Toontrack Metal! EZX Expansion Reviews

This review will hopefully enable you to make some first choices about which ezx to get for HEAVY METAL MUSIC. It is ridiculous to not give Toontrack a 6-star rating. I prefer EZ Drummer over Superior Drummer for one main reason – and that is each ezx represents hundreds or perhaps even thousands of musically brilliant professionals' man-hours of effort (not including their lifetime experiences of unique talent) executing a fantastic and specific musical outcome so that you can just make choices and be spared the tedium of time consuming development work (unless that is how you want to spend your time – and if that is the case – go for Superior Drummer – as it goes beyond any other software as far as creating totally custom presets). Most people looking at the reviews already know Toontrack's drumming software is the not only the best there is but the only real viable attempt to capture the percussion elements of the entire musical universe - and like a conquering army – put it all under the dominion of a single power – that power being you (the user) - and therefore the rating is a moot point – but rather – like going to the greatest ice cream shop in all history that features over 1000 flavors and knowing that chocolate is the favorite flavor – how to make the right choice when confronted by well over two dozen flavors of chocolate?
Because each ezx has so many different settings and tone variations – to make sense of what each ezx can do – I wanted to capture the primary voice of each ezx – so I started with the original mix – listened to all the kit variations – and picked the one that was the most representative of that ezx – so I could easily compare each ezx in rapid succession. I used beats that required jazz drumming detail, Rock drumming power and sonority, and Metal drumming punctuation and authority, while holding as close as possible to the most natural and organic sound each kit was capable of. Here are the results that are tailored towards my preferences of the Metal genre:
DRUM KIT FROM HELL: The most extreme ezx for Metal. If you have a mix overloaded with 9 string guitars, a 5-string bass, and contrabass keyboard pads – this kit will penetrate and clean up the messiest sonic soup. But like all sample sets designed for loud performance – this set requires a higher-than-normal volume setting in the mix to accurately recreate the proper tone of the snare drum – which is strong – and cannot be placed in any low volume acoustic instrument mix any more than you could put a symphonic trombone section at the same volume next to a ukulele. If you use this set improperly the main power feature of the set will be lost. This set is very specialized and will not sound right for most normal mix situations. If your music sounds like hell (because of dense overload in the contrabass and baritone register) – DRUM KIT FROM HELL is the ultimate sound, I have found.
METALHEADS: The most versatile ezx for Metal if you want the flavor of Drum Kit from Hell without any of the limitations. It will work for anything Metal and sound fantastic in its own unique way. But it is definitely Metal and for the amazing sonority achieved there is some sacrifice in the organic and natural drum sounds – but not as extreme as Drum Kit from Hell. I love the detail I hear in this kit.
METAL MACHINE: This kit is probably the most versatile kit for Metal. It achieves amazing detail almost as well as Metalheads – but at the same time moves closer to a more natural sound that does not suffer from any lack of power and definition. I suppose if I was stuck with only one possible choice – though not my favorite ezx – probably the only kit that sounds exotic and can do any job it is given without any significant shortfall.
METAL! I have a difficult time describing this set. It is as fantastic and versatile as Metal Machine – but in a completely different way that does not sound natural or organic – but still extremely musical. It is the only kit that sounds sweet and cold at the same time to my ear. The warmest kit in the Metal line up is MADE OF METAL and the sweetest sounding kit is DRUMS OF DESTRUCTION. This kit seems absolutely defect free when doing any busy high speed drum part – and it seems to do the same job as METAL MACHINE but in a completely different way – so I have a hard time trying to figure out which of these kits is the primary front and center kit for all Heavy Metal genres. For me, the strength of this kit is a sure bet in any mix where the drumming maintains a strong position without interference. I think Metal Machine would sound better in a less busy mix than METAL!
DRUMS OF DESTRUCTION: If the drums were played alone with no other instruments in the mix – this kit is number one for authority, warmth, and definition while maintaining the most organic and natural drum sounds that are extremely pleasing to the ear. The value of this kit will be lost in a dense mix or any that favor 8 string guitars. Best used for power trio and fantastic sound backing lead guitar solo work or a single 6 string guitar metal part.
MADE OF METAL: Made to bring power to any combination of 6 string guitar work mixes to give more depth and heavy tone to the final mix without interfering with vocals or lead guitar work. The warmest sounding kit in the entire metal ezx line up. As warm and thick as you can get without losing definition or getting over the top wild sounds required for slower heavy arena rock (like the ROCK SOLID ezx).
MODERN METAL: My least favorite kit because it has multiple personalities. It seems to cover everything but in a more neutral way than the specialized sounds of the other kits. It is extraordinarily strong and defined – but to my ear – all Metal with little natural organic sound – but all the sounds are fantastically musical and can perform both slow speed power beats and busy high speed metal beats.
PROGRESSIVE: Wow. The thunderous setting lives up to its name. This kit has a big sound – and so big on certain settings that you better slow down the beat or you will have a mess on your hands. A fantastic kit with its own unique place in the Metal drum universe. You just have to compare beats you make with other kits with how it sounds in this one to make the right choice. When on the tamer settings – a very versatile kit that sounds different than all the others.
DARK MATTER: The strangest sounding drum kit I have ever heard. It sounds totally normal and organic – and then when I compare it to the other kits all doing the same part – this kit has a clarity and definition that seems to be unique for how thick it sounds. To my ear, it is the most exotic kit of them all that has incredible versatility. It is a sonic anomaly. It seems to possess the best attributes of a highly processed unnatural sounding drum kit mix and the most natural and organic qualities at the same time. This kit is for gourmet metal. It is superb – but like anything else – if it is your only kit – you will get tired of it.
DEATH METAL: Super Wowie Zowie! My favorite interface where art and science are united in technical matrimony. Toontrack's greatest achievement in creative vision of the Metal genre. This kit is like no other and even though I prefer Dark Matter – this kit is just as unique but completely different from all the other Metal ezx. I often compose starting with this kit – and discover that no other kit – even Dark Matter – can improve the final beat I create using the Death Metal ezx. It has a thick muffled quality without sounding like any high-end detail fidelity is missing – and that is a musical contradiction. It is as "fat" as you can get with maximum "snap". Death Metal and Black Matter are a must have if you are into Metal. I consider this an awfully close second place to Dark Matter as far as how exotic. And definitely first place for what it does best.
Now there are other kits that Toontrack classifies as metal and others that sound fantastic for certain metal parts that are not classified as metal. My favorite kit in the entire ezx line up for power and definition that is the most natural and organic – is NASHVILLE – hands down with nothing even close to what this kit sounds like and my top choice for metal that demands an organic drum sound or any form of hard rock. For processed sounds that are on the opposite side of organic and natural – my favorite for medium speed metal is ROCK SOLID – and wow – this kit has its own super powered over the top personality like no other kit and it definitely suffers from an overdose of drum steroids which is what makes it a magnificent choice for certain parts. Despite that – if I were to have only a few ezx to start out with – my top three choices for versatility are METAL!, MADE OF METAL, and DRUMS OF DESTRUCTION. For exotic and fantastic sound that has no regard for any all-purpose considerations my top three choices are DARK MATTER, DEATH METAL, and METALHEADS. For just the way the drums sound alone – DRUMS OF DESTRUCTION is my favorite that sounds absolutely fantastic without being exotic like DARK MATTER or DEATH METAL.
Understand – I believe it is worth buying them all – and only a matter of which order to buy them.

