{"id":53067,"date":"2025-08-12T04:45:00","date_gmt":"2025-08-12T11:45:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.drumeo.com\/beat\/?p=53067"},"modified":"2025-08-12T10:48:03","modified_gmt":"2025-08-12T17:48:03","slug":"gear-breakdown-cody-ash-slayer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.drumeo.com\/beat\/gear-breakdown-cody-ash-slayer\/","title":{"rendered":"Gear Breakdown: Cody Ash Hears Slayer For The First Time"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u201cSeasons In The Abyss\u201d \u2013 Slayer<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>What happens when a country-rock drummer dives headfirst into the dark, aggressive world of thrash metal?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In this episode, Cody Ash \u2014 best known as the powerhouse drummer for Jelly Roll \u2014 hears Slayer\u2019s \u201cSeasons In The Abyss\u201d for the very first time. It\u2019s a masterclass in contrast: Cody\u2019s roots are steeped in groove-heavy, arena-sized country anthems, while Slayer\u2019s legendary track is a high-octane onslaught of technical riffs, explosive drums, and relentless energy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Armed with his own kit, Cody doesn\u2019t just listen \u2014 he <em>feels<\/em> his way through the song, responding instinctively to the track\u2019s evolving dynamics, tempo shifts, and blistering fills. It\u2019s an honest look at what it takes to adapt across genres, and how a drummer\u2019s voice can stay true even in unfamiliar territory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Me43ZPnLK1Y?si=8wIaDyqcC-i9ag6I\" title=\"YouTube video player\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n\n\n\n<p>Explore the gear breakdown from this Drumeo YouTube performance, and learn about the <a href=\"#kit\">kit<\/a>, <a href=\"#snare\">snare<\/a> and <a href=\"#cymbal\">cymbal<\/a> choices Cody uses to Slay-er this track.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"kit\">\ud83e\udd41 The Kit<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Cody Ash played a <strong>DW Design Series<\/strong> kit in a classic <strong>Tobacco Burst<\/strong> finish. Known for their balance of quality and affordability, the Design Series drums deliver rich, resonant tones with plenty of attack \u2014 perfect for both his usual stadium sound and the metallic edge of Slayer\u2019s aesthetic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>22\u201d x 18\u201d Bass Drum<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>8\u201d x 7\u201d Tom<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>10\u201d x 8\u201d Tom<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>12\u201d x 9\u201d Tom<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>16\u201d x 16\u201d Floor Tom<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>18\u201d x 16\u201d Floor Tom<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>20\u201d x 12\u201d Gong Drum<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>If you\u2019re looking for a versatile pro-level kit that punches in any genre, <a href=\"https:\/\/sweetwater.sjv.io\/EEdGe4\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">this DW Design Series kit<\/a> (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.thomann.de\/intl\/dw_design_shell_pack_tobacco_bst.htm?offid=1&amp;affid=857\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Europe<\/a>) is a solid foundation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"snare\">\ud83d\udca5 The Snare Drums<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Cody opted for two distinctive snares to give him tonal options \u2014 one for crack and one for bark.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/sweetwater.sjv.io\/YRm4BR\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">14\u201d x 6\u201d DW Collector\u2019s Series Snare<\/a><\/strong> (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.thomann.de\/intl\/dw_14x06_exotic_burl_natural.htm?offid=1&amp;affid=857\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Europe<\/a> Alt.) in Tobacco Fade over Mapa Burl \u2014 this one brings warmth and depth, ideal for broader backbeats.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>14\u201d x 6\u201d DW Concept Series Black Steel Snare<\/strong> (NA) \u2014 tuned tighter, this snare delivers a sharper, more cutting tone, perfect for Slayer\u2019s heavier moments.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Both snares give Cody the dynamic range he needs to shift from subtle ghost notes to thunderous accents. You can also explore a similar metal snare option like the <a href=\"https:\/\/sweetwater.sjv.io\/DydAnd\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>PDP Concept Series Steel Snare<\/strong><\/a> (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.thomann.de\/intl\/dw_pdp_14x65_steel_bn.htm?offid=1&amp;affid=857\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Europe<\/a>) for that crisp, cutting Slayer vibe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"cymbal\">\ud83d\udece\ufe0f The Cymbals<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>To match Slayer\u2019s ferocity and stay true to his expressive playing style, Cody assembled a <strong>Zildjian-heavy cymbal setup<\/strong> loaded with color, trash, and articulation. His choices reflect a mix of aggression and musicality \u2014 essential for navigating the chaotic grooves of thrash metal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/sweetwater.sjv.io\/550mYN\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">22\u201d K Light Ride<\/a> (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.thomann.de\/intl\/zildjian_22_k_series_light_ride.htm?offid=1&amp;affid=857\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Europe<\/a>)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/sweetwater.sjv.io\/Xm9oOg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">15\u201d K Light Hi-Hats<\/a> (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.thomann.de\/intl\/zildjian_15_kserie_light_hihat.htm?offid=1&amp;affid=857\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Europe<\/a>)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/sweetwater.sjv.io\/3J0Xyd\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">18\u201d A Custom EFX<\/a> (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.thomann.de\/intl\/zildjian_18_acustom_efx.htm?offid=1&amp;affid=857\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Europe<\/a>)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/sweetwater.sjv.io\/N9yoR2\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">16\u201d A Custom EFX<\/a> (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.thomann.de\/intl\/zildjian_16_acustom_efx.htm?offid=1&amp;affid=857\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Europe<\/a>)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/sweetwater.sjv.io\/7a0LnQ\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">18\u201d K Sweet Crash<\/a> (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.thomann.de\/intl\/zildjian_18_k_sweet_crash.htm?offid=1&amp;affid=857\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Europe<\/a>)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/sweetwater.sjv.io\/qz6kmL\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">19\u201d K Sweet Crash<\/a> (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.thomann.de\/intl\/zildjian_19_k_sweet_crash.htm?offid=1&amp;affid=857\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Europe<\/a>)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/sweetwater.sjv.io\/POdYRQ\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">16\u201d FX Oriental China Trash<\/a> (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.thomann.de\/intl\/zildjian_oriental16_chinatrash.htm?offid=1&amp;affid=857\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Europe<\/a> Alt.)