# Dave Lombardo's Drum Setup on Slayer's Christ Illusion (2006)

> Dave Lombardo returned to Slayer after a 14-year absence for Christ Illusion (2006), the Grammy-winning thrash album. Complete gear breakdown of the Pearl Masters MCX kit, Free-Floating brass snare, and Zildjian A Custom cymbals that powered Lombardo's comeback recording.

**Type:** Album Drum Setup
**Drummer(s):** [Dave Lombardo](/llms/drummers/dave-lombardo.md)
**Band / Album:** Slayer — *Christ Illusion* (2006)
**Genre:** Thrash Metal

## Overview

In 2006, Dave Lombardo returned to Slayer after a 14-year absence — his longest gap since leaving the band following Seasons in the Abyss in 1990. Christ Illusion was the album that marked his return, and it arrived with immediate critical and commercial impact: the track "Eyes of the Insane" won the Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance at the 2007 Grammy Awards, making Christ Illusion the highest-profile Lombardo-era Slayer record since Reign in Blood.

The reunion was not cosmetic. Lombardo's presence transformed Christ Illusion into something the intervening records — Diabolus in Musica, God Hates Us All, and the Paul Bostaph-era output — had lacked: the particular combination of controlled aggression and rhythmic authority that only Lombardo brought to Slayer's music. Producer Josh Abraham captured that energy at Track Studios in Chicago and The Mansion in Los Angeles, with a modern drum sound that updated the Lombardo signature without abandoning it.

For the sessions, Lombardo moved to Pearl's Masters MCX series — a mahogany-and-birch shell system that delivered a warmer, deeper tone than the Tama Artstar II he had used on Reign in Blood twenty years earlier. The darker tuning he chose for Christ Illusion reflected both the album's more atmospheric compositions and his own evolution as a player. The blast beats were still there, but so was a more textured approach to dynamics and color.

This article examines the complete gear setup Dave Lombardo used to record Christ Illusion, the Grammy context that makes the album historically significant, and the sonic differences between his 1986 and 2006 Slayer work.

## Gear Breakdown

- **Drums:** Pearl Pearl Masters MCX (Black Ice finish)
- **Snare:** Pearl Pearl Free-Floating, 14" x 6.5"
- **Cymbals:** Zildjian — Zildjian A Custom
- **Hardware / Pedals:** Pearl Demon Drive (x2); Pearl H-2050 Eliminator Hi-Hat Stand; Pearl D-2500 Roadster Throne; Zildjian Dennis Chambers Signature (approximate)
- **Heads:** Remo Emperor Coated (batter)
- **Snare tuning:** Medium-high tension for cutting attack with brass warmth

### Lombardo's Comeback Kit: Pearl Masters MCX

For Christ Illusion, Dave Lombardo played a Pearl Masters MCX kit in Black Ice finish — a significant departure from the Tama Artstar II that defined his sound on Reign in Blood two decades earlier. The MCX's mahogany-and-birch hybrid shell formula delivered a warmer, rounder low-end than pure birch, giving Christ Illusion's drum sound a depth that distinguishes it from the drier, more aggressive Reign in Blood aesthetic.

The double bass configuration remained constant — Lombardo's trademark since the Show No Mercy era. Two 22-inch bass drums drove the rhythmic foundation of every track. The slightly deeper shell depth (18 inches versus the 16 inches of the Reign in Blood era) contributed to a fuller, more resonant kick sound that sat differently in Josh Abraham's modern production.

Pearl's Masters MCX series was their flagship professional line in the mid-2000s, used by major touring artists across genres. The Reference hardware system provided stability for aggressive playing, while the bearing edge cutting gave the toms a focused attack without sacrificing warmth. For Christ Illusion's blend of traditional Slayer aggression and more atmospheric passages, this balanced response was appropriate.

The Black Ice finish was purely aesthetic — but it continued the dark visual aesthetic that Lombardo had maintained since his Piano Black Tama days.

### The Grammy-Era Crack: Pearl Free-Floating Brass

The snare on Christ Illusion is one of the defining elements of Lombardo's 2006 sound. He used a Pearl Free-Floating 14x6.5 brass snare — a drum built around Pearl's floating snare bed system, where the snare wires contact the resonant head independently of the shell, eliminating the dampening effect of fixed snare beds and maximizing sensitivity and response.

The brass shell gave the Free-Floating a cutting, metallic quality distinct from the steel Tama snare of the Reign in Blood era. Josh Abraham's production placed the snare prominently in the mix — dryer than the 1980s Rubin approach but with more presence in the low-mids than typical modern metal production. On "Eyes of the Insane," the Grammy-winning track, the snare crack is immediate and punishing, cutting through Kerry King and Jeff Hanneman's down-tuned riffing.

The 6.5-inch depth gave Lombardo the body and fundamental response needed for the album's range of tempos. Christ Illusion included both blast beat passages (where the snare needed crack and articulation) and more mid-paced sections (where body and punch mattered more). The Free-Floating's sensitivity accommodated both extremes.

### Zildjian A Custom: A New Era

By 2006, Lombardo had moved away from the Paiste RUDE and 2002 setup that defined his Reign in Blood sound, settling on Zildjian A Custom series cymbals for Christ Illusion. The A Custom series represents a departure from both the warm Zildjian A of his Show No Mercy era and the aggressive Paiste 2002/RUDE combination of his 1986 peak.

The A Custom's bright, cutting character — achieved through a combination of lathing pattern and bell design — gave Lombardo the articulation he needed in Josh Abraham's dense, layered production. The cymbals project clearly through the down-tuned guitars without the raw aggression of the Paiste RUDE series.

The China cymbal remained a constant across all Lombardo-era Slayer records. From the Zildjian A 18" China Boy High of Show No Mercy to the Paiste RUDE China of Reign in Blood to the A Custom China of Christ Illusion, the trashy accent above the floor tom has been a fixture of his vocabulary since day one.

The transition from Paiste to Zildjian A Custom reflected both evolving sound preferences and the different production aesthetic of 2006 versus 1986. Where Rick Rubin wanted raw, aggressive sonics, Josh Abraham's approach favored controlled brightness — and the A Custom series suited that context.

## Key Facts

- First Lombardo Slayer album since Seasons in the Abyss (1990) — a 16-year arc gap
- "Eyes of the Insane" won Grammy for Best Metal Performance at the 2007 Grammy Awards
- Pearl Masters MCX kit replaced the Tama Artstar II of the Reign in Blood era
- Darker, deeper tuning than classic 1986 Lombardo sound
- Produced by Josh Abraham — modern drum sound with preserved Lombardo signature
- Pearl Masters MCX replaced the Tama Artstar II of the 1986 era
- Mahogany-birch shells deliver warmer, rounder tone than pure birch
- Deeper 22x18" kick drums versus the 22x16" configuration of Reign in Blood
- Double bass configuration maintained from Show No Mercy through the comeback
- Estimated kit value: $3,500-5,000 (2006)
- Estimated snare value: $400-600 (2006)

**Source:** https://metalforge.io/articles/christ-illusion-drum-setup

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*Last updated: 2026-06-25 · Source: [MetalForge.io](https://metalforge.io)*