Hangar
About
Paiste Artist Since
June 2000
Nationality
United States
Main Affiliation
Hangar
Other Affiliations
Tony MacAlpine
Noturnall
Website
www.aquilespriester.com
Setup
Cymbals listed from left to right
19" Signature Reflector Heavy Full Crash
19" 2002 Extreme Crash
18" Signature Heavy China
14" Signature Heavy Hi-Hat
18" 2002 Giga Bell Ride "Psychoctopus"
18" Signature Power Crash
10" Color Sound 900 Red Splash
8" Signature Splash
10" RUDE Splash
10" RUDE Splash
18" Signature Power Crash
18" Signature Heavy China
18" Signature Power Crash
15" Signature Sound Edge Hi-Hat
(discontinued)
18" 2002 Giga Bell Ride "Psychoctopus"
14" RUDE Mini China
(Custom)
19" Signature Reflector Heavy Full Crash
20" RUDE Thin Crash
Videos & Pics
Biography
Considered best Brazilian heavy metal drummer for twelve years in a row by main specialized magazines and sites, in 2011 Aquiles Priester was the only Brazilian in the history of Brazilian drumming to rank 5th best Prog Metal drummer of the world according to American Modern Drummer magazine next to names such as Neil Peart, Mike Portnoy, Gavin Harrison and Marco Minnemann. Born in South Africa, he moved to Brazil while still a child, spending his childhood and part of his adolescence in Foz do Iguaçu, a city in the state of Paraná. In 1988 he moved to Porto Alegre and in 1997 he founded heavy metal band Hangar where he began developing the style that would make him known worldwide. With Hangar he released five studio albums, an acoustic CD/DVD and a live album. Soon after Aquiles Priester was invited to record and go on tour with Paul Di’Anno, former Iron Maiden singer. This resulted in the album Nomad and a tour that included various Brazilian cities. In 2001 he joined the band Angra and recorded the album Rebirth, which went gold record in Brazil. After six years and three studio albums, an EP and a live CD/DVD, Aquiles left the band. From then on he hasn’t stopped, releasing products directed to the drum world that became best sellers, among them two educational DVDs: Inside My Drums (2004) and The Infallible Reason Of My Freak Drumming (2010), that was elected 3rd best educational DVD of the world by American Modern Drummer in 2011. He also released a textbook on the study of the double bass called Inside My Psycho Book (2007) and is about to release his new DVD Aquiles Priester's Top 100 Drum Fills in the world market. Besides the educational products, in 2010 Aquiles also released his autobiography "Aquiles Octopus Priester – From Fan to Idol" that’s on its 2nd edition and includes testimonies of famous drummers such as Kiko Freitas, Vera Figueiredo, Serginho Herval and João Barone. In 2010, he was one of seven drummers chosen from all over the world to take part of an audition to substitute Mike Portnoy in the American band Dream Theater – with Aquiles were Mike Mangini, Peter Wildoer, Marco Minnemann, Virgil Donati, Derek Roddy and Thomas Lang. After the audition, he was invited to go on a European tour with world famous American guitar player Tony MacAlpine. In 2010 he went on tour with another guitar virtuoso, Vinnie Moore. Mapex provides the instruments used by him and in 2006 created the drum kit Mapex Limited Edition Aquiles Priester and now, in 2013, is preparing to release a signature snare, Aquiles Priester's PsychOctopus Black Panther Snare, worldwide. On the other hand Paiste, the cymbal manufacturer, wasn’t far behind. In the beginning of 2009 they released the PST5 Limited Edition Aquiles Priester in the Brazilian market and in July of 2012 the signature ride 2002 PsychOctopus Giga Bell Ride 18" worldwide. With these accomplishments, Aquiles became the first Brazilian drummer to have signature products released worldwide by international drum brands. Aquiles Priester has already done more than 280 drum workshops and has taken part in the biggest drum festivals around the world such as the Modern Drummer Festival (United States), Montreal Drum Fest (Canada), Batuka! International Drum Fest (Brazil), La Rioja Festival (Spain), Laguna Drum Fest (Mexico), Drummer Live (England), Frankfurt Music Messe (Germany) and Namm Show (United States).
Setup Cymbals
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Details
Sizes: 18", 19", 20"
Volume: Medium
Weight: Heavy
Sound character: Bright, explosive, full, sparkling, warm. Wide frequency range, fairly clean mix. Even, giving feel with a powerful attack, sharp response and a nice sparkling fade. A strong, full, durable and cutting crash with radiant sound.
- Sounds
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Details
Sizes: 18"
Volume: Medium
Weight: Heavy
Sound character: Very bright, glassy, slightly dry, cutting, metallic. Fairly narrow range, clean mix. Somewhat heavy, but controllable feel. Clear, glassy ping over bell-like wash. Extremely cutting, loud bell with dark undertone. Extraordinary ride, suited particularly for defined playing on the bell in various musical styles. Developed in co-operation with Brazilian's Top Heavy Metal drummer Aquiles Priester.
- Sounds
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Details
Sizes: 16", 17", 18", 19", 20"
Volume: Medium
Weight: Light
Sound character: Full, dark, energetic with a brilliant broad sparkle underneath the overall cutting character. Very flexible with a wide range and a fairly complex mix. Responsive, explosive, shattering attack. Breathy layers of sound with that distinctive RUDE attitude.
- Sounds
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Details
Sizes: 10", 12"
Volume: Medium
Weight: Light
Sound character: Medium bright, short, full. Fairly wide range, clean mix. Responsive, explosive feel with quick decay. Well rounded, fast Splash for short accents in various music styles. While Color Sound 900 feature essentially the same sound and function as the 900 Series, the color coating causes a slightly drier sound, shortens the sustain a bit, and results in a more focused attack.
- Sounds