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The Millusion finish technique involves milling the design onto the drum surface

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Drum manufacturers can rarely boast something in common with the US aerospace industry. The pursuit of sending man into orbit is rather more technologically demanding than the building of standard-sized tubes that resonate in acoustically pleasing fashion. Yet American drum company Trick can claim such a link, as its striking aluminium drum kits are made to AS9100-Revision B standard, the very quality system adhered to by suppliers to aerospace companies.

If this sounds hi-tech, well perhaps it's to be expected, for Trick employs fairly untraditional techniques to craft its instruments. In fact, it relies solely on aluminium - "special resonant alloy" - for its drum shells. A single ply of 1/8" thick aluminium is used for the shell of every Trick drum, with the company pointing to increased resonance and consistency over typical wood-shell instruments as the reason for its unusual decision.

Given that drummers can, generally, use all the resonance they can get, Trick's approach holds appeal on paper. Let's see how it stacks up in the real-life sound stakes...

Silver septet

First impressions of the extensive Trick kit sent for this review are good, assuming you're open to finishes at the more lairy end of the taste spectrum. We appreciate a nice retro pearl wrap the same as the next man, but we're also keen to see drum makers pushing the envelope with aesthetics too, so we were taken with the initial visual impact of the 8"x8",10"x9", 12"x10", 14"x12", 16"x14", 22"x18" and 13"x7" collection that arrived clothed in Protection Racket cases.

Checking out the Trick Drums website reveals all manner of outlandish finishes, very much in keeping with the kind of thing we've come to expect from high-end US custom builders. But the kit here is blessed with the company's ultra-special Millusion finish, which creates a neo-holographic effect. Rather than being a wrap or lacquer, the Millusion technique involves actually milling the design into the surface of the drums.

From a distance, the shells look the bomb. But there are a few aesthetic issues that become apparent as they're subject to closer inspection. For starters, the seam area of the shells looks like it needs a little more attention - the seam itself is smooth, but where the rest of the shell is treated to the impressive ripple/ flames design, the vertical strip of the seam section is a tad underfinished.

The other minor thing that bothers us is the little (and they are little) rectangular-ish venting holes that are sited near the edges of the shells. Again, they look pretty neat from afar, but close up a fair few are a bit too jagged for our liking.