man all I can say is sweetwater has some amazing software for these kits..I love the way it sounds and built

Out of all the expansions I've bought, this is THE one I was looking for. If you're needing metal drums and a specific sound, this is it.

This ezx pack is truly exceptional for anybody that wants killer drums that sound amazing!
Thanx much Derek! Sean..Infinite Noise Productions. MN

The drums sound great and natural to me.

You have a lot of variety to choose from...lots of cymbals and snares!

This is a no-brainer in my humble opinion.

I own them all and this is probably the best kit I have. Definitely the best metal kit. The drums sound outstanding and the cymbals are less brash than they others I have. I scored a musical for a client pretty much using this kit for the heavy stuff. It really sits well in the mix. Just perfect. If you could have only one metal kit this would be a stellar choice.

Very Happy with this purchase. Lots of Cymbals to choose from and they sound great. Its another recommended purchase from Toontrack.

I bought this for my Superior Drummer software, and I am very happy with it. The default drum kit sounds awesome on it's own for a good Heavy Metal sound. Highly recommend this one!

I listened to many paks for metal, this one is simply awesome, thunderous really. I like all of the options I have and you can see my Ezdrummer2 posting. I am VERY happy with this selection and how it works, so many options to pick from, still learning. If you want something that sounds real, this is it. Metal EZX is simply a pulsating drum attack for your metal recording creations. I love it. Period.

