review
Modern Drummer is the world’s most widely read drum magazine, is dedicated entirely to the art of drumming and caters to the needs of amateur, semi-pro, and professional drummers.
Brady 8x14 Wandoo Block Snare
Brady 8x14 Wandoo Block Snare by Michael Dawson This 8x14 beast from the legendary drum builder Brady is made from vertical pieces of 1/2"-thick eucalyptus wandoo, which is an extremely dense wood found in the southwestern region of Western Australia.…
Meinl Byzance Vintage Crashes and Jazz Ride Additions
Meinl Byzance Vintage Crashes and Jazz Ride Additions by Michael Dawson The Byzance series is Meinl’s high-end line of B20 bronze cymbals forged in the company’s Turkish factory. These instruments are designed to be unique and highly musical, ranging from…
Creation Barry Altschul Signature Drumset
Creation Barry Altschul Signature Drumset by Michael Dawson In our November 2011 feature story with jazz great Barry Altschul, the drummer does his best to describe his no-boundaries approach to music, stating, “I don’t mind saying I’m a free drummer,…
Gibraltar Turning Point Series Cymbal Stands (VIDEO)
Gibraltar Turning Point Series Cymbal Stands by Miguel Monroy Always keeping the drummer in mind, Gibraltar has released a new line of hardware, dubbed the Turning Point series, with two important objectives: to lighten the load and to make…
The Wedding Present Valentina
CD/ALBUM The Wedding Present, who formed in Leeds, England, in 1985, is one of British alternative rock’s longest-running bands. They’re also among its most consistently high-quality. Singer/guitarist David Gedge still writes about the intricacies of romantic love with great…
The Smashing Pumpkins Oceania
CD Replacing original Smashing Pumpkins drummer Jimmy Chamberlin mustn’t have been easy for Mike Byrne, but leader Billy Corgan clearly made a good choice with the newbie. Similar to the way that Zak Starkey is in some ways the…
Dunnett Classic Drums: Titanium Drumset
Dunnett Classic Drums Titanium Drumset by John Emrich Ronn Dunnett is famous for making some of the best metal drum shells in the business, and he was the first to offer titanium drumsets. For review this month, we received one…
V-Classic Cymbals
V-Classic Vintage-Inspired Turkish Cymbals by Michael Dawson V-Classic cymbals are the brainchild of Torab Majlesi, a Turkish session drummer and industry vet who’s had an affinity for traditional cymbal sounds since purchasing his first set of old K’s back in…
OCDP Brushed Bell Brass Snare
OCDP 6 1/2x14 Brushed Bell Brass Snare by Michael Dawson While geeking out with a prominent studio drummer a while back, I got into the topic of which snare drums he feels translate best to recordings. After going through his…
Crash ’N Flash Drumset Lighting System (w/ VIDEO)
Crash ’n Flash Drumset Lighting System by Miguel Monroy Captivating an audience is one of the most important aspects of any live performance, and bands go to great lengths to find ways to keep their shows fresh, engaging, and entertaining.…
Double Bass Drumming And Power Fills Workout by Matt Sorum & Sam Aliano
BOOK LEVEL: ALL $14.99 This 125-page book taps the melodic and powerful arena-rock drumming skills of Matt Sorum (Guns N’ Roses, the Cult, Velvet Revolver) and the double bass mastery of Australian-born Sam Aliano (Slash, Gongzilla). The goal here is…
IZZ Crush of Night
CD It always seems unfair when progressive-rock haters toss out the word pretentious as a catchall way to denounce the genre. Fact is, prog only works when the listener is utterly convinced of the sincerity of the players’ devotion…
Tama Starclassic Select Walnut Drumset
Tama Starclassic Select Walnut Drumset by David Ciauro As I was setting up these absolutely stunning Starclassic Select drums, I couldn’t help but be taken aback by their beauty. The deep-brown, satin-finish walnut shells have such a rich quality, which…
Zildjian K Custom Dark Complex Rides and Hybrid Trash Smash Cymbals
Zildjian K Custom Dark Complex Rides and Hybrid Trash Smash by Michael Dawson Three of the more interesting pieces that Zildjian has released this year are the medium-thin 21" and 22" Dark Complex rides and the funky-looking 19" Hybrid Trash…