Arin Ilejay vs Matt Garstka — Drum Gear Comparison | MetalForge
Side-by-side gear: Arin Ilejay (ex-Avenged Sevenfold) vs Matt Garstka (Animals as Leaders). Kits, cymbals, pedals, sticks — compare specs and prices.
Frequently Asked Questions
What drum kit does Arin Ilejay use?
Arin Ilejay uses Mapex Saturn Series with Zildjian (14" A Custom Mastersound Hi-Hats, 18" & 19" A Custom Crashes, 21" A Sweet Ride, 18" A Custom China). Arin Ilejay played a Mapex Saturn Series kit with a Mapex Black Panther 14x6.5" snare and Zildjian A Custom cymbals (14" A Custom Mastersound Hi-Hats, 18" & 19" A Custom Crashes, 21" A Sweet Ride, 18" A Custom China), powered by a Mapex Falcon double pedal and Vic Firth American Classic 5A sticks. Matt Garstka plays a DW Collector's Series kit and Meinl Byzance Series cymbals (15" Dual Hi-Hats, 18" & 20" Extra Dry Medium Crashes, 22" Dual Ride), powered by a Tama Speed Cobra 910 Double Pedal.
What drum kit does Matt Garstka use?
Matt Garstka uses DW Collector's Series with Meinl Byzance Series (15" Dual Hi-Hats, 18" & 20" Extra Dry Medium Crashes, 22" Dual Ride). Arin Ilejay played a Mapex Saturn Series kit with a Mapex Black Panther 14x6.5" snare and Zildjian A Custom cymbals (14" A Custom Mastersound Hi-Hats, 18" & 19" A Custom Crashes, 21" A Sweet Ride, 18" A Custom China), powered by a Mapex Falcon double pedal and Vic Firth American Classic 5A sticks. Matt Garstka plays a DW Collector's Series kit and Meinl Byzance Series cymbals (15" Dual Hi-Hats, 18" & 20" Extra Dry Medium Crashes, 22" Dual Ride), powered by a Tama Speed Cobra 910 Double Pedal.
Which is better, Arin Ilejay or Matt Garstka?
Arin Ilejay and Matt Garstka represent opposite philosophies within modern progressive-adjacent metal drumming. Ilejay's brief, single-album Avenged Sevenfold tenure showed that restraint and songwriting service can carry even a technically demanding, high-profile drum chair. Garstka's Animals as Leaders tenure shows the opposite path, building a lasting technical identity through jazz-fusion-informed polyrhythmic fluency across two globally influential instrumental albums. The debate is direct, song-serving power versus virtuosic, genre-defining complexity.