# Scott Travis's Drum Setup on Judas Priest's Firepower (2018)

> Complete breakdown of Scott Travis's drum setup on Judas Priest's Firepower (2018) — the Grammy-nominated, UK Gold-certified album that paired Andy Sneap's modern production with classic-Priest producer Tom Allom's return for the first time since 1988's Ram It Down.

**Type:** Album Drum Setup
**Drummer(s):** [Scott Travis](/llms/drummers/scott-travis.md)
**Band / Album:** Judas Priest — *Firepower* (2018)
**Genre:** Heavy Metal / Power Metal

## Overview

Released on March 9, 2018 via Epic Records, Judas Priest's eighteenth studio album *Firepower* delivered the band's strongest commercial performance since 1990's *Painkiller*. It hit #5 on both the UK and US album charts, earned UK Gold certification, and saw the single "Lightning Strike" nominated for a 2019 Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance.

For Scott Travis — the American drummer who joined Priest in 1989 and powered *Painkiller* the following year — *Firepower* marked his thirty-year anniversary milestone with the band and his first studio Priest album since 2008's *Nostradamus*.

The album's production team was a deliberate, unusual pairing. Andy Sneap — producer to the modern metal generation (Accept, Exodus, Testament) — handled the contemporary production at his own Old Mill Recording Studios. Alongside him was Tom Allom, the producer behind every classic Priest studio album from *British Steel* (1980) through *Ram It Down* (1988). Allom's return marked his first Priest production credit in thirty years. The dual-producer chemistry — Sneap's modern clarity matched with Allom's classic-Priest perspective — gave *Firepower* a sound that felt both contemporary and unmistakably Priest.

The album's release was overshadowed by news that founding guitarist Glenn Tipton had been battling Parkinson's disease, with Andy Sneap stepping in to handle Tipton's live duties moving forward. Despite that, *Firepower* arrived as a celebration of the band's longevity and Travis's enduring role as the engine room.

## Gear Breakdown

- **Drums:** Tama Starclassic Maple (Piano Black finish) — 22"x18" bass drums (x2), 10"x8" and 12"x9" rack toms, 14"x14" and 16"x16" floor toms, 6-ply maple shells
- **Snare:** Tama Starphonic Brass, 14" x 6", die-cast hoops
- **Cymbals:** Sabian HHX series — 14" Stage Hi-Hats, 16/18/19" Evolution Crashes, 21" Groove Ride, 18" Chinese
- **Hardware / Pedals:** Tama Speed Cobra HP910LSW (x2 — two independent pedals, no double pedal); Tama Speed Cobra Hi-Hat Stand HH915D; Tama 1st Chair Round Rider HT530B; Vater Power 5B sticks
- **Heads:** Evans EMAD2 Clear (kick batter), Evans EC2 Clear (tom batter), Evans Heavyweight (snare batter)
- **Snare tuning:** Medium-high tension, tight snare wires for cut and articulation

### The Modern Tama: Starclassic Maple

By 2018, Scott Travis's main kit was the Tama Starclassic Maple — a long way from the Tama Artstar II birch kit he used on *Painkiller*. Travis had transitioned to Tama as his primary endorsement during the 1990s and stayed with the brand through the modern era, settling on the Starclassic Maple as his go-to platform.

The shift from birch (Artstar II) to maple (Starclassic) is the most significant tonal change between *Painkiller* and *Firepower*. Birch delivers a hard, focused attack with pronounced high-mids — ideal for the dry, in-your-face guitar production Chris Tsangarides built in 1990. Maple delivers a warmer, fuller body — better suited to the broader, layered guitar arrangements Andy Sneap and Tom Allom constructed on *Firepower*.

The bass drums also evolved: 22"x16" on *Painkiller* became 22"x18" on *Firepower* — two inches deeper, which adds low-end body and sustain without sacrificing attack. Travis still runs two independent bass drums rather than a double pedal, preserving the foot independence that has defined his playing since the 1980s.

### The Modern Crack: Starphonic Brass

For *Firepower*, Travis paired the Starclassic Maple kit with a Tama Starphonic 14"x6" brass snare — a modern, focused snare that delivers the high-frequency cut he has favored throughout his career while adding the warm low-mid body that brass shells uniquely produce.

Brass sits between steel and aluminum in tonal character: brighter than aluminum, warmer than steel. The result is a snare that cuts through Andy Sneap's dense, layered guitar production while retaining enough body to feel substantial in the mix. Travis tunes it medium-high with tight snare wires — the same tuning philosophy he used on *Painkiller*, refined for a more modern target sound.

### Sabian HHX: The Modern Travis Arsenal

*Firepower* documents Scott Travis's long-running Sabian endorsement — a partnership that replaced the Paiste setup he used on *Painkiller* and which has defined his cymbal voice through the modern era. The HHX (Hand-Hammered Xtreme) series is Sabian's premier modern dark-side line, hand-hammered for complex overtones while retaining the cut and projection a metal drummer requires.

The 14" HHX Stage Hi-Hats are Travis's pulse layer. The HHX Evolution crash range (16/18/19) provides the dynamic options he uses across the album. The 21" HHX Groove Ride is the album's ride workhorse — relatively dry and defined, with a strong bell, exactly what Priest's mid-tempo material requires. The 18" HHX Chinese provides the trashy accent role that the 20" Paiste Novo China filled on *Painkiller*.

## Key Facts

- Grammy nomination for "Lightning Strike" — Best Metal Performance, 2019
- UK #5, US #5, certified Gold UK — strongest Priest chart performance since *Painkiller* (1990)
- Scott Travis's 30-year tenure milestone — joined Priest in 1989
- First Travis Priest studio album since *Nostradamus* (2008)
- Producers: Andy Sneap + Tom Allom (Allom's first Priest production since 1988's *Ram It Down*)
- Recorded primarily at Old Mill Recording Studios (Sneap's facility) + Witchroom Sound
- Glenn Tipton's Parkinson's disease announcement coincided with release; Sneap stepped in for live duties
- Gear arc from *Painkiller*: Artstar II birch → Starclassic maple; steel snare → brass snare; Paiste → Sabian HHX; Iron Cobra prototype → Speed Cobra HP910
- Travis still runs two independent bass drums — no connected double pedal, then or now
- Estimated kit value: $5,500-7,500 (2018)
- Estimated snare value: $500-700 (2018)

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

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