My current snare is a junky old CB meant for entry level concert/orchestra application and I’m looking to replace it. Two of the lugs for the reso head ring are completely stripped and fell out while playing.

That being said, I’m looking for a snare that will deiver that almost pingy, higher pitched sound. Think war metal like Revenge or Death Worship, or anything else J. Read was involved in for the most part. I understand some of this may be the product of sound room post-production, but I’m looking to mimick it in my practice at home.

What should I look for? Brass, steel, maple, etc? I know I have endless possibilities when it comes to experimenting with heads and tuning, so I’m open to suggestions there as well since I might pick up a used shell locally and just throw new heads and/or wires on it.

Steel is always a good shout. If you want the high pitched ping, smaller snares like the Pearl Firecrackers can be pretty good. The Joey Jordison signature is a really good snare, if you crank it up and EQ it right you can the totally obnoxious ping sound (check out Party Cannon's album for that), but it's a surprisingly versatile and good sounding snare, especially for the price.

With good heads and a bit of knowledge with tuning though, you should be able to get a sound you like out of pretty much any semi-decent shell. Crank up the reso head insanely tight and you'll be able to work it out from there.