# Mario Duplantier vs Flo Mounier — Drum Kit Comparison > Side-by-side gear comparison between Mario Duplantier (Gojira) and Flo Mounier (Cryptopsy). **Category:** Progressive Metal · **URL:** https://metalforge.io/vs/mario-duplantier-vs-flo-mounier Gojira's Mario Duplantier vs Cryptopsy's Flo Mounier — tribal, polyrhythmic progressive death metal versus hyper-technical Canadian blast-beat velocity. Gear, technique, and legacy compared. --- ## Mario Duplantier Setup - **Drums:** Tama Starclassic Bubinga (22"x18" Bass Drums x2, 12"x9" & 13"x10" Toms, 16"x16" Floor Tom) - **Cymbals:** Zildjian (14" K Sweet Hi-Hats, 14" A Custom Hi-Hats, 18" K Custom Hybrid Crash, 19" A Custom Crash, 20" K Sweet Crash, 21" Z Custom Mega Bell Ride, 18" & 20" Chinas) - **Snare:** Tama S.L.P. 14x6.5" G-Maple - **Pedals/Hardware:** Tama Iron Cobra 900 Power Glide Double Pedal, Tama 1st Chair Ergo-Rider Throne - **Sticks:** Tama Mario Duplantier Signature ## 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 Mario Duplantier co-founded progressive death metal band Gojira with his brother Joe Duplantier in Bayonne, France, in 1996, building crushing double bass patterns layered with tribal, polyrhythmic structures across albums including "From Mars to Sirius" (2005) and "Magma" (2016). Flo Mounier has been the only constant member of Canadian technical death metal pioneers Cryptopsy since joining in 1992, setting new standards for extreme metal drumming on landmark albums like "None So Vile" (1996) and "Whisper Supremacy" (1998). ## Technique Duplantier blends raw power with polyrhythmic complexity and an unmistakable tribal, ceremonial quality, treating blast beats as compositional tools that build tension rather than a default setting for intensity, locking into Gojira's tuned, resonant guitar tones with explosive fills and odd-meter grooves. Mounier is widely credited as one of the drummers most responsible for popularizing the gravity blast — a technique where a single hand bounces off the snare drum and rim in a see-saw motion to produce two strokes from one arm movement — which he introduced on "None So Vile" in 1996. ## Key Differences Mario Duplantier plays a Tama Starclassic Walnut/Birch kit with a Tama S.L.P. 14x6" G-Maple snare and Meinl Byzance Series cymbals (14" Dark Hi-Hats, 18" & 20" Brilliant Heavy Hammered Crashes, 21" Transition Ride, 18" Extra Dry China), powered by a Tama Iron Cobra 900 Power Glide double pedal and Vic Firth X5A sticks. Flo Mounier plays a Pearl Reference Series kit with a Pearl Reference 14x5" Steel snare and Sabian AAX Series cymbals (14" Stage Hi-Hats, 17" & 18" X-Plosion Crashes, 21" Raw Bell Dry Ride, 18" AAXtreme China), driven by a Pearl Demon Drive double pedal and Vater Power 5B sticks. Duplantier blends raw power with polyrhythmic complexity and an unmistakable tribal, ceremonial quality, treating blast beats as compositional tools that build tension rather than a default setting for intensity, locking into Gojira's tuned, resonant guitar tones with explosive fills and odd-meter grooves. Mounier is widely credited as one of the drummers most responsible for popularizing the gravity blast — a technique where a single hand bounces off the snare drum and rim in a see-saw motion to produce two strokes from one arm movement — which he introduced on "None So Vile" in 1996. ## Influence & Legacy Duplantier has become one of progressive death metal's most influential modern voices, his tribal, polyrhythmic approach on Gojira records shaping a generation of drummers who blend technical death metal with atmospheric groove, and earning the band a Grammy nomination for "Silvera" in 2016 — the first for a French metal act. Mounier's "None So Vile" is regularly cited as one of the greatest extreme metal drum recordings of all time, and his gravity-blast technique has become a foundational tool for technical death metal drummers worldwide. ## Verdict Mario Duplantier and Flo Mounier represent progressive death metal's two poles from opposite sides of the Atlantic. Duplantier drives Gojira's tribal, polyrhythmic groove, treating blast beats as compositional tools within a larger tuned-percussion attack. Mounier pushes technical death metal to its physical limits with Cryptopsy, popularizing the gravity blast on "None So Vile" nearly three decades ago and remaining a benchmark for blast-beat velocity. Duplantier is progressive death metal's tribal innovator; Mounier is technical death metal's speed pioneer — both proved extreme metal drumming could be revolutionary without sacrificing musicality. ## FAQ **Q: What are the main differences between Mario Duplantier's and Flo Mounier's drum kits?** A: Mario Duplantier plays Tama Starclassic Bubinga (22"x18" Bass Drums x2, 12"x9" & 13"x10" Toms, 16"x16" Floor Tom) with Zildjian cymbals, while Flo Mounier uses Pearl Masters Maple Complete with Sabian cymbals. Mario Duplantier plays a Tama Starclassic Walnut/Birch kit with a Tama S.L.P. 14x6" G-Maple snare and Meinl Byzance Series cymbals (14" Dark Hi-Hats, 18" & 20" Brilliant Heavy Hammered Crashes, 21" Transition Ride, 18" Extra Dry China), powered by a Tama Iron Cobra 900 Power Glide double pedal and Vic Firth X5A sticks. Flo Mounier plays a Pearl Reference Series kit with a Pearl Reference 14x5" Steel snare and Sabian AAX Series cymbals (14" Stage Hi-Hats, 17" & 18" X-Plosion Crashes, 21" Raw Bell Dry Ride, 18" AAXtreme China), driven by a Pearl Demon Drive double pedal and Vater Power 5B sticks. **Q: What drums does Mario Duplantier play vs Flo Mounier?** A: Mario Duplantier plays Tama Starclassic Bubinga (22"x18" Bass Drums x2, 12"x9" & 13"x10" Toms, 16"x16" Floor Tom). Flo Mounier plays Pearl Masters Maple Complete. **Q: Who is the better progressive metal drummer, Mario Duplantier or Flo Mounier?** A: Both are legends in their own right. Mario Duplantier and Flo Mounier represent progressive death metal's two poles from opposite sides of the Atlantic. See the full analysis at [metalforge.io/vs/mario-duplantier-vs-flo-mounier](https://metalforge.io/vs/mario-duplantier-vs-flo-mounier). **Q: What cymbals do Mario Duplantier and Flo Mounier use?** A: Mario Duplantier uses Zildjian (14" K Sweet Hi-Hats, 14" A Custom Hi-Hats, 18" K Custom Hybrid Crash, 19" A Custom Crash, 20" K Sweet Crash, 21" Z Custom Mega Bell Ride, 18" & 20" Chinas). 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/mario-duplantier-vs-flo-mounier](https://metalforge.io/vs/mario-duplantier-vs-flo-mounier)* *[Mario Duplantier drummer profile](https://metalforge.io/drummer/mario-duplantier)* *[Flo Mounier drummer profile](https://metalforge.io/drummer/flo-mounier)* --- *Last updated: 2026-07-06 · Source: [MetalForge.io](https://metalforge.io)*