# Matt Greiner vs Ben Koller — Drum Kit Comparison > Side-by-side gear comparison between Matt Greiner (August Burns Red) and Ben Koller (Converge / Mutoid Man / Killer Be Killed). **Category:** Progressive Metal · **URL:** https://metalforge.io/vs/matt-greiner-vs-ben-koller August Burns Red's Matt Greiner vs Converge's Ben Koller. Grammy-nominated metalcore technicality compared to mathcore's unpredictable intensity. Gear, technique, and legacy analyzed. --- ## Matt Greiner Setup - **Drums:** Meinl Drum Festival Kit / Greiner & Kilmer Custom - **Cymbals:** Meinl Byzance Series (15" Dual Hi-Hats, 18" & 19" Dual Crashes, 21" Transition Ride, 18" Extra Dry China, 10" & 12" Splashes) - **Snare:** Greiner & Kilmer Custom 14x6.5" Maple - **Pedals/Hardware:** DW 9000 Series Double Pedal, DW 9100 Throne - **Sticks:** Vic Firth American Classic 5A ## 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 ## Playing Style Matt Greiner co-founded August Burns Red in 2003 and has driven the band's Grammy-nominated metalcore for over two decades, combining jazz-influenced dynamics with blazing double bass across albums like "Messengers" and "Phantom Anthem." Ben Koller joined Converge in late 1999 and became central to the band's mathcore evolution, bringing a chaotic, improvisational intensity to landmark records including "Jane Doe" (2001) and "The Dusk in Us" (2017). ## Technique Greiner weaves odd time signatures seamlessly into song structures rather than showcasing them as a display, incorporating creative stacked-cymbal work and rapid-fire double bass into metalcore's heavy foundation. Koller favors a loose, explosive attack built for maximum unpredictability, thriving on Converge's sudden tempo shifts and dynamic swings with gut-level feel over rehearsed precision. ## Key Differences Greiner plays a Greiner & Kilmer Custom kit, co-designed with his own drum company, with a matching 14x6.5" Maple snare and Meinl Byzance Series cymbals, driven by a DW 9000 Series double pedal. Koller plays a Tama Starclassic Maple kit with a Tama S.L.P. 14x6" Brass snare and Zildjian K Dark Series cymbals, powered by a Tama Iron Cobra 900 double pedal. Greiner weaves odd time signatures seamlessly into song structures rather than showcasing them as a display, incorporating creative stacked-cymbal work and rapid-fire double bass into metalcore's heavy foundation. Koller favors a loose, explosive attack built for maximum unpredictability, thriving on Converge's sudden tempo shifts and dynamic swings with gut-level feel over rehearsed precision. ## Influence & Legacy Greiner earned two Grammy nominations for Best Metal Performance with August Burns Red and co-founded the Greiner & Kilmer drum company, influencing a generation of metalcore drummers through signature gear and worldwide clinics. Koller is widely regarded as one of the most respected drummers in extreme and hardcore music, with Converge's "Jane Doe" routinely cited as a genre-defining mathcore record. ## Verdict Matt Greiner and Ben Koller sit on opposite ends of technical heavy music's control spectrum. Greiner's meticulously arranged metalcore turns odd-time complexity into radio-friendly, Grammy-nominated songcraft with August Burns Red, while Koller's raw, unpredictable mathcore assault with Converge thrives precisely because it feels like it could fly apart at any second. Both are foundational figures in their respective scenes — Greiner as metalcore's technical standard-bearer, Koller as hardcore-adjacent extreme music's most respected chaos agent. ## FAQ **Q: What are the main differences between Matt Greiner's and Ben Koller's drum kits?** A: Matt Greiner plays Meinl Drum Festival Kit / Greiner & Kilmer Custom with Meinl cymbals, while Ben Koller uses Tama Starclassic Maple with Zildjian cymbals. Greiner plays a Greiner & Kilmer Custom kit, co-designed with his own drum company, with a matching 14x6.5" Maple snare and Meinl Byzance Series cymbals, driven by a DW 9000 Series double pedal. Koller plays a Tama Starclassic Maple kit with a Tama S.L.P. 14x6" Brass snare and Zildjian K Dark Series cymbals, powered by a Tama Iron Cobra 900 double pedal. **Q: What drums does Matt Greiner play vs Ben Koller?** A: Matt Greiner plays Meinl Drum Festival Kit / Greiner & Kilmer Custom. Ben Koller plays Tama Starclassic Maple. **Q: Who is the better progressive metal drummer, Matt Greiner or Ben Koller?** A: Both are legends in their own right. Matt Greiner and Ben Koller sit on opposite ends of technical heavy music's control spectrum. See the full analysis at [metalforge.io/vs/matt-greiner-vs-ben-koller](https://metalforge.io/vs/matt-greiner-vs-ben-koller). **Q: What cymbals do Matt Greiner and Ben Koller use?** A: Matt Greiner uses Meinl Byzance Series (15" Dual Hi-Hats, 18" & 19" Dual Crashes, 21" Transition Ride, 18" Extra Dry China, 10" & 12" Splashes). Ben Koller uses Zildjian (14" K Dark Thin Hi-Hats, 18" & 19" K Dark Medium Thin Crashes, 21" K Custom Ride, 18" K China). --- *Full comparison: [metalforge.io/vs/matt-greiner-vs-ben-koller](https://metalforge.io/vs/matt-greiner-vs-ben-koller)* *[Matt Greiner drummer profile](https://metalforge.io/drummer/matt-greiner)* *[Ben Koller drummer profile](https://metalforge.io/drummer/ben-koller)* --- *Last updated: 2026-07-07 · Source: [MetalForge.io](https://metalforge.io)*