Paul Mazurkiewicz's Drum Setup on Cannibal Corpse's Tomb of the Mutilated (1992) | MetalForge

Frequently Asked Questions

What drum kit did Paul Mazurkiewicz use on Tomb of the Mutilated?

Paul Mazurkiewicz recorded Cannibal Corpse's Tomb of the Mutilated (1992) on a Pearl drum kit from the pre-endorsement era — most likely a Pearl Export or Pearl Masters MX configuration. The setup featured dual 22-inch x 16-inch bass drums for double-kick independence, 10-inch and 12-inch rack toms, and a single 16-inch floor tom. His snare was a 14-inch x 5.5-inch wood-shell drum (maple or birch construction), tuned medium-high for cutting attack. The Pearl Reference kit that Mazurkiewicz uses today was years in the future — in 1992 he was playing the working-band professional gear available to a band that had not yet broken through commercially.

Who produced Tomb of the Mutilated and where was it recorded?

Tomb of the Mutilated was produced by Scott Burns at Morrisound Studios in Tampa, Florida. By 1992, Burns had already established Morrisound as the indisputable epicenter of death metal production through his work on Death's Human (1991), Morbid Angel's Altars of Madness (1989), Obituary's Cause of Death (1990), and Deicide's self-titled debut (1990). The Tampa drum sound he developed — close-miked, dry, attack-forward, minimal room ambience — was the template he applied to Mazurkiewicz's kit on Tomb of the Mutilated. The album was tracked with pure acoustic drums; no triggers reinforced the kicks and no samples blended into the snare, an approach Burns relied on Mazurkiewicz's stroke consistency to make possible.

Why was Tomb of the Mutilated banned in Germany?

Tomb of the Mutilated was banned in Germany shortly after its 1992 release under the country's youth protection laws (the Bundesprüfstelle für jugendgefährdende Medien indexing system), alongside its predecessor Butchered at Birth (1991). The ban was driven by the album's cover art and the graphic content of songs like 'I Cum Blood' and 'Necropedophile.' Indexed albums in Germany could not be advertised, displayed openly in stores, or sold to minors. The ban remained in place for many years, with the band even prohibited from performing songs from the album during German tour dates. The controversy amplified the album's underground notoriety internationally and helped cement Cannibal Corpse's position as the most commercially significant death metal band of the era.

What is special about Paul Mazurkiewicz's drumming style on this album?

Mazurkiewicz's playing on Tomb of the Mutilated showcases several elements that became his signature identity: traditional (conventional) grip on the snare hand, a relentless 'locomotive' double-bass approach prioritizing consistency over peak velocity, standard alternating blast beats rather than gravity-blast technique, and a serve-the-riff phrasing philosophy that subordinates drum-centric showcasing to making the songs hit harder. The album's iconic anchor track, 'Hammer Smashed Face,' became the most recognizable single in death metal history because of Mazurkiewicz's disciplined restraint — the mid-tempo groove leaves space between the snare hits empty rather than filling them with showy flurries, and that compositional discipline is the most important thing on the record.

Were drum triggers used on Tomb of the Mutilated?

No. Tomb of the Mutilated was recorded with pure acoustic drums — no triggers reinforced the kick drums, no samples blended into the snare. Scott Burns at Morrisound Studios used close-miking on every drum (AKG D112 inside each kick, Shure SM57 on snare, Sennheiser MD421 on toms) and a treated tracking room to capture clarity at extreme tempos without electronic reinforcement. The pure acoustic capture was possible because Mazurkiewicz's stroke consistency was already strong enough by 1992 that triggers were not needed for articulation. The ddrum live triggers Mazurkiewicz uses today on tour are a touring-context decision for high-SPL live consistency, not a studio practice that applies to the 1992 album.

What cymbals and sticks did Paul Mazurkiewicz use on Tomb of the Mutilated?

In 1992, Mazurkiewicz had no cymbal endorsement deal — the Meinl partnership that defines his modern setup was years in the future. On Tomb of the Mutilated he played an era-typical working-band cymbal arsenal: a mix of Paiste 2002, Paiste 502, Zildjian A, or Zildjian ZBT cymbals, including 14-inch hi-hats, 16-inch and 18-inch medium crashes, a 20-inch medium ride used sparingly, and an 18-inch China cymbal for trashy riff accents. His sticks were standard Vic Firth 5B wood-tip — the signature Vic Firth Paul Mazurkiewicz model he plays today did not exist yet. Heads were Remo Powerstroke 3 Clear on the kicks, Remo Emperor Clear on the toms, and Remo Ambassador or Emperor Coated on the snare batter.