Raining Blood Intro Double Bass Assault — Paul Bostaph (Slayer) Drum Lick | MetalForge
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Learn the Raining Blood Intro Double Bass Assault drum lick by Paul Bostaph of Slayer. From Raining Blood (Reign in Blood (1986) — live staple of Bostaph's tenure). "Raining Blood" from Slayer's 1986 landmark *Reign in Blood* is one of the most recognisable opening...
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1. Paul Bostaph's Signature Licks — "Raining Blood" from Slayer's 1986 landmark *Reign in Blood* is one of the most recognisable opening sequences in metal history, and Paul Bostaph — who performed the song as Slayer's drummer for two extended tenures spanning 1992 to 2001 and 2013 to 2019, including the band's final world tour — has made the track one of the defining statements of his live legacy. While the studio recording belongs to Dave Lombardo, Bostaph's live performances of "Raining Blood" are documented across dozens of concert recordings and are widely credited with maintaining an even higher intensity than the original, a testament to both his physical stamina and his technical precision at extreme tempo. The song's famous intro centres on a relentless double bass pattern that drives at approximately 220 BPM, with the kick drums firing in an alternating sequence that creates a thundering, machine-gun texture under Tom Araya's iconic screamed entry. Bostaph's double bass technique here is distinguished by the evenness of his stroke volume across both feet — a crucial detail at this speed, where slight dynamic inconsistencies between the left and right pedal create the muddy, uneven feel that plagues most drummers attempting extreme double bass. His right hand locks into the tremolo-picked guitar rhythm on the hi-hat or ride, providing a fixed rhythmic anchor that orients the listener within the chaos, while the snare punctuates with ferocious authority at the section breaks to mark the song's structural points. The transition from the atmospheric intro into the full-speed main riff is one of metal's great momentum moments, and Bostaph executes it with the conviction of thousands of repetitions — the drop into the groove is precise and absolute, not gradual. Maintaining this tempo for the duration of the song requires not just speed but economy: Bostaph wastes no motion, using a heel-up technique on both pedals with minimal lift to allow maximum speed without fatiguing the legs before the end of the song. For drummers, "Raining Blood" is the essential extreme double bass study: it demands evenness between feet at maximum tempo, the ability to maintain hi-hat or ride consistency while the legs operate independently at high speed, and the mental and physical endurance to sustain the intensity across the full performance without decay. The intro pattern alone is a benchmark exercise — many drummers can play it for 16 bars but struggle to hold the quality for the complete song. Understanding Bostaph's approach to pacing and technique here is the key to unlocking truly extreme double bass drumming rather than just approximating it.2. Paul Bostaph Profile — Alternate both kick pedals in an even, machine-gun sequence at ~220 BPM using a heel-up technique Keep stroke volume identical between left and right feet to avoid the muddy dynamic imbalance that kills speed at this tempo Lock the right hand to the tremolo guitar rhythm on hi-hat or ride as a fixed anchor over the double bass thunder Execute the drop into the main riff with absolute precision — any hesitation or gradual entry breaks the song's massive momentum Pace the physical output across the full song: economy of motion preserves the quality of the double bass pattern to the end
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