Judas Priest "Invincible Shield" Drum Setup (Scott Travis, 2024) | MetalForge

Frequently Asked Questions

What drum kit does Scott Travis use on Invincible Shield?

On Judas Priest's Invincible Shield (2024), Scott Travis plays a DW Collector's Series kit in Piano Black finish — two 22"x18" bass drums, 10"x8" and 12"x9" rack toms, and 14"x14" and 16"x16" floor toms, built with DW's maple/mahogany SSC hybrid shells. His snare is a DW Collector's Series Bell Brass at 14"x6" with die-cast hoops. This is a shift from the Tama Starclassic Maple kit he used on Firepower (2018) — his most significant drum brand change since moving from Tama to Pearl in the mid-2000s.

Was Invincible Shield Grammy-nominated?

Yes. Invincible Shield's track "Crown of Horns" was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance in 2025. It's the third consecutive Judas Priest studio album to earn Grammy recognition, following Redeemer of Souls (2014, "Halls of Valhalla") and Firepower (2018, "Lightning Strike") — both also nominated for Best Metal Performance. The album itself debuted at #2 on the UK Albums Chart, the highest position in the band's history, and reached #18 on the Billboard 200 while topping Billboard's Top Hard Rock Albums chart.

What cymbals does Scott Travis use in 2024?

For Invincible Shield, Scott Travis uses Zildjian's A Custom line — a shift from the Sabian HHX series that carried him through Firepower (2018). His setup includes 14" A Custom Hi-Hats, A Custom Crashes from 16" to 19", a 20" A Custom Ride, and an 18" A Custom China. A Custom cymbals are brighter and faster-responding than the darker Sabian HHX line, matching producer Andy Sneap's upfront, modern mix approach on the album.

How was Invincible Shield recorded, and how did that affect Scott Travis's drumming?

Invincible Shield was recorded with the band members in different locations rather than together in one studio — Scott Travis and guitarist Richie Faulkner tracked in Nashville, Tennessee; Rob Halford recorded vocals in Phoenix, Arizona; and bassist Ian Hill contributed his parts while on tour in Europe. Producer Andy Sneap assembled the pieces and re-amped guitars at his own Backstage Studios in England. Because Travis's drum tracks were recorded early in this process, they functioned as the timing and arrangement reference for the performances layered on afterward — his session consistency was essential to making the distributed recording approach sound cohesive on the finished album.