Matt Greiner: August Burns Red's drummer, decoded
Matt Greiner co-founded August Burns Red in 2003. His Vic Firth signature drumsticks, Zildjian cymbal setup, and 2026 Signs of the Swarm cameo, sourced.
August Burns Red · reviewed by the Change Your Strings editorial team ·
Matt Greiner co-founded August Burns Red in 2003 and has drummed for the Lancaster, Pennsylvania metalcore band across ten studio albums, including the Grammy-nominated 'Identity.' He plays a Vic Firth signature drumstick (SGRE) built to his own extended-length, elongated-taper spec, and endorses Zildjian cymbals, centered on a 19-inch A Custom Crash he calls his favorite combo. On August 24, 2026, he guested in Pittsburgh deathcore band Signs of the Swarm's cover of Rob Zombie's 'Dragula.'
Who Matt Greiner is
Matthew Wilson Greiner, born October 28, 1985, co-founded August Burns Red in March 2003, when guitarist JB Brubaker recruited him along with rhythm guitarist Brent Rambler, bassist Jordan Tuscan, and vocalist Jon Hershey, forming the band in the Lancaster, Pennsylvania area. He has drummed on every one of the band's ten studio albums since, starting with 2005's Thrill Seeker on Solid State Records.
Wikipedia's own summary of Christian-metal drumming names Greiner, alongside Lance Garvin (Living Sacrifice) and Ted Kirkpatrick (Tourniquet), as one of the genre's most influential players. Greiner has spoken about that side of his life directly: he was homeschooled as a child, which he's said gave him more time to practice, and he grew up attending Christian music festivals including Cornerstone and Creation.
What he plays
Signature model · SKU SGRE · $14.99
Vic Firth Signature Series Matt Greiner Drumsticks
Designed with Greiner to a medium diameter, extended 16.438-inch length, and an elongated taper. Dry-tumbled hickory with a Taj Mahal tip and no added finish; Vic Firth's own copy says the added length and taper trade toward reach and leverage.
Zildjian artist · Favorite combo: 19" A Custom Crash
Zildjian cymbal setup
14-inch A Custom Mastersound hi-hats, two 19-inch A Custom Crashes, a 9-inch custom bell, a 9-inch Oriental Splash, a 12-inch Oriental Trash China, an 18-inch Oriental Trash China, and a 20-inch K Custom Ride, per his own Zildjian artist page. He also worked with Zildjian to design its 7-inch FX Blast Bell.
In his own words, on Zildjian's artist page: "I started playing drums in church when I was 15 years old. I always loved metal music because the drumming seemed to be so challenging and creative! I started August Burns Red when I was 17 with some friends in high school."
This is a starter profile. Documented rig detail (kit brand, heads, pedals) will expand as sourced specs are confirmed. Metalcore bands like August Burns Red commonly work in the same drop-tuned, extended-range territory CYS tracks across the genre; see Drop A tuning for the gauge and tension math behind it.
The Dragula cameo
On August 24, 2026, Greiner made a guest appearance in Pittsburgh deathcore band Signs of the Swarm's cover video for Rob Zombie's "Dragula," alongside skateboarder Bam Margera and vocalists from several other touring metalcore and deathcore bands. Singer David Simonich said the band reached out to August Burns Red because they were shooting right by Lancaster, and Greiner agreed to help fill out a second, video-accurate drum line alongside Galactic Empire's Kevin Corkran and Signs of the Swarm's own Bobby Crow. It's a one-off cameo, not a lineup change; Greiner remains August Burns Red's drummer.
Full coverage of the Dragula cover →