Raining Blood Intro Blast — Dave Lombardo (Slayer) Drum Lick | MetalForge
Learn the Raining Blood Intro Blast drum lick by Dave Lombardo of Slayer. From Raining Blood (Reign in Blood (1986)). The intro blast of Raining Blood is among the most recognizable moments in the history of recorded d...
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1. Dave Lombardo's Signature Licks — The intro blast of Raining Blood is among the most recognizable moments in the history of recorded drumming — a detonation of straight sixteenth-note blasting at approximately 212 BPM that erupts directly from the album's famous thunderstorm atmospheric intro and announces the arrival of one of metal's most celebrated riffs. Dave Lombardo's execution of this pattern is a defining demonstration of how a percussion entry can function as a compositional event rather than merely an accompaniment: the blast does not simply begin, it arrives as a physical force, transforming the atmospheric tension of the rain sound effect into an explosion of rhythmic aggression that makes the riff's entry simultaneously inevitable and shocking. The pattern itself is a straight sixteenth-note blast — both hands driving alternate strokes at the full 212 BPM tempo with no swing, no accent variation, and no triplet influence, creating a pure wall of even, forward-driving rhythmic density that sits beneath the riff's entry as an equal and complementary force. What makes Lombardo's execution historically significant is the combination of speed and clarity he achieves: the individual strokes remain identifiable at this tempo rather than blurring into a smear, giving the blast a precise, attacking quality that distinguishes it from technically fast but tonally indistinct blasting. This clarity comes from Lombardo's stroke technique — relaxed rebounds, consistent wrist height, and even impact weight between both hands — maintained at a tempo that challenges most drummers' ability to sustain quality for even a few bars. The recording's production further magnifies these qualities: Rick Rubin's compressed, hyper-present drum sound on Reign in Blood places Lombardo's blasting in the absolute foreground of the mix, making the technical reality of the performance inescapable for the listener. There is nowhere to hide on this record, and the fact that Lombardo's blasting still sounds authoritative and clear in this unsparing sonic context forty years after recording is a testament to the genuine technical achievement it represents. For drummers, building the Raining Blood intro blast requires specific preparation that differs from general speed development. Begin with sustained sixteenth-note alternating stroke work at the ride cymbal or practice pad at low tempos, focusing entirely on evenness and rebound efficiency before tempo becomes relevant. Build speed in ten-BPM increments, spending sufficient time at each tempo that the quality remains solid before advancing. The blast's duration in the recording is not extended — the riff's entry transitions the texture quickly — so developing clean eight-to-sixteen bar bursts at tempo is a realistic intermediate target. Lombardo's specific position at the kit, his stick grip, and his relaxed shoulder mechanics have been documented in various interviews and are worth studying alongside the recording itself.2. Dave Lombardo Profile — Execute straight sixteenth-note alternating strokes with no swing, accent variation, or triplet influence Maintain stroke clarity at 212 BPM through relaxed rebounds and consistent wrist height Build speed in ten-BPM increments — quality at each step before advancing to the next Focus on even impact weight between both hands throughout the blast's duration Target clean eight-to-sixteen bar bursts at tempo as the intermediate quality benchmark
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