# Nick Augusto vs Matt Greiner — Drum Kit Comparison > Side-by-side gear comparison between Nick Augusto (ex-Trivium) and Matt Greiner (August Burns Red). **Category:** Alternative / Nu-Metal · **URL:** https://metalforge.io/vs/nick-augusto-vs-matt-greiner Trivium's Nick Augusto vs August Burns Red's Matt Greiner. Modern American metalcore compared — thrash-driven speed versus Grammy-nominated technical creativity. 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 ## 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 ## Playing Style Nick Augusto joined Trivium as a drum technician before stepping in as the band's touring and studio drummer, recording two studio albums, "In Waves" (2011) and "Vengeance Falls" (2013), across a tenure from 2009 to 2014 that leaned on his grindcore roots in Maruta and Metal Militia. Matt Greiner co-founded August Burns Red in Lancaster, Pennsylvania in 2003 and has remained the band's drummer ever since, anchoring a catalog that includes "Messengers" (2007), "Constellations" (2009), "Leveler" (2011), and the Grammy-nominated "Found in Far Away Places" (2015) and "Guardians" (2020) — more than two decades establishing August Burns Red as one of modern American metalcore's most consistent and technically ambitious bands. ## 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. Greiner takes the opposite approach within the same genre: his style layers jazz-influenced dynamics, creative stacked-cymbal work, and intricate, rapid-fire kick patterns over metalcore's heavy foundation, drawing on Chris Adler, Danny Carey, Tony Royster Jr., and Brann Dailor to build compositions that shift fluidly between delicate passages and crushing breakdowns, often inside the same odd time signature. ## 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. Matt Greiner's current setup is a Pearl Reference Pure kit in Piano Black finish with his own Pearl Matt Greiner Signature 14"x6" steel snare, Meinl Byzance cymbals (Dual, Extra Dry, and Traditional series), a Pearl Demon Drive double pedal, and his own Vic Firth Matt Greiner Signature sticks. 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. Greiner takes the opposite approach within the same genre: his style layers jazz-influenced dynamics, creative stacked-cymbal work, and intricate, rapid-fire kick patterns over metalcore's heavy foundation, drawing on Chris Adler, Danny Carey, Tony Royster Jr., and Brann Dailor to build compositions that shift fluidly between delicate passages and crushing breakdowns, often inside the same odd time signature. ## 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. Greiner has spent more than two decades shaping modern metalcore's technical vocabulary with August Burns Red, earning multiple Grammy nominations, a signature Pearl snare designed to cut through dense guitar mixes, and a reputation as an educator through worldwide drum clinics and instructional content. ## Verdict Nick Augusto and Matt Greiner represent two very different approaches to modern American metalcore. Augusto brought compact, thrash-driven speed and power to Trivium during a five-year tenure focused on serving the songs. Greiner has spent more than 20 years as August Burns Red's founding drummer, building a Grammy-nominated catalog defined by technical creativity and jazz-informed dynamics. The debate is metalcore speed and directness versus two decades of technical, genre-defining innovation. ## FAQ **Q: What are the main differences between Nick Augusto's and Matt Greiner's drum kits?** A: Nick Augusto plays Pearl Reference Pure with Sabian cymbals, while Matt Greiner uses Meinl Drum Festival Kit / Greiner & Kilmer Custom with Meinl 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. Matt Greiner's current setup is a Pearl Reference Pure kit in Piano Black finish with his own Pearl Matt Greiner Signature 14"x6" steel snare, Meinl Byzance cymbals (Dual, Extra Dry, and Traditional series), a Pearl Demon Drive double pedal, and his own Vic Firth Matt Greiner Signature sticks. **Q: What drums does Nick Augusto play vs Matt Greiner?** A: Nick Augusto plays Pearl Reference Pure. Matt Greiner plays Meinl Drum Festival Kit / Greiner & Kilmer Custom. **Q: Who is the better alternative / nu-metal drummer, Nick Augusto or Matt Greiner?** A: Both are legends in their own right. Nick Augusto and Matt Greiner represent two very different approaches to modern American metalcore. See the full analysis at [metalforge.io/vs/nick-augusto-vs-matt-greiner](https://metalforge.io/vs/nick-augusto-vs-matt-greiner). **Q: What cymbals do Nick Augusto and Matt Greiner use?** A: Nick Augusto uses Sabian AAX Series (14" Stage Hi-Hats, 18" & 19" X-Plosion Crashes, 21" Stage Ride, 18" AAXtreme China). Matt Greiner uses Meinl Byzance Series (15" Dual Hi-Hats, 18" & 19" Dual Crashes, 21" Transition Ride, 18" Extra Dry China, 10" & 12" Splashes). --- *Full comparison: [metalforge.io/vs/nick-augusto-vs-matt-greiner](https://metalforge.io/vs/nick-augusto-vs-matt-greiner)* *[Nick Augusto drummer profile](https://metalforge.io/drummer/nick-augusto)* *[Matt Greiner drummer profile](https://metalforge.io/drummer/matt-greiner)* --- *Last updated: 2026-07-06 · Source: [MetalForge.io](https://metalforge.io)*