My old 16" Stagg china was well suited to heavy music. I got this Zultan to try something a little different and I'm increasingly enjoying it the more I play it. First off, the Dark Matter china isn't quite as loud as others I've played, so my ears are a little happier. But I love the overall sound too!
My terminology is obviously subjective, but to me, this china is not a crackler, rattler or a sparkler, but more of a hisser. And it's a nice hiss, not too high and shrill, but a bit softer and more subtle than my previous chinas. There's also some quite deep and somewhat warm undertones in this dish which give it a rather dark and mysterious presence to my ears, and it has a fairly long sustain to it.
I've found that it takes nicely to different dynamics, sounding darker and more mellow when struck softly but showing a good amount of bite and aggression when you lay into it a little more. Tapping on the rim and bell also produces some quite interesting and atmospheric sounds. I've also found that I prefer to use this china mainly for accented hits as, in my opinion, it's a little too washy and sustained for beating continuously. Although some tape on the underside could solve that.
Another great cymbal at a great price from Zultan, one that I think is suitable to a good variety of genres, and perhaps my favourite of theirs I've bought so far. I would definitely recommend it.
Finally a note on the visuals of the cymbal. To my eyes, it appears black and coppery coloured in the sample pictures and greyish-black in the sample video. However, in my rehearsal room, the patina appears bluish black with some of the goldish hue of the metal shining through. I dont know if this is variation in the cymbals or just an effect of the light, but I found it very interesting. Regardless, I still think it's a great sounding and optically brilliant dish!
