John Otto vs Mario Duplantier — Drum Gear Comparison | MetalForge

Frequently Asked Questions

What drum kit does John Otto use?

John Otto uses Orange County Drum & Percussion (OCDP) Custom Type 5 Acrylic with Zildjian (13" A Custom Mastersound Hi-Hats, 16" & 17" A Custom Projection Crashes, 20" A Custom EFX, 20" FX Oriental Crash of Doom). Otto plays an Orange County Drum & Percussion (OCDP) Custom Type 5 Acrylic kit with dual signature OCDP snares and Zildjian A Custom cymbals, driven by Gibraltar G Class pedals. 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.

What drum kit does Mario Duplantier use?

Mario Duplantier uses Tama Starclassic Bubinga (22"x18" Bass Drums x2, 12"x9" & 13"x10" Toms, 16"x16" Floor Tom) with 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). Otto plays an Orange County Drum & Percussion (OCDP) Custom Type 5 Acrylic kit with dual signature OCDP snares and Zildjian A Custom cymbals, driven by Gibraltar G Class pedals. 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.

Which is better, John Otto or Mario Duplantier?

John Otto and Mario Duplantier show just how far groove-driven metal drumming can stretch across genres. Otto's hip-hop-informed pocket made Limp Bizkit's rap-metal commercially unstoppable, while Duplantier's tribal, dual-bass-drum power turned Gojira into progressive death metal's most acclaimed modern voice. Neither relies on flash-for-flash's-sake technicality — both serve songs first, proving groove and feel matter as much as speed in heavy music.