Oceans Ate Alaska · Hyper-technical progressive metalcore — gospel chops meet blast-beat brutality
Foundations — clean hands at speed Building the raw sticking speed and control gospel-chop phrasing needs
• Singles and doubles clean at high volume and low volume • Paradiddle-based sticking moved fluidly around the kit • Ghost notes controlled at speed without tension creeping in Unlocks: The opening groove of Little Dove
Heard in: Hansel · Endeavour · Escapist
Leads to: Stage 2 — Core grooves — half-time breakdowns
5 part session · warm-up, build, push, apply · from 90 BPM
Core grooves — half-time breakdowns Locking a heavy half-time feel that leaves room for hand ornamentation
Carries in from: Stage 1 — Foundations — clean hands at speed
• Half-time backbeat groove with kick variations underneath • Ghost notes woven into the groove without disturbing the pocket • Hi-hat foot chatter for extra texture on breakdowns Unlocks: The breakdown groove in Hansel
Heard in: Little Dove · Hansel · Endeavour
Leads to: Stage 3 — Signature techniques — gospel-chop linear phrasing
6 part session · warm-up, build, push, apply · from 92 BPM
Signature techniques — gospel-chop linear phrasing Applying church-style linear licks to a metalcore kit
Carries in from: Stage 2 — Core grooves — half-time breakdowns
• Linear hand-foot-hand phrases with no doubled hits • Four-limb independence at moderate tempo • Odd groupings layered over a steady kick ostinato Unlocks: The verse fill pattern in Hansel
Heard in: Hansel · Gone
Leads to: Stage 4 — Double kick vocabulary — 16ths into bursts
6 part session · warm-up, build, push, apply · from 100 BPM
Double kick vocabulary — 16ths into bursts Turning double kick into a musical layer under riffing, not just speed
Carries in from: Stage 3 — Signature techniques — gospel-chop linear phrasing
• Steady 16th-note double kick under a syncopated riff • Sudden 32nd-note bursts punctuating a phrase • Balance between kick attack and cymbal wash Unlocks: The double-kick verse in Little Dove
Heard in: Little Dove · Hansel · Wide Awake
Leads to: Stage 5 — Blast beat integration
6 part session · warm-up, build, push, apply · from 110 BPM
Blast beat integration Switching cleanly between blast beats and groove without a stumble
Carries in from: Stage 4 — Double kick vocabulary — 16ths into bursts
• Traditional blast beat at a controlled tempo, relaxed wrists • Instant switch from blast into a double-kick groove • Dynamics ladder to control blast intensity across a section Unlocks: The blast-to-groove transition in Wide Awake
Heard in: Little Dove · Hansel · Wide Awake
Leads to: Stage 6 — Fills & transitions — linear tom runs
6 part session · warm-up, build, push, apply · from 150 BPM
Fills & transitions — linear tom runs Building fills that phrase like gospel chops across the whole kit
Carries in from: Stage 5 — Blast beat integration
• Linear 32nd-note fills across snare and toms • Crash cymbal placement that punches the riff without cluttering it • Clean transitions from fill back into a blast or breakdown Unlocks: The pre-chorus fill in Hansel
Heard in: Little Dove · Hansel · Endeavour
Leads to: Stage 7 — Polyrhythm and odd meter
6 part session · warm-up, build, push, apply · from 112 BPM
Polyrhythm and odd meter Layering polyrhythmic ideas over metalcore's shifting riffs
Carries in from: Stage 6 — Fills & transitions — linear tom runs
• 3-against-4 phrasing over a straight kick ostinato • Odd-meter fills that resolve cleanly back into 4/4 • Metric modulation used briefly to shift a section's feel Unlocks: The instrumental break in Wide Awake
Heard in: Wide Awake · Ricochet · Our Cursed Rebirth
Leads to: Stage 8 — Song applications — full arrangements
6 part session · warm-up, build, push, apply · from 116 BPM
Song applications — full arrangements Playing complete songs with all the technical layers stacked together
Carries in from: Stage 7 — Polyrhythm and odd meter
• Little Dove start to finish with dynamic control • Hansel's groove-blast-fill cycle without losing time • Endurance across a full song at performance tempo Unlocks: A full run-through of Little Dove
Heard in: Little Dove · Hansel · Wide Awake
Leads to: Stage 9 — Challenge workouts — extreme tempo endurance
6 part session · warm-up, build, push, apply · from 130 BPM
Challenge workouts — extreme tempo endurance Sustaining blast/double-kick hybrid patterns at genre-typical extreme tempos
Carries in from: Stage 8 — Song applications — full arrangements
• Blast beat endurance past two minutes without tightening the grip • Fast alternating double-kick bursts inside a blast section • Recovering pocket immediately after a blast-to-groove drop Unlocks: Wide Awake's full blast section at tempo
Heard in: Little Dove · Wide Awake · Gone
Leads to: Stage 10 — Mastery — improvising the hybrid style
6 part session · warm-up, build, push, apply · from 170 BPM
Mastery — improvising the hybrid style Freely combining gospel-chop linear phrasing, blast beats and double kick
Carries in from: Stage 9 — Challenge workouts — extreme tempo endurance
• Improvised linear fills that stay in Turner's vocabulary • Switching feel instantly between groove, blast and linear fill on request • Applying the whole toolkit to a brand-new riff, no charts Unlocks: Improvising a Turner-style verse-to-breakdown transition on any riff
Heard in: Little Dove · Hansel · Wide Awake
6 part session · warm-up, build, push, apply · from 140 BPM
