Alex Nourse is the current live drummer for Cognitive… as well as, at the moment of posting this interview, in two local bands based out of Charlotte, NC. Both of them are undergoing rebrands with new music and names. More news on that hopefully soon!

Alex has been playing with Cognitive since September of 2024 filling in on their direct support tour with Benighted, and in November on a direct support tour with Cytotoxin. Prior to playing with Cognitive, Alex got his feet on the ground touring back in March with Oceano. They needed a fill in for a short weekend run ASAP and Alex was quick to fill the spot. Later on, Alex would go on to play with them on their 15 years of Depths tour, and in the early summer on another short headliner tour building up momentum for their latest album Living Chaos.

Alex’ Links:

https://www.facebook.com/alex.nourse.7

https://www.instagram.com/alex_n0urse

https://www.instagram.com/cognitive_nj

Alex Nourse Interview:

SDM: How old were you when you started playing?

Alex: I was 4 years old when I found my spark for drums. I got started on a small First Act kit I played on for fun, but around the age of 11 I got my first “actual” drum kit for Christmas and it has been non-stop since then.

SDM: Did you play in a school band or any drum corps?

Alex: I played in school concert bands since 6th grade all the way through high-school.

SDM: Who are your top 5 metal influences?

Alex: My top 5 would be:

• Anthony Barone
• Nils “Dominator” Fjellstrom 
• George Kollias 
• Mario Duplantier 
• Dan Presland

SDM: Who are some of your other favorites?

Alex: A few of my other favorites would be:

• Jayden Mason
• Dave McGraw
• Kevin Paradis

SDM: Let us know 5 bands in your current personal rotation.

Alex: 5 bands I always go back to are:

• Aversions Crown
• Disembodied Tyrant
• Shadow of Intent
• Vitriol
• Cytotoxin

SDM: What do you do to warm up before a show?

Alex: Before shows I warm up my hands on a practice pad. I like to start with single strokes, doubles, and paradiddles, around 200 BPM and work my way up by 10 BPM after I am comfortable with a tempo. I try to push to about 250 to 260 BPM with my hands before I consider myself to be warmed up. I don’t normally warm my feet up much, maybe just tap out 8th notes for my hand and foot coordination, but only sometimes. I also like to stretch and try to relax before playing. I try to give it my best every night. 

SDM: Do you read music? Whether you answered yes or no, please tell us how it might have affected your playing.

Alex: I don’t read much music anymore, I only did that while in school bands, but I do find myself reading along to midi charts to help myself learn complicated stuff just a little faster than by ear. 

I always found reading sheet music or midi charts to benefit my playing a lot, it really helps me narrow down what and how to play a song or certain part of a song. 

SDM: Can you tell us about the gear you use?

Alex: As of now, this is the list:

Drum kit: Yamaha Stage Custom Birch, 10″ x 7″, 12″ x 8″, 14″ x 13″, and 16″ x 15″ Toms. 20″ x 17” Kick

Snare drums: Tama Starclassic Walnut/Birch 14″ x 6.5″, Tama SLP G-Maple 13×7, Yamaha Stage Custom Birch 14″ x 5.5″, Pearl Steel Shell 13×6 (I don’t know the actual depth of this drum and can’t find much info on it), and a Pearl M-80 10″ x 4″ (if I want lots of ping or a side snare)

Cymbal Collection: 

Meinl:

• 18″ Classics Custom Dual China
• 14″ Classics Custom Hi-Hats
• 18″ Classics Custom Dark Crash
• 12″ Classics Custom Dark Stack
• 10″ Classics Custom Extreme Metal Splash
• 12″ Byzance Extra Dry Splash
• 19″ Pure Alloy Medium Crash
• (I bounce between these two rides from time to time) 22″ MB20 Heavy Bell Ride / 22″ Soundcaster Custom Mega-Bell Ride
• 18″ Classics Custom Dark China
• 9.5″ Zildjian Zil-Bell (I got this specifically for the Oceano Depths tour)

Drum Heads: I mostly use Remo drum heads. Most of my snares I use a coated Powerstroke 77 or P3 on the batter side with an Ambassador Hazy on snare side, Toms are Pinstripe clears on batter and ambassador on resonant side, kick is a clear Powerstroke 3.

I have been playing on Axis A Longboards for about 5 years now. They feel like extensions of my feet at this point, haha. 

For triggers on my pedals, I have been loving OnTrigger kick triggers. Super good quality and fairly accurate, still trying to get them dialed in, but they’re an amazing product regardless. 

And lastly, for sticks, Vic Firth 2B drumsticks. They’ve been my go-to for 7 years now.

SDM: If you could give one piece of advice to younger drummers, it would be…

Alex: Any advice I could give, I would say keep practicing and strive for new goals and achievements. Never be satisfied with your playing and always push to become better then the player you were yesterday. Having goals for myself and creating new goals is what keeps me going. Having a dream is one of the most powerful things to have as a musician.

SDM: Who gave the best live performance you’ve ever seen?

Alex: One of the best performances I’ve seen would have to be Breaking Benjamin. Every time I’ve seen that band live, I always feel so inspired after watching them play. Truly an incredible band. 

SDM: Aside from drumming, what else do you like to do?

Alex: I love cars, driving, and working on cars. All of my friends here at home have a love for cars as well. We go to meets and events often and sometimes plan weekends solely related to meets. 

I also love mountain biking, whenever I have the time for it. Unfortunately, the downside of touring is a lack of going to ride my bike. I love big jumps and having the risk of seriously injuring myself is very real and I never do much riding around when I have tours coming up. But whenever I’m not busy playing drums, I do love going out to the trails to get an adrenaline rush and some fresh air.