I use this inside Superior Drummer and I love it!!! It's easy (hence EZX) to get ideas down quickly using the included midi files. Most of the time I lay down a guitar part and then find a midi file that fits it. The sounds are great right from the get-go and are a great alternative to the SDX options in Superior Drummer.

I write rock/hard rock/pop punk/post hardcore and realized right away the stock kits in EZdrummer 2 were woefully inadequate Reluctantly, I got the Rock Solid EZX, hoping to find some more usable sounds & was very underwhelmed, so much so I almost gave up on the entire program. The kicks were still way too dark, boomy, & vintage sounding to even cut thru the mix, let alone sound genre appropriate. I wish I'd looked at the Metal EZX first but hindsight is always 20/20. The very first thing I noticed is it was about 1.24 Gb of content, as opposed to the Rock Solid pack which was well under a gig so that was a good sign. Once I got to try out the different kits & individual instruments, DAAAANNNG. The different kicks are PERFECT! The snares & toms, also very, very good. The cymbals are a bit too dark so I swapped them out in favor of brighter ones from my library. Now, my kick & snare sit nicely in the mix & they sound very much like they belong there. Like me, you may also be thinking 'metal' drums aren't for you if you're not actually recording 'metal' music but I can say with the utmost confidence, these sounds are ideal for rock, hard rock, punk, hardcore, djent, thrash, whatever version of modern rock you can possibly imagine. Perhaps most surprising of all, I found the loops to be extremely useful as well! This was a huge relief for me because I really wanted to be able to utilize them but found nothing interesting until I got the Metal pack. WOW!! Right away, I was able to find a TON of content that actually matched the stuff I had in my head. I thought I'd never use loops at all before now but I had an entire song's worth of drum loops strung together in less than an hour with pretty minimal tweaking. Did I mention there's a LOT of loop content?? Well, there is! Compared to the stock library & the other EZX I purchased, the amount of & variations of loops included in the Metal pack is just amazing. It ranges from basic, to groove-heavy, to complex, to blast beats with a very impressive amount of fills. I finally feel like I'm getting some real results from EZdrummer 2 now & I'm excited. Makes it that much more difficult to have to do other things besides record music now.

Since upgrading to EZD2 i guess i'm biased.....but seriously folks,if you can't grind out an absolutely killer heavy drum sound/groove from this library.....well,you should probably go and work in a library and forget music. Sounds,performances....so many options,can't ask for anything else. Toontrack= nailed it.

Toontrack and Auidohammer studios sound engineering are a match made in... hell

ok all the earlier metal packs were very good...but this one in AMAZING. The sounds are modern, fresh and very heavy. The groove library has stuff I could never even imagine. These guy really got it right this time.

Very satisfied customer here!! :)
Toontrack Metal! EZX is really awesome.
Cheers, Sweetwater (and Toontrack)!!!!....you guys really know how to make us happy! ;)

For the price you can't beat these EZX Expansion packs. I use mine through my Superior Drummer 3 and they sound great.

Purchased the toontrack Metal! kit for ezdrummer 2 a few weeks back and i have to say if you"re into heavier grooves this is a kit to add your collection! Sounds great and plays well with others in the mix!

awesome product for putting the thoughts down quick.

Great drum sounds for modern metal and even hard rock. It also has one of the larger midi libraries I've seen. To me, the default kit for this EZX is the best. My only complaint (rating of 4.5) would be that the cymbals sound a little weak...but those can be changed out. For the price, it's definitely worth it compared to others I've purchased.

OK... let me start by saying that I'm a big metal fan, which is why I purchased this. The sounds from each of these engineers are unique and charachteristic of their individual styles. However... the cymbals on almost all of the kits are dead and lifeless. I know that within a mix, these are probably just what you'd want, but I really wish toontracks would have offered me (the user) the ability to chose whether I wanted the super compressed and processed sound or a kit with a little more life. Unlike several of the other Toontrack expansions that offer you the ability to pick a dry kit or a natural kit... all of these are really produced. The Vintage set is pretty cool and the cymbals within this kit are pretty nice. Overall... it's a good product, but I really wish that Toontrack would put more enphasis on giving the user a less processed version of all of their kits. But... I guess that's why you just upgrade to Superior Drummer.