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Chris Turner

Documented by Chris @ Drum Faster

Oceans Ate Alaska's founding drummer and one of the most precise players in metal — accurate enough that people accuse him of triggering, which he does not do. Modern Drummer Up & Coming winner in 2017, Drumeo Louie Bellson Award for double bass in 2022.

Read our full Chris Turner feature →

2026 — Disparity and the DWe era

Same acoustic philosophy — no triggers on the kit — with one twist: he gave the first UK public performance of DW's DWe, their convertible acoustic/electronic kit, and now uses it for practice and clinic work.

Bass drum — DW Performance Series kit Floor tom — DW Performance Series kit Rack tom — DW Performance Series kit Rack tom — DW Performance Series kit Snare — DW snare Hi-hats — Sabian AAX hi-hats China — Sabian AA Holy China Crash — Sabian AAX crashes Crash — Sabian AAX crashes Ride — Sabian AAX Thin Ride
The 2026 kit at a glance. Tap a piece to find it below; sticks, pedals and hardware aren't drawn.
DW Performance Series kit ⤷ who plays this
DW snare ⤷ who plays this
Sabian AAX hi-hats ⤷ who plays this
Sabian AAX crashes ⤷ who plays this
Sabian AAX Thin Ride still the dry ride ⤷ who plays this
Sabian AA Holy China ⤷ who plays this
DW 9000 hi-hat stand ⤷ who plays this
Vic Firth drumsticks ⤷ who plays this
Remo drumheads ⤷ who plays this
DWe convertible acoustic/electronic kit he played its first UK public performance ⤷ who plays this

2017 — Hikari

A deliberately minimal drum setup — one rack tom, one floor tom, one kick — with the complexity all in the cymbals. Hikari also had him reaching for brushes and jazz playing in places, which is not a normal metal record move.

Bass drum — DW Performance Series kit Floor tom — DW Performance Series kit Rack tom — DW Performance Series kit Rack tom — DW Performance Series kit Snare — DW snare Hi-hats — Sabian AAX hi-hats Crash — Sabian AAX crashes Crash — Sabian AAX crashes Ride — Sabian AAX Thin Ride
The 2017 kit at a glance. Tap a piece to find it below; sticks, pedals and hardware aren't drawn.
DW Performance Series kit one rack tom, one floor tom, single kick ⤷ who plays this
DW snare ⤷ who plays this
Sabian AAX hi-hats ⤷ who plays this
Sabian AAX crashes ⤷ who plays this
Sabian AAX Thin Ride a drier ride than most metal drummers pick ⤷ who plays this
DW 9000 series hardware set low, with the throne set high ⤷ who plays this
Vic Firth drumsticks ⤷ who plays this
Remo drumheads no triggers, no sample replacement ⤷ who plays this

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