Drum News! The Metronome Times is Here…
The Metronome Times is a news archive dedicated to interesting topics in the drum world. Some are new stories, some are old stories, but they’re all interesting reads.
⚙ EnjoyMarvelous Chronicles from the Land of Rhythm! ⚙
Chapter I: The Brave Youth Who Won the Golden Crown of Metal
In a cozy corner of the Great Kingdom of Music, a brave and clever young fellow named Eloy Casagrande received a most splendid surprise! The kindly readers of Modern Drummer magazine—who gather once a year to choose the most remarkable musicians in the land—voted him the grandest Heavy Metal Drummer of all.
Not long ago, young Eloy had left his old friends in the Brazilian band Sepultura to join a mysterious troupe of masked performers known as Slipknot. Taking the place of a beloved favorite is no easy task, as anyone who has ever tried to wear an enchanted slipper knows. Yet Eloy sat upon his high stool behind a giant acoustic drum-set—fitted with shiny iron brackets and heavy bronze cymbals built to withstand the fiercest thumping—and played with such joyous power and magical precision that everyone cheered!
“When a heart is filled with honest devotion to one’s craft, even the loudest thunder sounds sweet as a lullaby.”
With great modesty, young Eloy sent a magical message across the land, thanking his loyal friends, praising the magazine for keeping the musical fraternity happy, and promising to keep drumming with all his heart.
Chapter II: The Splendid Beat of Good Mr. Cameron
Over in the sunny province of Rock-and-Roll, gentleman Matt Cameron of Pearl Jam was awarded his own glittering prize, being named the Best Rock Drummer of the Year! This grand honor was given because of his marvelous work on a new phonograph record called Dark Matter.
Together with a clever studio wizard named Andrew Watt, Mr. Cameron recorded his booming rhythms faster than a flying monkey on a breeze. His good friend, Jeff Ament, sent him a cheerful telegram of congratulations, remembering how delightful it was to make music together. Mr. Cameron tunes his snare drum so cleanly that it cuts through loud electric guitars like sunshine through a morning mist, proving to young folks everywhere that patience and practice bring true magic.
Chapter III: The Seventy-Two Bright Yellow Drums of Lars
The famous knight of the drums, Lars Ulrich, recently unveiled a drum-set so wondrous it looked as though it belonged in the Emerald City itself! To celebrate forty happy years together, the skilled artisans of TAMA Drums built a limited batch of just seventy-two of these marvelous instruments for the entire world.
The Shells: Crafted from the finest Starclassic Maple wood.
The Color: Painted a bright, cheerful yellow that catches the stage lights like a sunbeam.
The Fittings: Fitted with sleek, shiny black ironwork.
The Price: Nearly eight thousand glittering gold pieces!
Each set comes with two giant twenty-two-inch bass drums—which roar like friendly lions—and a parchment certificate signed by Lars himself. Wealthy collectors and eager metal-fans rushed to buy them up post-haste, while TAMA shared a moving picture showing the clever Japanese craftsmen turning raw timber into pure musical magic.
Chapter IV: The Enchanted Bronze Saucer for a Kind Ambassador
The good-hearted folk at the SABIAN cymbal workshop crafted a very special piece of bronze this year called the HHX Dominator Chinese. They made this twenty-inch saucer to honor the memory of their dear friend, Dom Famularo, who had spent his life traveling from village to village teaching boys and girls the joy of drumming.
“A true friend leaves behind a song that rings forever in the hearts of those he loved.”
This curious cymbal has a dark, raw center that produces a sharp, cutting bark, while its outer edge is polished to a brilliant shine that vanishes into a dreamy wash of sound. Best of all, SABIAN donates a portion of every gold coin earned to help young children learn music—a generous deed that would surely make good Mr. Famularo smile from ear to ear.
Chapter V: The Heavy Brass Anvil of TAMA
To mark their grand fiftieth anniversary, the TAMA enterprise brought back one of the most famous musical treasures in history: the Mastercraft Bell Brass snare drum.
The Casting: Melted and poured into sand molds to create a solid metal shell three millimeters thick!
The Voice: Heavy as a blacksmith’s anvil, producing a crack loud enough to awaken a sleeping dragon.
The Value: Treasures like this command over three thousand silver coins at the music emporiums!
Back in the eighties, famous bands like Metallica and Nirvana used this very drum to make their finest music. Because it weighs so much and sings so loudly, recording wizards consider it a true holy grail, and collectors snatched up the new reissue in the twinkling of an eye.
Chapter VI: The Glass-Like Drums You Can See Right Through!
The clever designers at Pacific Drums and Percussion (PDP) celebrated twenty-five happy years in business by creating a drum set made entirely of crystal-clear acrylic!
Because the drum barrels are completely see-through, audiences at evening concerts can watch the drummer's feet dance upon the pedals with no obstruction at all! Matched with dark walnut wood and vintage silver badges, this playful kit brings a splash of retro wonder to the stage without costing a whole chest of gold.
Chapter VII: A Grand Partnership Across the Great Sea
The drum-makers at Drum Workshop (DW) in California announced a wonderful new alliance with their friends at the Roland Europe Group. By joining hands, Roland's magical carriage-runners will deliver California-made wooden drums to music shops all across Europe much faster than ever before.
Musicians across the sea can now easily try the new DWe drums—a curious invention that combines real wooden barrels with hidden electronic sparks!
European shopkeepers will keep their shelves full of heavy-duty hardware that never breaks during long journeys.
While Roland handles the shipping wagons, the California woodworkers continue to hand-craft their beautiful drum shells every single day.
Chapter VIII: The Mysterious Cymbals with the Round Holes
The artisans at SABIAN expanded their popular Stratus collection, designing dark and dry bronze cymbals tailored for quiet recording rooms. Among these new creations are special "ozone" crash cymbals, which have big, round holes cut right into the bronze!
“When a noise finishes its song quickly, it leaves plenty of room for the other boys in the band to play!”
When a drummer strikes one of these hole-riddled saucers, it bursts into a splash of dark sound that vanishes instantly like a puff of smoke. Sound-engineers and studio wizards love these polite instruments because they never drown out the singers, making them a favorite choice for modern music-makers everywhere.
Chapter IX: The Indestructible Cowbell with the Diamond Badge
The famous Latin Percussion (LP) company is celebrating sixty wonderful years of making rhythm-tools! To mark this diamond jubilee, they released a special edition of their classic Rock Ridge Rider cowbell and a matching synthetic Jam Block.
Sixty years ago, a resourceful man named Martin Cohen started building drums in his tiny garage. Today, his company makes the toughest percussion gear in the world, adorned with a special diamond logo to remind everyone that good craftsmanship lasts forever.
Chapter X: The Fine German Snares for Working Minstrels
Finally, the German craftsmen at DrumCraft introduced their new Vanguard series of snare drums, offering high-grade musical tools at prices that won't empty a traveler's coin-purse.
Aluminum Shells: Very dry and crisp for neat studio recordings.
Cast Brass Shells: Thunderous and bright to slice through loud music.
Maple Wood Shells: Warm and sweet for cozy pop and jazz tunes.
Fitted with smooth wire-levers and satin-brushed metal finishes, these handsome drums look like stealthy treasures under stage lanterns. DrumCraft has built a wonderful bridge between cheap toy drums and costly custom pieces, ensuring every working minstrel can carry a voice of pure quality wherever his journey leads.