# Blake Richardson vs Travis Orbin — Drum Kit Comparison > Side-by-side gear comparison between Blake Richardson (Between the Buried and Me) and Travis Orbin (ex-Periphery / Darkest Hour). **Category:** Progressive Metal · **URL:** https://metalforge.io/vs/blake-richardson-vs-travis-orbin Between the Buried and Me's Blake Richardson vs ex-Periphery's Travis Orbin. Jazz-informed death metal complexity versus djent-defining polyrhythmic precision — gear, technique, and legacy compared. --- ## Blake Richardson Setup - **Drums:** Tama Starclassic Bubinga (Custom Finish) - **Cymbals:** Sabian (14" HHX Evolution Hi-Hats, 18" HHX Evolution Crash, 17" & 21" AAX Holy Chinas, 21" HH Raw Bell Dry Ride, 10" HH Duo Splash, 9" Radia Cup Chime) - **Snare:** Tama STARPHONIC 14x6" Brass - **Pedals/Hardware:** Tama Iron Cobra Power Glide Single Pedals (x2), Tama Hardware - **Sticks:** Vic Firth American Classic 3A ## Travis Orbin Setup - **Drums:** SJC Custom Drums - **Cymbals:** Zildjian K Custom Series (14" K Custom Dark Hi-Hats, 18" & 19" K Custom Dark Crashes, 21" K Custom Ride, 18" K Custom China) - **Snare:** SJC Custom 14x6.5" Maple - **Pedals/Hardware:** DW 9000 Series Double Pedal, Roland SPD-SX Sampling Pad, DW 9100 Throne - **Sticks:** Vic Firth American Classic 5B ## Playing Style Blake Richardson has been the drummer for American progressive metal band Between the Buried and Me since early 2005, fusing death metal precision with jazz influences across genre-spanning, fill-heavy compositions. His work on landmark albums like *Colors* (2007), *The Great Misdirect* (2009), and *Colors II* (2023) has earned him Grammy nominations and widespread acclaim as one of modern progressive metal's most creative drummers. Travis Orbin rose to prominence as the original studio drummer on Periphery's self-titled 2010 debut album — a record widely credited with helping define the djent movement. His complex polyrhythmic patterns and precise double bass work at extreme tempos established a new template for technical progressive metal drumming before he moved on to thrash band Darkest Hour in 2013. ## Technique Richardson's technique blends death metal blast beats with jazz-influenced odd time signatures and fill-heavy arrangements, requiring him to shift fluidly between brutal extremity and intricate, almost mathematical compositional complexity within a single song — a hallmark of Between the Buried and Me's genre-blending approach. Orbin's technique is built for polymetric complexity at speed — precise double bass work combined with creative use of electronic triggers and odd-meter phrasing, demanding not just raw tempo but the ability to navigate shifting time signatures without losing djent's hyper-precise pocket. ## Key Differences Richardson is the more compositionally versatile drummer — his fusion of death metal brutality with jazz-informed odd-meter intricacy spans two decades and multiple stylistic eras of Between the Buried and Me. Orbin is the more foundational speed-and-precision specialist — his work on Periphery's 2010 debut is a genre-defining statement that shaped how an entire generation of djent drummers approach polyrhythmic complexity. Both drummers rely on double-kick setups tuned for extreme independence and precision, but Orbin's Roland SPD-SX sampling pad reflects djent's embrace of electronic triggers, while Richardson's twin single pedals and expanded Sabian china cymbal array reflect BTBAM's need for both brute force and textural variety. ## Influence & Legacy Richardson's two-decade run with Between the Buried and Me, citing influences like Terry Bozzio, Dennis Chambers, and Tomas Haake, has made him one of the most creative and technically proficient drummers in modern progressive metal, with Grammy-nominated work that helped define the genre-blending "djent-adjacent" progressive metal sound of the 2010s and 2020s. Orbin's performance on Periphery's 2010 debut is frequently cited as a foundational djent drumming statement, and his "Travis Orbin Drum" YouTube channel — where he posts studio playthroughs — has made his hyper-precise, polyrhythmic approach influential among modern progressive metal and djent drummers. ## Verdict Blake Richardson and Travis Orbin represent two of progressive metalcore's most technically demanding drumming traditions, both orbiting the scene Periphery helped ignite. Richardson is Between the Buried and Me's two-decade compositional chameleon, fusing death metal brutality with jazz-informed odd-meter intricacy across Grammy-nominated albums. Orbin is djent's hyper-precision pioneer, having helped define the genre on Periphery's foundational 2010 debut before carrying that polyrhythmic precision into thrash and session work. Both answer "who is the best technical metalcore drummer?" from adjacent but distinct angles — Richardson through genre-blending complexity, Orbin through polymetric speed and precision. ## FAQ **Q: Who is a better drummer: Blake Richardson or Travis Orbin?** A: Both are elite technical progressive metalcore drummers with different strengths. Blake Richardson (Between the Buried and Me) is known for fusing death metal blast beats with jazz-influenced odd time signatures across two decades of genre-blending, Grammy-nominated albums. Travis Orbin (ex-Periphery) is known for hyper-precise polyrhythmic double bass work that helped define the djent movement on Periphery's 2010 debut. There is no objectively "better" — Richardson represents compositional complexity, Orbin represents polymetric speed and precision. See the full comparison at [metalforge.io/vs/blake-richardson-vs-travis-orbin](https://metalforge.io/vs/blake-richardson-vs-travis-orbin). **Q: What is the connection between Blake Richardson, Travis Orbin, and Periphery?** A: Travis Orbin was the original studio drummer on Periphery's self-titled 2010 debut album, a record that helped define the djent movement. Blake Richardson has no direct Periphery connection but operates in the same progressive metalcore/djent-adjacent scene with Between the Buried and Me, and the two drummers are frequently compared for their shared technical, polyrhythmic approach to modern progressive metal. **Q: What gear do Blake Richardson and Travis Orbin use?** A: Blake Richardson plays a Tama Starclassic Bubinga kit with a Tama STARPHONIC 14x6" Brass snare and Sabian HHX Evolution & AAX Holy China cymbals. Travis Orbin plays SJC Custom Drums with an SJC Custom 14x6.5" Maple snare and Zildjian K Custom Series cymbals, plus a Roland SPD-SX sampling pad for electronic triggers. **Q: How long has Blake Richardson been in Between the Buried and Me?** A: Blake Richardson joined Between the Buried and Me in early 2005, replacing former drummer Jason Roe, and has been the band's drummer ever since — recording landmark albums including *Colors* (2007), *The Great Misdirect* (2009), and *Colors II* (2023). --- *Full comparison: [metalforge.io/vs/blake-richardson-vs-travis-orbin](https://metalforge.io/vs/blake-richardson-vs-travis-orbin)* *[Blake Richardson drummer profile](https://metalforge.io/drummer/blake-richardson)* *[Travis Orbin drummer profile](https://metalforge.io/drummer/travis-orbin)* *[Related: Derek Roddy vs Travis Orbin](/vs/derek-roddy-vs-travis-orbin)* *[Related: Aquiles Priester vs Blake Richardson](/vs/aquiles-priester-vs-blake-richardson)* --- *Last updated: 2026-07-01 · Source: [MetalForge.io](https://metalforge.io)*