# Angel of Retribution Drum Setup: Scott Travis on Halford's Long-Awaited Return

> Inside Scott Travis's mid-2000s drum rig on Angel of Retribution — the album that marked Rob Halford's return to Judas Priest after a 13-year departure, bridging the 15-year arc from Painkiller (1990) to Nostradamus (2008) and the "Eulogy/Lochness" epic.

**Type:** Album Drum Setup
**Drummer(s):** [Scott Travis](/llms/drummers/scott-travis.md)
**Band / Album:** Judas Priest — *Angel of Retribution* (2005)
**Genre:** Heavy Metal

## Overview

When Rob Halford rejoined Judas Priest in 2003 after a 13-year departure that began in 1992, the metal world braced for what would either be a triumphant homecoming or an awkward nostalgia trip. "Angel of Retribution," released on February 28, 2005 through Epic Records and Sony BMG, turned out to be the former — a deliberate, song-focused reunion record that hit #1 in Germany and #13 on the Billboard 200.

For Scott Travis, the album represented something subtler but equally significant: his first studio album with the classic Halford-Tipton-Downing-Hill lineup that had been his original goal when he joined the band in 1989. Recorded at a series of California studios and co-produced by Roy Z alongside the band itself, Angel of Retribution sits in a unique place on the Judas Priest timeline. It closes the 15-year arc gap between 1990's blistering "Painkiller" and the orchestral concept work of 2008's "Nostradamus," before the band's eventual return to brute-force metal on 2018's "Firepower."

The gear story is one of transition. By the mid-2000s, Travis had shifted away from the Tama Artstar II setup that powered Painkiller and into the Pearl camp, where he would stay for much of the 2000s before later moving toward Tama again in the Firepower era. Tracks like the lead single "Revolution," the anthemic "Worth Fighting For," and the sprawling 13-minute "Eulogy/Lochness" each showcase a different facet of that mid-period rig.

## Gear Breakdown

- **Drums:** Pearl Reference Series (Piano Black) — transitional from Painkiller-era Tama; Pearl Masters MCX on alternate sessions
- **Snare:** Pearl Reference Brass, 14" x 6.5"
- **Cymbals:** Sabian — HH and AA hybrid setup
- **Hardware / Pedals:** Pearl Demon Drive Double Pedal; Pearl Eliminator Hi-Hat Stand; Pearl Roadster D-2500 Round; Vater Scott Travis Signature sticks
- **Heads:** Evans EC2 (toms), Evans EMAD (kick), Evans HD Dry (snare)
- **Snare tuning:** Medium-high tension with focused snare wires for cut without losing body

### Travis's Pearl Reference Series Rig

By 2005, Scott Travis had moved away from the Tama Artstar II that defined his Painkiller-era sound and settled into Pearl's flagship Reference Series. Photos and rehearsal footage from the Angel of Retribution sessions and the supporting 2005 tour consistently show him behind a Pearl Reference kit, with a Pearl Masters MCX appearing on some tracking dates as a backup.

The Reference Series uses a hybrid shell construction — maple, birch, and mahogany plies arranged so each drum is tuned for its role in the kit. The toms get more maple for warmth and sustain, the bass drums get more mahogany for low-end weight, and the snare position emphasizes birch for cutting attack.

Travis ran a streamlined four-tom configuration — 10" and 12" up top, 14" and 16" on the floor — a noticeable simplification from the three-rack-tom Painkiller setup. The dual 22" x 18" bass drums (deeper than the 22" x 16" Painkiller-era kicks) gave him more air and a fuller bottom end suited to the album's heavier mid-2000s production aesthetic.

### Brass Authority

For Angel of Retribution, Travis paired his Pearl Reference kit with a Pearl Reference brass snare — a 14" x 6.5" beaded brass drum that delivers a darker, more complex backbeat than the steel Artstar II he used on Painkiller. Brass shells sit between steel and bronze tonally: more body than steel, more crack than bronze, and a midrange focus that cuts through the modern mid-2000s mix without sounding thin.

The 6.5" depth gives the snare enough body for the album's slower, heavier material — "Worth Fighting For," "Eulogy," and the closing stretch of "Lochness" all benefit from a snare that can sustain a backbeat without disappearing. The die-cast hoops keep rim shots sharp and tight, which matters during the double-kick passages on "Judas Rising" and "Hellrider."

### Sabian HH and AA Hybrid

Scott Travis has been a Sabian endorser for decades, and Angel of Retribution captures him deep into that relationship. The setup combines Sabian's hand-hammered HH series (darker, more complex, more vintage) with the machine-hammered AA line (brighter, more cutting, faster response).

The 14" HH Regular Hats are a noticeably warmer choice than the Paiste Signature 14" Heavy Hi-Hats of the Painkiller era. The crash array spans 16" to 20", giving Travis a range from quick AA Medium accents to larger sustaining hits. The 22" HH Raw Bell Dry Ride is the centerpiece of the right side — a dry, articulate ride with a pronounced bell — while the 20" AA Chinese provides the trashy accent voice for the heavier moments.

## Key Facts

- Rob Halford's first studio album back with Judas Priest after a 13-year departure (1992-2005)
- Closes the 15-year arc gap: Painkiller (1990) → Angel of Retribution (2005) → Nostradamus (2008) → Firepower (2018)
- Co-produced by Roy Z with Judas Priest at various California studios
- Released February 28, 2005 on Epic Records / Sony BMG
- Hit #1 in Germany and #13 on the Billboard 200
- Transition from Painkiller-era Tama Artstar II to mid-2000s Pearl Reference Series
- Streamlined two-rack-tom configuration vs. Painkiller's three rack toms
- Pearl Masters MCX used as an all-maple alternate on some tracking dates
- 14" x 6.5" Pearl Reference brass snare provides darker backbeat than the 1990 steel Artstar
- Long-running Sabian endorsement reflected in the HH/AA hybrid cymbal setup
- 13-minute "Eulogy/Lochness" closer foreshadows the orchestral ambitions of Nostradamus
- Estimated kit value: $4,500-6,500 (2005)
- Estimated snare value: $550-700 (2005)

**Source:** https://metalforge.io/articles/angel-of-retribution-drum-setup

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*Last updated: 2026-06-26 · Source: [MetalForge.io](https://metalforge.io)*