# Paul Mazurkiewicz's Drum Setup on Cannibal Corpse's Eaten Back to Life (1990)

> Complete drum gear breakdown for Cannibal Corpse's debut album Eaten Back to Life (1990). Paul Mazurkiewicz's earliest Pearl kit, the first Morrisound session with Scott Burns, and the genre-origin recording that launched the best-selling death metal band of all time.

**Type:** Album Drum Setup
**Drummer(s):** [Paul Mazurkiewicz](/llms/drummers/paul-mazurkiewicz.md)
**Band / Album:** Cannibal Corpse — *Eaten Back to Life* (1990)
**Genre:** Death Metal
**Label:** Metal Blade Records
**Studio:** Morrisound Studios, Tampa, Florida
**Producer:** Scott Burns

## Overview

Cannibal Corpse's debut album "Eaten Back to Life" was released August 17, 1990 through Metal Blade Records — one of the earliest death metal records on a nationally distributed independent label. Paul Mazurkiewicz, co-founding drummer since the band's 1988 formation in Buffalo, New York, recorded the album at Morrisound Studios in Tampa with producer Scott Burns. The performance is the earliest captured document of Mazurkiewicz's fully formed death metal drumming philosophy: conventional (traditional) grip, locomotive double-bass built on consistency over peak velocity, and serve-the-riff phrasing that makes the songs hit harder than the technique suggests.

The gear was pre-endorsement. Pearl Export-range drums, era-typical Paiste/Zildjian cymbals, and Vic Firth 5B sticks were the working-band reality of a young drummer who had not yet established any endorsement relationships. What those modest tools captured — in Scott Burns's close-miked, dry, attack-forward Morrisound environment — was a debut drum performance that holds up as a genre-origin document three decades later.

Key tracks: "Skull Full of Maggots," "Scattered Remains, Splattered Brains," "Edible Autopsy."

## Gear Breakdown

- **Drums:** Pearl Export-range (pre-endorsement) — dual 22" x 16" kicks, 10" and 12" rack toms, 16" floor tom
- **Snare:** 14" x 5.5" wood-shell (maple or birch, Pearl Export-range) — medium-high tuning for brightness and cut
- **Cymbals:** Era-typical Paiste/Zildjian — 14" hi-hats, 16" and 18" crashes, 20" ride (sparse), 18" China
- **Hardware / Pedals:** Individual single pedals on each kick drum (Camco-style or Pearl P-201); Pearl hi-hat stand; Pearl throne
- **Sticks:** Vic Firth 5B Wood Tip (pre-signature; the Paul Mazurkiewicz signature model came years later)
- **Heads:** Remo Powerstroke 3 Clear (kicks), Remo Emperor Clear (tom batters), Remo Ambassador or Emperor Coated (snare batter)
- **Studio capture:** Scott Burns close-mic approach — AKG D112 on each kick, SM57 on snare, MD421 on toms, tight XY overheads; no triggers

## Key Facts

- Released August 17, 1990 — Cannibal Corpse's debut on Metal Blade Records
- Recorded at Morrisound Studios, Tampa, Florida — earliest Burns/Cannibal Corpse session
- Pre-endorsement era: no Pearl Reference, no Meinl cymbals, no Vic Firth signature stick yet
- Paul Mazurkiewicz, 22 years old, two years into Cannibal Corpse — co-founder since 1988
- Conventional (traditional) grip — already an outlier among death metal drummers in 1990
- "Locomotive" double-bass philosophy fully established on the debut
- Pure acoustic drum capture — no triggers, no kick sample reinforcement
- Dual 22" x 16" independent kick drums — symmetric foot independence for sustained blast patterns
- Precedes Butchered at Birth (1991) and the landmark Tomb of the Mutilated (1992)
- Estimated kit value: $800–1,500 (1990 new)

**Source:** https://metalforge.io/articles/eaten-back-to-life-drum-setup

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*Last updated: 2026-06-29 · Source: [MetalForge.io](https://metalforge.io)*