Annihilate The Hero is a three-piece metal band based in Carbondale, Illinois. Influences include all things metal -- death, progressive, grindcore, old school, and metalcore. They are not at all influenced by synth pop, shoegaze or techno. It is all about the metal.

The current line up consists of Justin Malinee on drums, Thomas Henderson on guitar/vocals and Tony Lamantia on bass. The band formed in 2002, releasing an EP and a full-length.

The current line up is responsible for the releases Images of Disgust (2005)and Betrothing Dejection (2007).

They have shared the stage with a "who's who" list of metal bands including -- SuperjointRitual, Hatebreed, Chimaira, God Forbid, Crowbar, Full Blown Chaos, Pissing Razors,Hemlock and more.

Drummer Justin Malinee took some time to chat with Gearwire about his gear and some of what the rest of the band uses.

His drums are Mapex (22" bass, 8" 10" 12" 13" 16" toms) with a Pork Pie acrylic 14" snare. When it comes to cymbals he is mostly about Sabian but he is also fond of Meinl. He uses Sabian 22" Pro rock ride, Sabian 14" B8 hi hats, Sabian 17" AAXplosion crash, Meinl 18" MB10 crash, Sabian 19" AAXplosion crash, Sabian 18" AAX china, Meinl 14" filter china, Sabian 10" AA Metal X splash, Sabian 10" B8 splash, Meinl 8" Classics medium bell, Sabian 10" and Mike Portnoy Max Stax.

His drum hardware includes a Gibraltar rack and a Pearl Eliminator double bass drum pedal. He uses Pro-Mark Mike Portnoy sticks.

"I've played just about every brand of cymbal out there, and none have the sound or durability I'm finding with Sabian or Meinl." says Malinee.

When asked if there is any gear out there he wants but does not yet have he has some ideas.

"As with every musician, there's always something you want," says Malinee. "I'm looking at purchasing some Pacific Drums, and perhaps adding a 20" ride cymbal to the left side of my kit."

Henderson uses a Line 6 Pod X3 Live, and also has a Line 6 Pocket Pod.

"The Line 6 products offer great versatility in a small package." says Malinee.

Lamantia has an Ampeg set up -- a SVT-4 Pro amp and the Classic 8x10" cabinet.

There are no effects used on the bass.

"I don't feel there are tricks to our sounds, everything is pretty straight-forward. Our sound stands out because of the songwriting and the cohesiveness of the music." he says. "Right now, we are working on some backing vocals in practice, all the while looking to book shows. Unfortunately, we have no tour plans in the works right now."