Sacrifice Drum Setup: Mikkey Dee's Gear on Motörhead's 1995 Album | MetalForge
Mikkey Dee recorded Sacrifice (1995) on a Tama Artstar II / Swingstar kit with a Tama Artstar II Steel Snare snare.
Discover the exact drum kit, cymbals, and gear Mikkey Dee used on Motörhead's Sacrifice (1995) — the band's first album for SPV/Steamhammer and the last with...
Frequently Asked Questions
What drums did Mikkey Dee use on Sacrifice?
On *Sacrifice* (1995), Mikkey Dee used the same Tama Artstar II/Swingstar kit he debuted on [*Bastards*](/articles/bastards-drum-setup) two years earlier — a 22" bass drum, 10"/12"/13" rack toms, and 16"/18" floor toms, paired with a 14" x 6.5" Tama Artstar II steel snare. His cymbal setup combined Paiste Giant Beat hi-hats with an expanded Paiste 2002 crash, ride, and china configuration suited to the album's sprint tempos. See the [Mikkey Dee drummer profile](/drummer/mikkey-dee) for his complete gear evolution.
Why was Sacrifice Motörhead's first album on SPV/Steamhammer?
Motörhead moved to SPV/Steamhammer (with CMC International distributing in North America) after their WTG/Epic deal — which had produced *1916* (1991) and [*March ör Die*](/articles/march-or-die-drum-setup) (1992) — and their brief run with ZYX Music, which released [*Bastards*](/articles/bastards-drum-setup) (1993). *Sacrifice* (1995) marked the start of a longer, more stable label relationship with SPV/Steamhammer that would carry the band through the rest of the 1990s.
Was Sacrifice the last Motörhead album with Würzel?
Yes. Guitarist Michael "Würzel" Burston left Motörhead shortly after *Sacrifice*'s release in 1995, ending the band's four-piece era and returning the group to the trio format of Lemmy Kilmister, Phil Campbell, and Mikkey Dee that would remain in place for the rest of the band's history. The North American CD pressing of *Sacrifice* notably airbrushed Würzel out of the cover artwork, a decision Lemmy attributed to the record label rather than the band.
How did Mikkey Dee's playing on Sacrifice differ from Bastards?
By *Sacrifice* (1995), Dee was two years into the role and playing with noticeably more confidence and speed than on his 1993 debut, [*Bastards*](/articles/bastards-drum-setup). *Sacrifice*'s eleven tracks run under 37 minutes total, making it one of the fastest, most compact records of his Motörhead tenure — tracks like "Sex & Death" barely clear two minutes. Where *Bastards* still carried some of the audition energy of a new drummer proving himself, *Sacrifice* shows a drummer fully in command of the band's tempo and dynamic demands.