# Nick Augusto vs Jason Bittner — Drum Kit Comparison > Side-by-side gear comparison between Nick Augusto (ex-Trivium) and Jason Bittner (Shadows Fall / Overkill / Category 7). **Category:** Thrash Metal · **URL:** https://metalforge.io/vs/nick-augusto-vs-jason-bittner Trivium's Nick Augusto vs Overkill/Shadows Fall's Jason Bittner. Modern metalcore speed compared to two decades of thrash-metalcore touring power. Gear, technique, and legacy compared. --- ## Nick Augusto Setup - **Drums:** Pearl Reference Pure - **Cymbals:** Sabian AAX Series (14" Stage Hi-Hats, 18" & 19" X-Plosion Crashes, 21" Stage Ride, 18" AAXtreme China) - **Snare:** Pearl Reference 14x6.5" Brass - **Pedals/Hardware:** Pearl Demon Drive Double Pedal, Pearl D-2000 Throne - **Sticks:** Vic Firth American Classic 5B ## Jason Bittner Setup - **Drums:** Mapex Saturn V - **Cymbals:** Zildjian K & A Custom Series (14" K Hi-Hats, 18" & 19" A Custom Crashes, 21" K Custom Ride, 18" K China) - **Snare:** Mapex Black Panther 14x6.5" Brass - **Pedals/Hardware:** Mapex Falcon Double Pedal, Mapex T865 Throne - **Sticks:** Promark Jason Bittner Signature 5BX ## Playing Style Nick Augusto joined Trivium as a drum technician before stepping in as the band's touring and studio drummer, ultimately recording two studio albums, "In Waves" (2011) and "Vengeance Falls" (2013), across a tenure from 2009 to 2014. His background in grindcore band Maruta and Metal Militia (alongside future Trivium bassist Paolo Gregoletto) gave his Trivium tenure an aggressive, high-speed foundation. Jason Bittner rose to prominence with Shadows Fall during the early-2000s metalcore explosion, powering the Grammy-nominated "The War Within" (2004) and helping the band headline Ozzfest in 2005, before a 2013-2017 stint in Flotsam and Jetsam and, in 2017, joining thrash metal veterans Overkill — where he recorded "The Wings of War" (2019) and "Scorched" (2023), the first Overkill album fully written with him behind the kit. ## Technique Augusto's playing favors powerful, speed-driven metalcore fundamentals — tight, aggressive double bass work and straightforward technicality built to serve Trivium's thrash-influenced songwriting rather than to showcase complexity for its own sake. Bittner combines thrash metal power with the groove and heaviness of modern metal, drawing on Dave Lombardo, Nicko McBrain, Vinnie Paul, and Charlie Benante to build a style defined by powerful, driving double bass patterns, tight and punchy snare work, and the versatility to move between Shadows Fall's metalcore attack and Overkill's classic thrash gallop without losing his identity. ## Key Differences Nick Augusto played a Pearl Reference Pure kit with a Pearl Reference 14x6.5" brass snare and Sabian AAX Series cymbals (14" Stage Hi-Hats, 18" & 19" X-Plosion Crashes, 21" Stage Ride, 18" AAXtreme China), powered by a Pearl Demon Drive double pedal and Vic Firth American Classic 5B sticks. Jason Bittner's current Overkill-era rig centers on Mapex Saturn V all-maple shells and Zildjian K & A Custom cymbals, driven by a Mapex Falcon double pedal and his own Promark Jason Bittner Signature 5BX sticks — a wholesale Mapex/Zildjian switch he made in 2017 after nearly two decades on Tama and Sabian gear during his Shadows Fall years. Augusto's playing favors powerful, speed-driven metalcore fundamentals — tight, aggressive double bass work and straightforward technicality built to serve Trivium's thrash-influenced songwriting rather than to showcase complexity for its own sake. Bittner combines thrash metal power with the groove and heaviness of modern metal, drawing on Dave Lombardo, Nicko McBrain, Vinnie Paul, and Charlie Benante to build a style defined by powerful, driving double bass patterns, tight and punchy snare work, and the versatility to move between Shadows Fall's metalcore attack and Overkill's classic thrash gallop without losing his identity. ## Influence & Legacy Augusto's five-year run helped carry Trivium through a pivotal stretch as the band pushed toward a more thrash-oriented, aggressive sound, and he later formed Corrosion and continued touring with acts including Light the Torch. Bittner helped define 2000s metalcore's commercial breakthrough with Shadows Fall's Grammy-nominated "The War Within," then made one of modern metal's more unusual career pivots — trading metalcore for classic thrash when he joined Overkill in 2017, ultimately earning a co-writing credit on 2023's "Scorched" two decades into his professional career. ## Verdict Nick Augusto and Jason Bittner both built their reputations powering thrash-adjacent metalcore, but on very different timelines. Augusto's five-year Trivium run was a compact, high-intensity chapter that sharpened the band's thrash edge before he moved on. Bittner's career spans over two decades and two distinct chairs — Shadows Fall's Grammy-nominated metalcore breakthrough and, later, a full pivot into Overkill's classic thrash lineage. The debate is a focused metalcore tenure versus a career-long thrash-metalcore journeyman's staying power. ## FAQ **Q: What are the main differences between Nick Augusto's and Jason Bittner's drum kits?** A: Nick Augusto plays Pearl Reference Pure with Sabian cymbals, while Jason Bittner uses Mapex Saturn V with Zildjian cymbals. Nick Augusto played a Pearl Reference Pure kit with a Pearl Reference 14x6.5" brass snare and Sabian AAX Series cymbals (14" Stage Hi-Hats, 18" & 19" X-Plosion Crashes, 21" Stage Ride, 18" AAXtreme China), powered by a Pearl Demon Drive double pedal and Vic Firth American Classic 5B sticks. Jason Bittner's current Overkill-era rig centers on Mapex Saturn V all-maple shells and Zildjian K & A Custom cymbals, driven by a Mapex Falcon double pedal and his own Promark Jason Bittner Signature 5BX sticks — a wholesale Mapex/Zildjian switch he made in 2017 after nearly two decades on Tama and Sabian gear during his Shadows Fall years. **Q: What drums does Nick Augusto play vs Jason Bittner?** A: Nick Augusto plays Pearl Reference Pure. Jason Bittner plays Mapex Saturn V. **Q: Who is the better thrash metal drummer, Nick Augusto or Jason Bittner?** A: Both are legends in their own right. Nick Augusto and Jason Bittner both built their reputations powering thrash-adjacent metalcore, but on very different timelines. See the full analysis at [metalforge.io/vs/nick-augusto-vs-jason-bittner](https://metalforge.io/vs/nick-augusto-vs-jason-bittner). **Q: What cymbals do Nick Augusto and Jason Bittner use?** A: Nick Augusto uses Sabian AAX Series (14" Stage Hi-Hats, 18" & 19" X-Plosion Crashes, 21" Stage Ride, 18" AAXtreme China). Jason Bittner uses Zildjian K & A Custom Series (14" K Hi-Hats, 18" & 19" A Custom Crashes, 21" K Custom Ride, 18" K China). --- *Full comparison: [metalforge.io/vs/nick-augusto-vs-jason-bittner](https://metalforge.io/vs/nick-augusto-vs-jason-bittner)* *[Nick Augusto drummer profile](https://metalforge.io/drummer/nick-augusto)* *[Jason Bittner drummer profile](https://metalforge.io/drummer/jason-bittner)* --- *Last updated: 2026-07-06 · Source: [MetalForge.io](https://metalforge.io)*