# Sean Reinert vs Martin Lopez — Drum Kit & Style Comparison > Side-by-side gear and technique comparison between Sean Reinert (Death / Cynic) and Martin Lopez (Opeth / Morbid Angel). **Category:** Progressive Death Metal · Jazz-Death Fusion · **URL:** https://metalforge.io/vs/sean-reinert-vs-martin-lopez Two drummers who crossed jazz and progressive music boundaries within extreme metal — Sean Reinert pioneered jazz-death fusion with Death and Cynic in the early 1990s; Martin Lopez defined prog-death's organic, breathing approach with Opeth across six landmark albums. --- ## Sean Reinert Setup - **Drums:** Tama Starclassic Series - **Cymbals:** Zildjian A & K Series (Hi-Hats, Crashes, Ride, China) - **Snare:** Tama Signature Steel Snare - **Pedals/Hardware:** Tama Iron Cobra Double Pedal - **Sticks:** Vic Firth American Classic Hickory ## Martin Lopez Setup - **Drums:** Pearl Reference Series - **Cymbals:** Zildjian A & K Custom Series (Hi-Hats, Crashes, Ride, China) - **Snare:** Pearl Custom Maple Snare - **Pedals/Hardware:** Pearl Eliminator Double Pedal - **Sticks:** Vic Firth American Classic 5A ## Background Sean Reinert grew up in Southern California and came to international attention as the drummer on Death's *Human* (1991) — a record that introduced jazz-fusion harmonic and rhythmic vocabulary into death metal at a moment when the genre was still consolidating its identity. His subsequent work with Cynic on *Focus* (1993) — with its jazz-derived polyrhythm, swing-influenced ghost notes, vocoded vocals, and ethereal guitar tones — remains one of the most sonically radical achievements in metal history. Reinert passed away in January 2020; his death prompted an outpouring from the metal community that underscored how foundational his contribution was. Martin Lopez was born in Cuba and grew up in Sweden, where he absorbed the country's rich progressive rock and jazz traditions alongside death metal. After brief stints with Amon Amarth and Marduk, he joined Opeth in 1997 and appeared on six studio albums through 2005, including *Blackwater Park* (2001) and *Ghost Reveries* (2005) — widely considered two of progressive death metal's greatest records. Lopez departed due to health issues in 2006; he later played with Soen and continued recording projects. ## Playing Style Sean Reinert's technique is rooted in jazz fusion — his ability to navigate between brutal death metal sections and intricate jazz-time passages within the same composition defined Cynic's identity and influenced a generation of progressive metal drummers. His ghost note vocabulary, odd-meter fluency, and dynamic sensitivity were unlike anything in death metal at the time. On *Human*, he gave Chuck Schuldiner's compositional ambitions the rhythmic intelligence they demanded. Martin Lopez brought a complementary but distinct approach to Opeth — his Scandinavian jazz and progressive rock influences enabled him to serve both the band's acoustic folk passages and crushing death metal transitions without losing the organic, breathing quality that Mikael Åkerfeldt's compositions demand. Lopez plays with a rare ability to disappear into the music when required and explode into presence when the arrangement opens up — a dynamic range few extreme metal drummers possess. ## Technique Comparison - **Jazz Integration:** Reinert = jazz-fusion polyrhythm and swing vocabulary within death metal; Lopez = jazz dynamics and sensitivity within prog-death arrangements - **Ghost Notes:** Both excel at jazz-influenced ghost note patterns; Reinert's are more fusion-derived; Lopez's are more feel-oriented - **Dynamic Range:** Reinert navigates extreme contrasts within a song; Lopez navigates acoustic-to-brutal transitions across album-length arcs - **Blast Beats:** Reinert uses death metal blasts in contrast to jazz passages; Lopez deploys them as punctuation within progressive arrangements ## Gear Comparison Sean Reinert endorsed Tama drums and Zildjian cymbals — a setup that emphasized articulation and dynamic range suited to his jazz-influenced playing context. His cymbal selection prioritized the kind of complex wash and definition that jazz playing requires. Martin Lopez plays Pearl Reference Series drums with Zildjian cymbals — a setup capable of handling both Opeth's delicate acoustic passages and their most brutal death metal moments. That tonal range demand — from quiet folk-influenced sections to full-speed death metal — is remarkable, and Lopez's setup served both contexts effectively across six studio albums. ## Signature Albums **Sean Reinert:** - *Human* — Death (1991) — one of death metal's most technically advanced albums; Reinert's performance is definitive - *Focus* — Cynic (1993) — pioneered jazz-death fusion; still sounds unlike anything else in metal - *Traced in Air* — Cynic (2008) — reunion record that proved the creative vision remained intact **Martin Lopez:** - *Still Life* — Opeth (1999) — prog-death storytelling at its most refined - *Blackwater Park* — Opeth (2001) — widely considered one of the greatest metal albums ever recorded - *Ghost Reveries* — Opeth (2005) — the last Lopez studio album and one of Opeth's most complete works ## Verdict Sean Reinert and Martin Lopez are two of the most jazz-sophisticated drummers in extreme metal's history, each shaping a different branch of the prog-death tradition. Reinert's early-1990s work on *Human* and *Focus* established the creative possibility space; Lopez's late-1990s and early-2000s work with Opeth defined what reaching into that space could sound like on a sustained artistic arc. Both pushed extreme metal toward something more nuanced, more human, and more beautiful than the genre's brutal origins might have suggested was possible. ## FAQ **Q: Who are the most jazz-influenced death metal drummers?** A: Sean Reinert (Death, Cynic) and Martin Lopez (Opeth, Morbid Angel) are among the most jazz-influenced drummers in extreme metal. Others include Richard Christy, Tomas Haake, and Brann Dailor. Reinert's work on Cynic's *Focus* (1993) and Lopez's Opeth catalog (1998–2005) remain the clearest examples of jazz vocabulary applied within a death metal framework. **Q: What albums did Sean Reinert record with Death and Cynic?** A: Sean Reinert recorded *Human* (1991) with Death — widely considered one of death metal's most technically advanced albums. He also recorded *Focus* (1993) and *Traced in Air* (2008) with Cynic. His work on *Human* helped define technical death metal; *Focus* pioneered jazz-death fusion. **Q: What Opeth albums did Martin Lopez play on?** A: Martin Lopez played on Opeth's *My Arms, Your Hearse* (1998), *Still Life* (1999), *Blackwater Park* (2001), *Deliverance* (2002), *Damnation* (2003), and *Ghost Reveries* (2005). These six albums are widely considered Opeth's definitive era, and Lopez's drumming is central to what makes them exceptional. **Q: Did Martin Lopez play with Morbid Angel?** A: Yes — Martin Lopez appeared on Morbid Angel's *Heretic* (2003) as a session/guest contributor. His primary association, however, is with Opeth, where he spent nearly a decade shaping the band's progressive death metal sound before departing in 2006 due to health issues. --- *Full comparison: [metalforge.io/vs/sean-reinert-vs-martin-lopez](https://metalforge.io/vs/sean-reinert-vs-martin-lopez)* *[Sean Reinert drummer profile](https://metalforge.io/drummer/sean-reinert)* *[Martin Lopez drummer profile](https://metalforge.io/drummer/martin-lopez)* *[Death band gear guide](https://metalforge.io/band/death)* *[Opeth band gear guide](https://metalforge.io/band/opeth)* --- *Last updated: 2026-06-29 · Source: [MetalForge.io](https://metalforge.io)*