# Jocke Wallgren vs Daniel Erlandsson — Drum Kit Comparison > Side-by-side gear comparison between Jocke Wallgren (Amon Amarth) and Daniel Erlandsson (Arch Enemy). **Category:** Extreme / Death / Black Metal · **URL:** https://metalforge.io/vs/jocke-wallgren-vs-daniel-erlandsson Amon Amarth's Jocke Wallgren vs Arch Enemy's Daniel Erlandsson — two Swedish melodic death metal drummers, one built for viking-metal gallop, one for Gothenburg blast-beat precision. --- ## Jocke Wallgren Setup - **Drums:** Pearl Reference Pure - **Cymbals:** Zildjian A Custom & K Custom Series (14" A Custom Hi-Hats, 18" & 19" A Custom Crashes, 21" K Custom Ride) - **Snare:** Pearl Reference 14x6.5" Brass - **Pedals/Hardware:** Pearl Demon Drive Double Pedal - **Sticks:** Vic Firth American Classic 5B ## Daniel Erlandsson Setup - **Drums:** Pearl Reference Pure - **Cymbals:** Paiste RUDE & 2002 Series (14" RUDE Hi-Hats, 18" & 19" RUDE Crashes, 22" RUDE Power Ride) - **Snare:** Pearl Daniel Erlandsson Signature 14x5.5" - **Pedals/Hardware:** Pearl Demon Drive Double Pedal - **Sticks:** Vic Firth American Classic 5B ## Playing Style Jocke Wallgren joined Amon Amarth in 2013 and has anchored the band's viking-metal identity across "Deceiver of the Gods" (2013), "Jomsviking" (2016), "Berserker" (2019), and the Grammis-nominated "The Great Heathen Army" (2022) — four albums built around anthemic, riff-locked arrangements and the driving double-bass "gallop" that defines the band's sound. Daniel Erlandsson co-founded Arch Enemy in 1995 and has held the drum chair across ten studio albums, from the raw "Black Earth" (1996) through "Deceivers" (2022), emerging from the same Gothenburg melodic death metal scene that produced At The Gates — where his brother Adrian Erlandsson famously drummed on "Slaughter of the Soul" (1995). Both drummers work within Swedish melodic death metal, but Wallgren serves epic, folk-inflected narrative songwriting while Erlandsson serves Michael Amott's guitar-forward, blast-beat-driven compositions. ## Technique Wallgren's signature is the double-bass "gallop" — a three-note pattern of two rapid kick strokes following a downbeat that generates the forward-rolling momentum behind anthems like "Twilight of the Thunder God" and "Berserker," sustained at 150–220 BPM across full headline sets, with occasional excursions into genuine blast-beat territory on the "Berserker" title track. Erlandsson's technique is built around treating blast beats as compositional events rather than a constant — deploying them at precise structural moments on tracks like "Enemy Within" for maximum impact, then pulling back into melodic, guitar-interactive tom fills that anticipate Amott's riff phrasing rather than simply occupying space. Where Wallgren's foundation is the sustained groove of the gallop, Erlandsson's foundation is dynamic contrast between restraint and blast-beat extremity. ## Key Differences Wallgren plays a Tama Starclassic Performer B/B kit — birch/bubinga hybrid shells chosen for sharp attack clarity plus warmth — with double 22"x18" bass drums, a Tama Bell Brass or Starphonic 14"x6.5" snare, Meinl Byzance cymbals (Traditional series live, shifting to the drier Vintage series for "Berserker"'s heavier material), a DW 9002 double bass pedal, and Vic Firth 5B sticks. Erlandsson plays a Pearl Reference Pure kit — all-maple shells at the top of Pearl's production hierarchy — also with double 22"x18" bass drums, but a shallower 14"x5.5" Pearl Daniel Erlandsson Signature snare he co-designed for extra crack and speed, Sabian AAX cymbals for bright projection paired with a darker HHX ride for tonal contrast, a Pearl Eliminator double pedal, and ProMark 5B sticks. Wallgren's signature is the double-bass "gallop" — a three-note pattern of two rapid kick strokes following a downbeat that generates the forward-rolling momentum behind anthems like "Twilight of the Thunder God" and "Berserker," sustained at 150–220 BPM across full headline sets, with occasional excursions into genuine blast-beat territory on the "Berserker" title track. Erlandsson's