# Matt Greiner vs George Kollias — Drum Kit Comparison > Side-by-side gear comparison between Matt Greiner (August Burns Red) and George Kollias (Nile). **Category:** Extreme / Death / Black Metal · **URL:** https://metalforge.io/vs/matt-greiner-vs-george-kollias August Burns Red's Matt Greiner vs Nile's George Kollias — jazz-informed metalcore technique versus extreme technical death metal blast-beat velocity. Gear, technique, and legacy compared. --- ## 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 ## George Kollias Setup - **Drums:** Pearl Masterworks Stadium Exotic (Piano Black with Gold Hardware) - **Cymbals:** Zildjian (14" K Mastersound Hi-Hats, 17" & 18" K Custom Dark Crashes, 21" A Custom Mega Bell Ride, 18" China) - **Snare:** Pearl George Kollias Signature 14x6.5" - **Pedals/Hardware:** Pearl Demon XR Double Pedal (Co-designed), Pearl D-3000 Throne - **Sticks:** Vic Firth George Kollias Signature SGK ## Playing Style Matt Greiner co-founded metalcore band August Burns Red in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, in 2003, and has driven the band's Grammy-nominated catalog for over two decades with jazz-influenced dynamics and technical precision. George Kollias joined Egyptian-themed technical death metal band Nile in 2004, replacing Tony Laureano, and has spent two decades pushing blast-beat endurance to its physical limits across albums including "Annihilation of the Wicked" (2005) and "Vile Nilotic Rites" (2019). ## Technique Greiner incorporates jazz-influenced dynamics, creative cymbal work, and rapid-fire double bass into metalcore's heavy foundation, weaving purposeful transitions between blast beats, breakdowns, and melodic sections into August Burns Red's song structures. Kollias co-designed his own pedal around a heel-toe technique that lets him sustain blast beats past 240 BPM with surgical clarity, and he also employs the gravity blast for extra speed on Nile's most extreme passages, earning him the nickname "The Human Blast Beat Machine." ## Key Differences Matt Greiner plays a Pearl Reference Pure kit with his own Pearl Matt Greiner Signature 14x6" Steel snare and Meinl Byzance Series cymbals (15" Dual Hi-Hats, 18" & 19" Extra Dry Medium Crashes, 21" Transition Ride, 18" Extra Dry China), driven by a Pearl Demon Drive double pedal and his own Vic Firth Matt Greiner Signature sticks. George Kollias plays a Pearl Masterworks Stadium Exotic kit finished in Piano Black with Gold Hardware, anchored by his 14x6.5" Pearl George Kollias Signature snare and Zildjian cymbals (14" K Mastersound Hi-Hats, 17" & 18" K Custom Dark Crashes, 21" A Custom Mega Bell Ride, 18" China), powered by the Pearl Demon XR double pedal he co-designed and his own Vic Firth George Kollias Signature SGK sticks. Greiner incorporates jazz-influenced dynamics, creative cymbal work, and rapid-fire double bass into metalcore's heavy foundation, weaving purposeful transitions between blast beats, breakdowns, and melodic sections into August Burns Red's song structures. Kollias co-designed his own pedal around a heel-toe technique that lets him sustain blast beats past 240 BPM with surgical clarity, and he also employs the gravity blast for extra speed on Nile's most extreme passages, earning him the nickname "The Human Blast Beat Machine." ## Influence & Legacy Greiner has helped raise metalcore's compositional ceiling across August Burns Red's Grammy-nominated catalog, and his own signature Pearl snare and Vic Firth stick line reflect his standing as one of the genre's most respected technicians. Kollias redefined the ceiling for technical death metal drumming since joining Nile in 2004, releasing instructional DVDs including "Intense Metal Drumming" and becoming a benchmark for blast-beat speed and endurance across extreme metal. ## Verdict Matt Greiner and George Kollias push different extremes of technical drumming. Greiner channels jazz-informed dynamics and compositional discipline into August Burns Red's metalcore, treating blast beats as one color among many. Kollias built an entire career and a co-designed signature pedal around sustaining blast beats past 240 BPM for Nile's technical death metal assault. Greiner is metalcore's compositional technician; Kollias is death metal's blast-beat machine — both have redefined what their genres demand from a drummer's feet. ## FAQ **Q: What are the main differences between Matt Greiner's and George Kollias's drum kits?** A: Matt Greiner plays Meinl Drum Festival Kit / Greiner & Kilmer Custom with Meinl cymbals, while George Kollias uses Pearl Masterworks Stadium Exotic (Piano Black with Gold Hardware) with Zildjian cymbals. Matt Greiner plays a Pearl Reference Pure kit with his own Pearl Matt Greiner Signature 14x6" Steel snare and Meinl Byzance Series cymbals (15" Dual Hi-Hats, 18" & 19" Extra Dry Medium Crashes, 21" Transition Ride, 18" Extra Dry China), driven by a Pearl Demon Drive double pedal and his own Vic Firth Matt Greiner Signature sticks. George Kollias plays a Pearl Masterworks Stadium Exotic kit finished in Piano Black with Gold Hardware, anchored by his 14x6.5" Pearl George Kollias Signature snare and Zildjian cymbals (14" K Mastersound Hi-Hats, 17" & 18" K Custom Dark Crashes, 21" A Custom Mega Bell Ride, 18" China), powered by the Pearl Demon XR double pedal he co-designed and his own Vic Firth George Kollias Signature SGK sticks. **Q: What drums does Matt Greiner play vs George Kollias?** A: Matt Greiner plays Meinl Drum Festival Kit / Greiner & Kilmer Custom. George Kollias plays Pearl Masterworks Stadium Exotic (Piano Black with Gold Hardware). **Q: Who is the better extreme / death / black metal drummer, Matt Greiner or George Kollias?** A: Both are legends in their own right. Matt Greiner and George Kollias push different extremes of technical drumming. See the full analysis at [metalforge.io/vs/matt-greiner-vs-george-kollias](https://metalforge.io/vs/matt-greiner-vs-george-kollias). **Q: What cymbals do Matt Greiner and George Kollias 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). George Kollias uses Zildjian (14" K Mastersound Hi-Hats, 17" & 18" K Custom Dark Crashes, 21" A Custom Mega Bell Ride, 18" China). --- *Full comparison: [metalforge.io/vs/matt-greiner-vs-george-kollias](https://metalforge.io/vs/matt-greiner-vs-george-kollias)* *[Matt Greiner drummer profile](https://metalforge.io/drummer/matt-greiner)* *[George Kollias drummer profile](https://metalforge.io/drummer/george-kollias)* --- *Last updated: 2026-07-06 · Source: [MetalForge.io](https://metalforge.io)*