Scott Travis's Drum Setup on Judas Priest's Nostradamus (2008) | MetalForge

Frequently Asked Questions

What drum kit did Scott Travis use on Nostradamus?

On Judas Priest's Nostradamus (2008), Scott Travis played a Pearl Reference Series kit — Pearl's flagship hybrid-shell line combining maple, birch, and mahogany plies. The configuration featured dual 22 inch by 18 inch bass drums, 10 and 12 inch rack toms, and 14 and 16 inch floor toms. The Reference Series' versatile hybrid construction made it well suited to Nostradamus's unusual demands — a double concept album that moves between full-power metal sections and orchestral ballads across 23 tracks. Travis was in his established Pearl era by 2008, continuing the setup he had introduced on Angel of Retribution (2005).

What was Judas Priest's concept album about Nostradamus?

Judas Priest's 2008 double album Nostradamus tells the story of Michel de Nostredame — the 16th-century French physician and reputed prophet — across 23 tracks and over two hours of music. It is the most ambitious studio project in the band's history, combining heavy metal with orchestral arrangements, choir vocals, synthesizers, and spoken-word interludes. The album chronicles Nostradamus's life chronologically, from his birth and early studies through the Black Death, his prophetic visions, and his death in 1566. It charted at number 7 in the UK and number 15 in the US — creditable figures for a project this unconventional. Scott Travis's drumming adapted to the format by playing architecturally rather than continuously, entering and exiting across the album's 23 tracks in service of the narrative rather than the rhythm.

How does Nostradamus fit in Scott Travis's career with Judas Priest?

Nostradamus (2008) sits between Angel of Retribution (2005) and Redeemer of Souls (2014) on the Judas Priest timeline, and between Redeemer and Firepower (2018) — the Grammy-nominated comeback that became Travis's thirty-year milestone with the band. Of all the albums on that arc, Nostradamus demanded the most dynamic range from Travis. Painkiller (1990) required sustained speed. Angel of Retribution required restraint at mid-tempos. Nostradamus required both simultaneously within a single album, across 23 tracks that move from orchestral ballads to speed metal within single discs. It is the album that most fully documents Travis's evolution from the one-dimensional speed-metal phenom of Painkiller into a drummer capable of long-form arrangement thinking.

What cymbals did Scott Travis use on Nostradamus?

Scott Travis used Sabian HH and AA series cymbals on Nostradamus — the same hybrid setup he had used on Angel of Retribution (2005). The configuration included 14 inch Sabian HH Regular Hi-Hats (hand-hammered, warm tone), AA Medium Crashes from 16 to 20 inches for dynamic range, a dark 19 inch HH Thin Crash for the orchestral-adjacent sections, a 22 inch HH Raw Bell Dry Ride for articulate groove passages, and a 20 inch AA Chinese for trashy accents during the heaviest moments. The HH and AA hybrid approach gave Travis two distinct tonal characters without a full equipment change — important for an album that shifts between darkness and aggression across 23 tracks.