technique is built around treating blast beats as compositional events rather than a constant — deploying them at precise structural moments on tracks like "Enemy Within" for maximum impact, then pulling back into melodic, guitar-interactive tom fills that anticipate Amott's riff phrasing rather than simply occupying space. Where Wallgren's foundation is the sustained groove of the gallop, Erlandsson's foundation is dynamic contrast between restraint and blast-beat extremity. ## Influence & Legacy Wallgren's tenure has carried Amon Amarth to its biggest commercial chart performances yet, with "The Great Heathen Army" earning a 2023 Grammis nomination — a rare mainstream nod for melodic death metal — while sustaining the driving double-bass foundation that predates him back to "Twilight of the Thunder God." Erlandsson's three-decade run has made him one of the longest-serving drummers in extreme metal, helping define the Gothenburg melodic death metal template from Arch Enemy's earliest days through the Angela Gossow and Alissa White-Gluz vocalist eras, with tracks like "Nemesis" remaining touchstones for blast-beat-to-melody compositional technique. ## Verdict Jocke Wallgren and Daniel Erlandsson represent two branches of Swedish melodic death metal that rarely get compared directly. Wallgren built his career sustaining Amon Amarth's anthemic double-bass gallop across arena and festival stages; Erlandsson built his deploying blast beats as precision compositional tools within Arch Enemy's guitar-forward songwriting, all while his own brother was cutting the genre's founding record at At The Gates. Both drummers prove Gothenburg-adjacent melodic death metal has room for radically different rhythmic philosophies — sustained groove versus surgical intensity — under the same genre umbrella. ## FAQ **Q: What are the main differences between Jocke Wallgren's and Daniel Erlandsson's drum kits?** A: Jocke Wallgren plays Pearl Reference Pure with Zildjian cymbals, while Daniel Erlandsson uses Pearl Reference Pure with Paiste cymbals. Wallgren plays a Tama Starclassic Performer B/B kit — birch/bubinga hybrid shells chosen for sharp attack clarity plus warmth — with double 22"x18" bass drums, a Tama Bell Brass or Starphonic 14"x6.5" snare, Meinl Byzance cymbals (Traditional series live, shifting to the drier Vintage series for "Berserker"'s heavier material), a DW 9002 double bass pedal, and Vic Firth 5B sticks. Erlandsson plays a Pearl Reference Pure kit — all-maple shells at the top of Pearl's production hierarchy — also with double 22"x18" bass drums, but a shallower 14"x5.5" Pearl Daniel Erlandsson Signature snare he co-designed for extra crack and speed, Sabian AAX cymbals for bright projection paired with a darker HHX ride for tonal contrast, a Pearl Eliminator double pedal, and ProMark 5B sticks. **Q: What drums does Jocke Wallgren play vs Daniel Erlandsson?** A: Jocke Wallgren plays Pearl Reference Pure. Daniel Erlandsson plays Pearl Reference Pure. **Q: Who is the better extreme / death / black metal drummer, Jocke Wallgren or Daniel Erlandsson?** A: Both are legends in their own right. Jocke Wallgren and Daniel Erlandsson represent two branches of Swedish melodic death metal that rarely get compared directly. See the full analysis at [metalforge.io/vs/jocke-wallgren-vs-daniel-erlandsson](https://metalforge.io/vs/jocke-wallgren-vs-daniel-erlandsson). **Q: What cymbals do Jocke Wallgren and Daniel Erlandsson use?** A: Jocke Wallgren uses Zildjian A Custom & K Custom Series (14" A Custom Hi-Hats, 18" & 19" A Custom Crashes, 21" K Custom Ride). Daniel Erlandsson uses Paiste RUDE & 2002 Series (14" RUDE Hi-Hats, 18" & 19" RUDE Crashes, 22" RUDE Power Ride). --- *Full comparison: [metalforge.io/vs/jocke-wallgren-vs-daniel-erlandsson](https://metalforge.io/vs/jocke-wallgren-vs-daniel-erlandsson)* *[Jocke Wallgren drummer profile](https://metalforge.io/drummer/jocke-wallgren)* *[Daniel Erlandsson drummer profile](https://metalforge.io/drummer/daniel-erlandsson)* --- *Last updated: 2026-07-09 · Source: [MetalForge.io](https://metalforge.io)*