STOrmy SO UNds FOR AGG REssIVE A CCENTS Thunder & Lightning Cymbals TRXBy John Nyman ou knew from the photos The TRX BRT Lightning cymbals tained in the familiar 14" disc size that these are not going are the bright, shiny ones in both and maintains a usable, musical to be “normal” cymbals, tone and appearance. Burnished tone. You can open and close and right? All those holes in so to a gleaming glow both top and otherwise manipulate them as Ymany cymbals — they just don’t bottom, the Lightning cymbals you would regular hi-hats. You convey a message of ding-ding- are dimpled with small hammer can play them with the tip or the a-ding and crash, crash, crash, do marks that are both generous shoulder of your sticks. You can they? You are correct, sir. You are and polished out. The otherwise play on the face or on the edge wise to be intrigued, ma’am. New raw bell is also polished to mirror of the cymbal and get musical and peculiar from TRX, these are brightness. And again there are changes in sound. Thunder and Lighting. the holes — many, many holes. It doesn’t matter much TRX’s DRK Thunder and BRT Both the BRT and DRK design which cymbal is on top, by the Lightning crashes, splashes, and elements remain consistent way. I tried both and found the China-types, as well as a pair of across their respective models, with combinations to remain strikingly matched Storm hi-hats, to be changes only in size and profile. similar. TRX Storm hi-hats would UNDER THE STOrm The underside of precise. Still young and bold, TRX work in many rock applications Thunder cymbals are more conven- distributes Turkish-made cymbals, MEET THE BARKERS and in modern, experimental tional than the playing side, with fine and is building a strong reputation Our review shipment included settings, too. They are very lathe grooves and a traditional finish. for good sounds at a good price. both DRK and BRT 18" China-type aggressive, and different enough This batch likely includes one or cymbals, 18" and 20" DRK Thunder to be noticed in extreme volume two you will want to have. crash cymbals, a 16" BRT Lightning situations. China is drier than its BRT counter- crash cymbal, 10" DRK and 10" BRT part, and a bit more forceful. SORT OuT YOur splash cymbals, and a pair of 14" THUNDER & LIGHTNING Tapping the face of the DRK emits SPECIALTIES BRT/DRK Storm Hi-Hats, which is CHINESE STYLE a sound like tapping, say, the DRK Thunder cymbals are the where our test begins. The Chinese style tastes like walls of a huge metal barrel, while milk chocolate ones. They have Chinese style. Both the 18" DRK tapping the face of the BRT is more a drier, darker tone. Each has a TEMPEST IN A HI-HAT and 18" BRT Chinas share that fa- like tapping a small gong. Both raw-looking face that is heavily Do you play metal? Yes? Then miliar China cymbal profile, which are potential winners, but again, hammered all the way up to the you should check these out. The shouldn’t suggest they don’t have the field of China-type cymbals base of the raw bell. There’s no pairing of Thunder and Lightning their own unique voice. But their is so vast you’ll be best served by fine lathing, though it seems that cymbals produces an extremely voice isn’t as far removed from comparing them yourself. some type of brutal landscaping aggressive, dry, intrusive hi-hat “regular” China cymbals as TRX has taken place in a circular sound. They may not work as Thunder and Lightning crashes are THUNDER & direction. However, the bottoms your everyday hi-hats, but shine from “regular” crashes. Still, both LIGHTNING CrASHES of DRK Thunder cymbals look quite as auxiliary hats. Played slightly Thunder and Lightning Chinas are SPLASH IN THE SKY conventional, with fine lathing loose in the stand, the brittle, quite good. Thunder and Lightning starts cutting grooves concentrically metal-crashing tone is an open The 18" BRT Lightning China- small and distant, right? Okay, on the brass-colored discs. And invitation for pumping double style — holes and all — produces here are the 10" BRT Lightning then there are the holes, so many bass underneath. generous “gong-like” wash, and and the 10" DRK Thunder cymbals. holes. The 18" DRK Thunder has They remind me of ribbon a rounded, punchy attack. You Their similarities and differences six large, six medium-sized, and crashers, or maybe oversized steel could almost ride on this thing, make them work marvelously as six small-sized holes punched or sheets struck with metal beaters at the risk of falling through all a pair, so it wouldn’t hurt to get drilled right through it. — and yet all this fury is con- those holes! The 18" DRK Thunder both of them. The BRT Lightning 118 DRUM! December 2014 DRUMmagazine.com D222_114_121_Soundlab_v1.indd 118 10/9/14 5:08 PM 18" Thunder China cymbal — $550. 18" Lightning China cymbal — $550. Thunder cymbals have Lightning cymbals have a heavily-hammered, a bright, unlathed finish unlathed playing area. with small hammer marks. A hole. Lightning cymbal Thunder cymbal bells are polished to bells look raw and a mirror finish. unfinished. Another hole. 10" Lightning splash — $275. 10" Thunder splash — $275. 14" Storm hi-hats combine one Thunder and one Lightning NOT PICTurED All PRICES ARE MSRP. cymbal — $650. CONTACT 16" Lightning Crash — $450 trxcymbals.com 18" Thunder crash — $500 818-751-3257 20" Thunder Crash — $550. splash, shiny and holey, has a evident when we turn to normal metal trash can thrown against In fact, the two of them, 16" and breathy attack and a musical pie- crash cymbal sizes. The 16" BRT a warehouse door, a large cymbal 20", would make a great top and tin tone. It has a brightly toned Lighting crash, for example, starts heard through a vintage plate bottom end “last word” in your entrance and a lower, longer as a heavy cymbal. It’s quite reverb unit, and a gong. I like it. cymbal set. decay. The holey and darkly thick. But with 18 holes in it, the The 20" DRK Thunder crash mottled DRK Thunder splash has a mass changes radically. Response really pushes the envelope of VErdICT full but rounded attack, a strong is quick, like a thinner cymbal, different, brutal weirdness. It has TRX has boldly punched through Asian gong tone, and a gong-like, but the sound is very unusual. It a barking attack, quite heavy the status quo in search of new whispering decay. These two are sounds like a perfectly synced with mid-range frequencies, and sounds for you. Brash, raspy, and useful and interesting variations combination of a small crash, a a strongly gong-like tone. Its dry, these Thunder and Lightning on the classic splash sound. I very large cookie sheet, and a tone is quite low for a cymbal, cymbals are different enough to liked them very much. distant gong. and displaces a lot of inner ear woo you or shoo you. They are The 18" DRK Thunder crash hair follicles with every hit. It’s worth a listen, especially if you BIGGER WEATHER cymbal offers a different, weird a dark, brooding, rasping animal need a noticeably aggressive The effects of cymbal design and sound combination. To my of a cymbal, which makes the cymbal for your music, whatever hole punching becomes more ears it’s like a mix of an empty, 16" sound wispy by comparison. style that may be. DRUMmagazine.com December 2014 DRUM! 119 D222_114_121_Soundlab_v1.indd 119 10/9/14 5:08 PM.