# Matt Greiner vs Mario Duplantier — Drum Kit Comparison > Side-by-side gear comparison between Matt Greiner (August Burns Red) and Mario Duplantier (Gojira). **Category:** Progressive Metal · **URL:** https://metalforge.io/vs/matt-greiner-vs-mario-duplantier August Burns Red's Matt Greiner vs Gojira's Mario Duplantier. Grammy-nominated metalcore technicality compared to tribal progressive death-metal polyrhythm. 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 ## 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 ## 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." Mario Duplantier co-founded Gojira with his brother Joe in 1996, building a tribal, progressive death metal style that combines crushing double bass with complex rhythmic structures across albums like "From Mars to Sirius" and "Magma." ## 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. Duplantier forgoes a double pedal in favor of dual bass drums for a more organic feel, layering tribal, almost ritualistic polyrhythms beneath Gojira's environmentally-themed death metal. ## 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. Duplantier plays a Tama Starclassic Bubinga kit with dual 22"x18" bass drums and a Tama S.L.P. 14x6.5" G-Maple snare, paired with a sprawling Zildjian cymbal array including a 21" Z Custom Mega Bell Ride. 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. Duplantier forgoes a double pedal in favor of dual bass drums for a more organic feel, layering tribal, almost ritualistic polyrhythms beneath Gojira's environmentally-themed death metal. ## 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. Duplantier pioneered the "environmental metal" style that made Gojira one of the most critically acclaimed progressive death metal bands of the 21st century, earning multiple Grammy nominations. ## Verdict Matt Greiner and Mario Duplantier both push progressive songwriting into heavy music, but from different directions. Greiner turns odd-time complexity into meticulously arranged, radio-friendly metalcore with August Burns Red, folding technicality invisibly into song structure. Duplantier builds Gojira's progressive death metal around organic, dual-bass-drum polyrhythms and tribal intensity that feels ritualistic rather than rehearsed. Both are Grammy-nominated architects of technical songwriting in modern heavy music, proving polyrhythmic complexity can serve radically different sonic goals. ## FAQ **Q: What are the main differences between Matt Greiner's and Mario Duplantier's drum kits?** A: Matt Greiner plays Meinl Drum Festival Kit / Greiner & Kilmer Custom with Meinl cymbals, while Mario Duplantier uses Tama Starclassic Bubinga (22"x18" Bass Drums x2, 12"x9" & 13"x10" Toms, 16"x16" Floor Tom) 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. Duplantier plays a Tama Starclassic Bubinga kit with dual 22"x18" bass drums and a Tama S.L.P. 14x6.5" G-Maple snare, paired with a sprawling Zildjian cymbal array including a 21" Z Custom Mega Bell Ride. **Q: What drums does Matt Greiner play vs Mario Duplantier?** A: Matt Greiner plays Meinl Drum Festival Kit / Greiner & Kilmer Custom. Mario Duplantier plays Tama Starclassic Bubinga (22"x18" Bass Drums x2, 12"x9" & 13"x10" Toms, 16"x16" Floor Tom). **Q: Who is the better progressive metal drummer, Matt Greiner or Mario Duplantier?** A: Both are legends in their own right. Matt Greiner and Mario Duplantier both push progressive songwriting into heavy music, but from different directions. See the full analysis at [metalforge.io/vs/matt-greiner-vs-mario-duplantier](https://metalforge.io/vs/matt-greiner-vs-mario-duplantier). **Q: What cymbals do Matt Greiner and Mario Duplantier 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). 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). --- *Full comparison: [metalforge.io/vs/matt-greiner-vs-mario-duplantier](https://metalforge.io/vs/matt-greiner-vs-mario-duplantier)* *[Matt Greiner drummer profile](https://metalforge.io/drummer/matt-greiner)* *[Mario Duplantier drummer profile](https://metalforge.io/drummer/mario-duplantier)* --- *Last updated: 2026-07-07 · Source: [MetalForge.io](https://metalforge.io)*