Death Projection should come bundled with deaf protection, because Old Wounds packed a hell of a lot of volume into one LP. It exists like some ultra-dense metal, chemically unstable, ready to explode. It can’t be an easy job, filling the role of the pulse behind such concentrated aggression, but drummer Brandon Gallagher does so ably. We got the rundown as to the tools of his trade.
You can stream Death Projectionover at Alternative Press, and pick up a copy from Good Fight’s webstore.
Kit:
Tama Rockstar Birch
22×18″ Kickdrum
12×9″ Rack Tom
16×16″ Floor Tom
Snare:
Pork Pie Maple/Oak Snare 8×14″
Cymbals
21″ Zildian Z Custom Mega Bell
22″ Meinl Byzance Medium Crash
21″ Imperial Faith Ride
14″ Zildjian ZHT Hi-Hats
When I first started getting into playing drums there were 3 drummers that really stood out to me based on how they played, style and aesthetic. Those 3 drummers were Dave Grohl, Ben Koller, and Brad Wilk. As I began to play more and more I started taking what I liked about all 3 of those drummers and incorporating into my style. Dave Grohl, massive drums and cymbals, and would hit like a beast. Ben Koller was hard hitting, but was also incredibly clean and quick on fills. Last but not least Brad Wilk, just all around an incredible drummer, had groove and power. With all of that being said, this had an extremely large influence on my kit and how I set it up, let alone how I played.
Kit:
I bought these drums off a kid on Craigslist. Met up with him the day he posted them. They were sitting in his basement collecting dust, had to have played them 4 times at most. Wanted $350 for an 8 piece Tama kit with Birch wood. Such an awesome snag for sure. I love this kit. It’s light and the birch wood makes it extremely loud and punchy, which is what I love. I usually compliment the drums with Remo emperor clear heads. I used to roll with the coated versions, but I think clear on the birch wood gives it more of that deep and not-so dry sound.
Snare:
An 8×14″ snare always sounds overzealous, but I love it. It can be tuned up a little bit, giving the top head some super tight tension, but still sounds deep and crushing. Used this on the Trenchfoot split 7″ and the brand new Death Projection EP, and I think it sounds great. Kevin Bernsten (Developing Nations Studios) always does a killer job with tweaking it for recording, so that helps as well.
Cymbals:
Like I mentioned earlier, Dave Grohl’s style of just crushing huge cymbals has always been my favorite. I love playing like that, and I enjoy watching other drummers play that way. I think that’s been something I’ve always stuck with. I use the Slayer cymbal aka The 21″ Z Custom Mega Bell as my ride. The Mega Bell is ear piercing, but I love it. I’ve actually seen people walk away when I ride on that thing. I’m almost positive Zildjian doesn’t make that version anymore either so I’m always hounding craigslist for a backup. I use the Meinl 22″ Byzance and the 20″ Imperial Faith Ride as crashes. Both are super dry and crisp, and I think compliment each other well.
Sticks:
I usually go with the grab bag of 15 pairs of no name sticks, only because I break them all the time. Lately, I’ve been rocking the Vater Rock Sticks and they’ve been treating me pretty well. Always size ROCK though. I like to feel like I’m swinging a baseball bat with each hit.
