# Jaska Raatikainen vs Bill Ward — Drum Kit Comparison > Side-by-side gear comparison between Jaska Raatikainen (Children of Bodom) and Bill Ward (Black Sabbath). **Category:** Extreme / Death / Black Metal · **URL:** https://metalforge.io/vs/jaska-raatikainen-vs-bill-ward Children of Bodom's Jaska Raatikainen vs Black Sabbath's Bill Ward. Finnish melodic death metal blast-beat precision compared to the jazz-swing foundation of heavy metal itself. Gear, technique, and legacy compared. --- ## Jaska Raatikainen Setup - **Drums:** Pearl Masters Premium Maple - **Cymbals:** Zildjian A Custom & K Custom Series (14" A Custom Hi-Hats, 17" & 18" A Custom Crashes, 20" K Custom Ride) - **Snare:** Pearl Masters 14x5.5" Maple - **Pedals/Hardware:** Pearl Eliminator Double Pedal - **Sticks:** Vic Firth American Classic 5A ## Bill Ward Setup - **Drums:** Ludwig Classic Maple - **Cymbals:** Paiste 2002 & Giant Beat Series (15" Giant Beat Hi-Hats, 18" & 20" 2002 Crashes, 24" 2002 Ride, 18" 2002 China) - **Snare:** Ludwig Supraphonic 14x6.5" LM402 - **Pedals/Hardware:** Ludwig Atlas Pro Double Pedal, Ludwig Throne - **Sticks:** Vic Firth American Classic 2B ## Playing Style Jaska Raatikainen co-founded Children of Bodom in 1993 and spent 26 years driving the Finnish band's signature blend of neoclassical melodies and melodic death metal, anchoring dense keyboard-and-guitar arrangements from "Something Wild" (1997) through the band's 2019 farewell. Bill Ward co-founded Black Sabbath in 1968 and, drawing on jazz heroes Gene Krupa and Buddy Rich, built an open, swinging feel that became the rhythmic template for heavy metal itself on "Black Sabbath" (1970) and "Paranoid" (1970). ## Technique Raatikainen built his technique around clean, locked-in double bass and precise, driving blast beats, keeping Bodom's dense arrangements anchored with surgical consistency at extreme tempos. Ward's loose grip and behind-the-beat phrasing gave early Sabbath riffs a rolling, jazz-informed swing that no other rock drummer of the era was playing, relying entirely on single-pedal technique with no double bass at all. ## Key Differences Raatikainen played a Pearl Masters Premium Maple kit with a Pearl Masters 14x5.5" Maple snare and Zildjian A Custom & K Custom cymbals, powered by a Pearl Eliminator double pedal. Ward played a Ludwig Classic Maple kit with a Ludwig Supraphonic 14x6.5" LM402 snare and Paiste 2002 & Giant Beat Series cymbals, including a massive 24" 2002 Ride, driven by a single pedal. Raatikainen built his technique around clean, locked-in double bass and precise, driving blast beats, keeping Bodom's dense arrangements anchored with surgical consistency at extreme tempos. Ward's loose grip and behind-the-beat phrasing gave early Sabbath riffs a rolling, jazz-informed swing that no other rock drummer of the era was playing, relying entirely on single-pedal technique with no double bass at all. ## Influence & Legacy Raatikainen gave Finnish melodic death metal its rhythmic identity, helping Children of Bodom become one of the genre's most globally successful acts and influencing a generation of Scandinavian metal drummers. Ward is widely credited as one of the true originators of heavy metal drumming — every extreme metal drummer who followed, including Raatikainen, built on the rhythmic vocabulary he created with Sabbath. ## Verdict Jaska Raatikainen and Bill Ward sit at opposite ends of heavy metal drumming's five-decade evolution. Ward invented the jazz-swung, single-pedal foundation of heavy metal drumming in 1968, prioritizing feel and space over speed. Raatikainen took that lineage to its technical extreme, driving Children of Bodom's blast-beat-and-double-bass melodic death metal with surgical precision for 26 years. Both remain foundational voices in their eras — one wrote metal drumming's first chapter, the other pushed it toward its most demanding modern form. ## FAQ **Q: What are the main differences between Jaska Raatikainen's and Bill Ward's drum kits?** A: Jaska Raatikainen plays Pearl Masters Premium Maple with Zildjian cymbals, while Bill Ward uses Ludwig Classic Maple with Paiste cymbals. Raatikainen played a Pearl Masters Premium Maple kit with a Pearl Masters 14x5.5" Maple snare and Zildjian A Custom & K Custom cymbals, powered by a Pearl Eliminator double pedal. Ward played a Ludwig Classic Maple kit with a Ludwig Supraphonic 14x6.5" LM402 snare and Paiste 2002 & Giant Beat Series cymbals, including a massive 24" 2002 Ride, driven by a single pedal. **Q: What drums does Jaska Raatikainen play vs Bill Ward?** A: Jaska Raatikainen plays Pearl Masters Premium Maple. Bill Ward plays Ludwig Classic Maple. **Q: Who is the better extreme / death / black metal drummer, Jaska Raatikainen or Bill Ward?** A: Both are legends in their own right. Jaska Raatikainen and Bill Ward sit at opposite ends of heavy metal drumming's five-decade evolution. See the full analysis at [metalforge.io/vs/jaska-raatikainen-vs-bill-ward](https://metalforge.io/vs/jaska-raatikainen-vs-bill-ward). **Q: What cymbals do Jaska Raatikainen and Bill Ward use?** A: Jaska Raatikainen uses Zildjian A Custom & K Custom Series (14" A Custom Hi-Hats, 17" & 18" A Custom Crashes, 20" K Custom Ride). Bill Ward uses Paiste 2002 & Giant Beat Series (15" Giant Beat Hi-Hats, 18" & 20" 2002 Crashes, 24" 2002 Ride, 18" 2002 China). --- *Full comparison: [metalforge.io/vs/jaska-raatikainen-vs-bill-ward](https://metalforge.io/vs/jaska-raatikainen-vs-bill-ward)* *[Jaska Raatikainen drummer profile](https://metalforge.io/drummer/jaska-raatikainen)* *[Bill Ward drummer profile](https://metalforge.io/drummer/bill-ward)* --- *Last updated: 2026-07-07 · Source: [MetalForge.io](https://metalforge.io)*