Drumming News :
TOOL drummer Danny Carey has offered fans a closer look at one of the most visually striking elements of the band’s live show: his custom touring drum kit. In a recently shared three-minute video, Carey explains how the kit came together through a collaboration with German drum manufacturer Sonor and longtime TOOL visual artist Alex Grey.
Carey begins by addressing the curiosity he’s received from fans about the drum set he has been using on tour in recent years. Central to its design is Alex Grey, an artist who has worked extensively with TOOL for more than a decade and a half, contributing to album artwork and immersive onstage visuals. According to Carey, Grey’s work has always carried a unique synergy with the band’s music, blending sound and imagery into a unified experience.
With that in mind, Carey decided to make his drum kit itself part of the visual storytelling. He approached Grey with the idea of creating original artwork directly on the drums, allowing the kit to function as both a musical instrument and a piece of art. Sonor built a high-end custom kit to Carey’s specifications, using beech wood and ebony—materials reminiscent of classic Sonor drums from the early 1980s. The shells were painted flat white, intentionally left as a blank canvas before being shipped from Germany to Grey’s studio in New York.
Rather than tightly directing the artwork, Carey gave Grey creative freedom. Aside from sharing TOOL’s latest record for inspiration, he let the artist interpret the music in his own way. The result featured Grey’s signature imagery, including recurring motifs such as flaming eyeballs, and exceeded Carey’s expectations.
One of the most meaningful elements of the kit was a surprise addition: a hand-painted gong drum. Grey created a portrait depicting Carey alongside a Native drummer, visually illustrating sound waves traveling into Carey’s ear and influencing his brain. The image symbolizes the cycle of inspiration—how sound affects the musician and, in turn, how the music may affect listeners. Carey described the piece as deeply personal and said he was honored to be represented in such a way.
While Carey loved the original kit, he became concerned about the possibility of damaging the hand-painted artwork during touring. To solve this, Sonor built a second kit using bubinga and maple, giving it a slightly different tonal character. The original artwork was digitally scanned and reproduced as durable drum wraps, allowing Carey to tour without risking damage to the original paintings.
In the end, Carey views both kits as exceptional—not just for their sound, but for their artistic value. He expressed gratitude to Grey for his generosity and creativity, noting how meaningful it was to merge visual art so seamlessly with his drumming. As for whether he might collaborate on something similar again in the future, Carey left the door open, saying with a laugh that it’s certainly possible.
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