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/sweetwater.sjv.io\/e1ZJez\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">10\u201d FX Oriental China Trash<\/a> (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.thomann.de\/intl\/zildjian_10_fx_oriental_china_trash.htm?offid=1&amp;affid=857\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Europe<\/a>)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/sweetwater.sjv.io\/aOGYjM\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">8\u201d K Splash<\/a> (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.thomann.de\/intl\/zildjian_kregular_8_splash.htm?offid=1&amp;affid=857\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Europe<\/a>) over <a href=\"https:\/\/sweetwater.sjv.io\/19doym\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">10\u201d A Custom Splash<\/a> (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.thomann.de\/intl\/zildjian_ac10.htm?offid=1&amp;affid=857\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Europe<\/a>) (stack)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>These cymbals offer a palette of tones \u2014 from the smooth sizzle of the K Light Ride to the trashy bite of stacked splashes and China cymbals. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\ud83d\udc68\u200d\u2696\ufe0f The Verdict<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Watching Cody Ash dive into Slayer territory is a beautiful reminder of what drumming is all about: musical curiosity, fearless exploration, and emotional connection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Even though this track sits miles away from Cody\u2019s typical setlist, his interpretation feels authentic. He brings his own vocabulary to the table, showing that great drummers aren\u2019t confined by genre \u2014 they\u2019re defined by feel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you\u2019re looking to expand your own skill set across genres, check out Drumeo\u2019s lessons on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.drumeo.com\/trial?utm_source=blog&amp;utm_medium=&amp;utm_term=drumeo&amp;utm_campaign=codyashslayer\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">metal drumming, odd time grooves, and double kick technique<\/a>. And if you want a quieter way to lock in brutal kick patterns, the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Drumeo-10043-drumeo-QuietKick\/dp\/B0CPTDQBK2?ref_=ast_sto_dp\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Drumeo QuietKick<\/a> is perfect for keeping the volume down while turning the intensity up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/www.musora.com\/musora-cdn\/image\/quality=85\/https:\/\/drumeoblog.s3.amazonaws.com\/beat\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/06134138\/2025-07-09-Drumeo-Cody-Ash-Kit-128-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-53069\" title=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/drumeoblog.s3.amazonaws.com\/beat\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/06134138\/2025-07-09-Drumeo-Cody-Ash-Kit-128-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/drumeoblog.s3.amazonaws.com\/beat\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/06134138\/2025-07-09-Drumeo-Cody-Ash-Kit-128-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/drumeoblog.s3.amazonaws.com\/beat\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/06134138\/2025-07-09-Drumeo-Cody-Ash-Kit-128-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/drumeoblog.s3.amazonaws.com\/beat\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/06134138\/2025-07-09-Drumeo-Cody-Ash-Kit-128-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/drumeoblog.s3.amazonaws.com\/beat\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/06134138\/2025-07-09-Drumeo-Cody-Ash-Kit-128-2048x1365.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>You can find everything mentioned in this Gear Breakdown at <a href=\"https:\/\/sweetwater.sjv.io\/mOyrEX\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Sweetwater<\/a> or <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thomannmusic.com\/?offid=1&amp;affid=857\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Thomann<\/a> if you are overseas. If this video lit a spark to start drumming (or sharpen your chops), take the next step and click the link to try <a href=\"https:\/\/www.drumeo.com\/trial?utm_source=blog&amp;utm_medium=&amp;utm_term=drumeo&amp;utm_campaign=codyashslayer\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Drumeo, free for 7 Days.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>*This article contains affiliate links, which means we might earn a small commission from the product seller if you make a purchase. For more info, check out our<\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.drumeo.com\/privacy#affiliate-disclosure\"><em> privacy page.<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\u201cSeasons In The Abyss\u201d \u2013 Slayer What happens when a country-rock drummer dives headfirst into the dark, aggressive world of thrash metal? In this episode, Cody Ash \u2014 best known as the powerhouse drummer for Jelly Roll \u2014 hears Slayer\u2019s \u201cSeasons In The Abyss\u201d for the very first time. It\u2019s a masterclass in contrast: Cody\u2019s [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":174,"featured_media":53068,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4019,4020],"tags":[4149,4082,4084,4150,4151],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.drumeo.com\/beat\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53067"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.drumeo.com\/beat\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.drumeo.com\/beat\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.drumeo.com\/beat\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/174"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.drumeo.com\/beat\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=53067"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.drumeo.com\/beat\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53067\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":53083,"href":"https:\/\/www.drumeo.com\/beat\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53067\/revisions\/53083"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.drumeo.com\/beat\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/53068"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.drumeo.com\/beat\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=53067"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.drumeo.com\/beat\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=53067"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.drumeo.com\/beat\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=53067"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}