Navene Koperweis vs Matt Garstka — Drum Gear Comparison | MetalForge
Side-by-side gear: Navene Koperweis (Entheos / ex-Animals as Leaders) vs Matt Garstka (Animals as Leaders). Kits, cymbals, pedals, sticks — compare specs and prices.
Frequently Asked Questions
What drum kit does Navene Koperweis use?
Navene Koperweis uses DW Drums Performance Series with Meinl Byzance Series (15" Dual Hi-Hats, 18" & 19" Extra Dry Medium Crashes, 21" Transition Ride, 18" Extra Dry China, 10" Splash). Navene Koperweis endorses DW Drums and Meinl Byzance cymbals, running a DW Performance Series kit with a DW Performance 14x6.5" steel snare and a five-piece Meinl Byzance Extra Dry cymbal spread, paired with Vic Firth American Classic 5B 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). Navene Koperweis endorses DW Drums and Meinl Byzance cymbals, running a DW Performance Series kit with a DW Performance 14x6.5" steel snare and a five-piece Meinl Byzance Extra Dry cymbal spread, paired with Vic Firth American Classic 5B 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, Navene Koperweis or Matt Garstka?
Navene Koperweis and Matt Garstka share one of progressive metal's most direct lineage stories: Koperweis helped define Animals as Leaders' early djent-meets-technical-death-metal sound during the "Weightless" cycle before departing in 2012, and Garstka has held the chair ever since, built on jazz-fusion virtuosity rather than Koperweis's technical death metal roots. Koperweis is the technical death metal specialist who moved on to shape Entheos and technical metal production; Garstka is the successor who turned the chair into a decade-plus showcase for polymetric, jazz-informed complexity. Both answer the question of who defines Animals as Leaders' rhythmic identity — from two different eras of the same band.