge's "Jane Doe" is routinely cited as a genre-defining mathcore record that reshaped how drummers approach unpredictability and dynamics within heavy music. Mounier's "None So Vile" performance is regularly cited as one of the greatest extreme metal drum recordings of all time, and his gravity blast technique and polyrhythmic vocabulary influenced an entire generation of technical death metal drummers worldwide. ## Verdict Ben Koller and Flo Mounier represent two benchmarks of technical extreme drumming built on opposite philosophies. Koller channels raw, unpredictable chaos into Converge's mathcore assault — his playing feels dangerous because it is built to feel uncontrolled even when it isn't. Mounier channels disciplined, gravity-blast velocity into Cryptopsy's technical death metal, setting speed and complexity records that still define the genre's upper limit. The debate is visceral hardcore unpredictability versus engineered death metal precision — both remain among the most technically demanding drummers extreme music has produced. ## FAQ **Q: What are the main differences between Ben Koller's and Flo Mounier's drum kits?** A: Ben Koller plays Tama Starclassic Maple with Zildjian cymbals, while Flo Mounier uses Pearl Masters Maple Complete with Sabian cymbals. Ben Koller plays a Tama Starclassic Maple kit with a Tama S.L.P. 14x6" Brass snare and Zildjian K Dark Series cymbals (14" K Dark Thin Hi-Hats, 18" & 19" K Dark Medium Thin Crashes, 21" K Custom Ride, 18" K China), driven by a Tama Iron Cobra 900 double pedal and Vic Firth American Classic 5B sticks. Flo Mounier plays a Pearl Masters Maple Complete kit with a Pearl Masters 14x5.5" Maple snare and Sabian AAX & HHX Series cymbals (14" HHX Stage Hi-Hats, 17" & 18" AAX X-Plosion Crashes, 21" HHX Raw Bell Dry Ride, 18" AAXtreme China), powered by a Pearl Demon Drive double pedal and Vic Firth American Classic 5A sticks. **Q: What drums does Ben Koller play vs Flo Mounier?** A: Ben Koller plays Tama Starclassic Maple. Flo Mounier plays Pearl Masters Maple Complete. **Q: Who is the better extreme / death / black metal drummer, Ben Koller or Flo Mounier?** A: Both are legends in their own right. Ben Koller and Flo Mounier represent two benchmarks of technical extreme drumming built on opposite philosophies. See the full analysis at [metalforge.io/vs/ben-koller-vs-flo-mounier](https://metalforge.io/vs/ben-koller-vs-flo-mounier). **Q: What cymbals do Ben Koller and Flo Mounier use?** A: Ben Koller uses Zildjian (14" K Dark Thin Hi-Hats, 18" & 19" K Dark Medium Thin Crashes, 21" K Custom Ride, 18" K China). Flo Mounier uses Sabian AAX & HHX Series (14" HHX Stage Hi-Hats, 17" & 18" AAX X-Plosion Crashes, 21" HHX Raw Bell Dry Ride, 18" AAXtreme China). --- *Full comparison: [metalforge.io/vs/ben-koller-vs-flo-mounier](https://metalforge.io/vs/ben-koller-vs-flo-mounier)* *[Ben Koller drummer profile](https://metalforge.io/drummer/ben-koller)* *[Flo Mounier drummer profile](https://metalforge.io/drummer/flo-mounier)* --- *Last updated: 2026-07-02 · Source: [MetalForge.io](https://metalforge.io)*