Dave Lombardo's Drum Setup on Slayer's Hell Awaits (1985) | MetalForge

Frequently Asked Questions

What drum kit did Dave Lombardo use on Hell Awaits?

Dave Lombardo recorded Hell Awaits in 1985 on a Ludwig kit in a double bass configuration — two 22-inch bass drums, 12-inch and 13-inch rack toms, and a 16-inch floor tom. This was the same pre-endorsement Ludwig setup he had used on Show No Mercy (1983). The Tama Artstar II with birch shells that would define the Reign in Blood sound had not yet arrived; Hell Awaits is the last Slayer album on an independently sourced Ludwig setup.

What cymbals did Dave Lombardo use on Hell Awaits?

Dave Lombardo used Zildjian A Series cymbals on Hell Awaits — the same Zildjian configuration as Show No Mercy, and the last Slayer album before the Paiste endorsement that would define Reign in Blood. His setup included Zildjian A 14-inch New Beat Hi-Hats, a 16-inch Medium Thin Crash, an 18-inch Medium Crash, a 20-inch Medium Ride, and an 18-inch China Boy High. The China cymbal's trashy character was already a central element of his vocabulary and remained so across the entire Slayer catalog.

Where was Hell Awaits recorded?

Hell Awaits was recorded at Music Grinder Studios in Hollywood, California, produced by Brian Slagel. This was a step up from the Track Recording Studio budget sessions of Show No Mercy, offering better drum separation and more controlled capture of Lombardo's performance. However, it remained considerably less refined than the Eldorado Recording Studios sessions with Rick Rubin that produced Reign in Blood the following year.

How does Hell Awaits fit in Dave Lombardo's development as a drummer?

Hell Awaits is the bridge album in Lombardo's most important developmental arc. After Show No Mercy's raw, occasionally imprecise debut performance, two years of constant touring had built the consistency and stamina visible on Hell Awaits. Tracks like "Crypts of Eternity" showcase 240 BPM double bass patterns with a regularity the debut couldn't match. But the full precision of Reign in Blood — the Tama Artstar II kit, Paiste RUDE cymbals, Rick Rubin production — was still one year away. Hell Awaits captures Lombardo at maximum development on the Ludwig/Zildjian setup, right before professional endorsements changed everything.

How fast is the drumming on Hell Awaits?

"Crypts of Eternity" is among the fastest thrash metal recordings of 1985, with sustained double bass patterns at approximately 240 BPM. The title track "Hell Awaits" spans the full dynamic range from a slow doom intro at around 80 BPM to full thrash velocity above 200 BPM, with the tempo acceleration navigated without a click track. These speeds anticipated the blast beat vocabulary that Reign in Blood would make famous and that early death metal bands would adopt as their own.