# God Hates Us All Drum Setup: Slayer's 9/11 Album Gear Breakdown (2001)

> Released the morning of September 11, 2001, Slayer's God Hates Us All marked the band's last album before Dave Lombardo's return on Christ Illusion. Complete gear breakdown of the Tama Starclassic Maple kit, Iron Cobra pedals, and the Matt Hyde production at The Warehouse Studio, Vancouver.

**Type:** Album Drum Setup
**Drummer(s):** Paul Bostaph (Slayer's drummer 1992-2001 and 2013-present)
**Band / Album:** Slayer — *God Hates Us All* (2001)
**Genre:** Thrash Metal
**Label:** American Recordings

## Overview

On September 11, 2001 — the same morning the World Trade Center towers fell — American Recordings shipped Slayer's God Hates Us All to record stores worldwide. The release date timing was an accident of scheduling, not intent. The album had been finished weeks earlier in Vancouver. But the title, the cover art, and the relentlessly nihilistic tone of the songs made the coincidence one of the strangest in metal history.

God Hates Us All is also a transitional record in the Slayer catalog. It is the band's last studio album of the Dave Lombardo absence period — the long stretch between Seasons in the Abyss (1990) and Christ Illusion (2006) when Paul Bostaph held the drum chair. It is the album where Slayer's classic-thrash sound met the down-tuned, heavier production aesthetic of the early 2000s metal scene. And it is the album that closed the American Recordings / Rick Rubin Slayer arc that began with Reign in Blood.

Matt Hyde produced the sessions at The Warehouse Studio in Vancouver, the historic facility located inside a 100-year-old former courthouse that Bryan Adams acquired and rebuilt in the 1990s. The kit choice for the sessions reflected Hyde's production direction: a Tama Starclassic Maple kit with double 22x18 bass drums, tuned darker and deeper than the classic Slayer sound.

## Gear Breakdown

- **Drums:** Tama Starclassic Maple (Piano Black finish) — 22"x18" bass drums (x2), 10"x9" and 12"x10" rack toms, 16"x16" and 18"x16" floor toms
- **Snare:** Tama 14"x6.5" steel-shell
- **Cymbals:** Paiste 2002 / Signature — 14" Sound Edge Hi-Hats, 18" and 19" 2002 Crashes, 22" Signature Power Ride, 18" 2002 China
- **Hardware / Pedals:** Tama Iron Cobra Power Glide (x2), Tama Iron Cobra Lever Glide Hi-Hat Stand, Tama 1st Chair Round Rider throne, Vater Power 5B sticks
- **Heads:** Remo Powerstroke 3 (kick batter), Remo Emperor Clear (toms), Remo Emperor Coated (snare batter)
- **Snare tuning:** Medium-high tension for cutting attack with steel brightness

### The 2001 Slayer Kit: Tama Starclassic Maple

The drum kit on God Hates Us All centered on a Tama Starclassic Maple — Tama's flagship all-maple shell series in the early 2000s. The choice reflected both Slayer's long-standing Tama endorsement (going back to Lombardo's Artstar II era) and Matt Hyde's preference for a warmer, more resonant low-end on the drums than the classic dry Slayer sound.

The double bass configuration of two 22x18 kicks gave the album the deep, sustained low-end that suited Hyde's modern production approach. The shells' 18-inch depth — deeper than the 16-inch kicks of the Reign in Blood era — added body and resonance. The low-end on God Hates Us All sits noticeably heavier in the mix than on earlier Slayer records.

The tom configuration kept Slayer's classic 4-piece approach: two rack toms (10 and 12) and two floor toms (16 and 18). The slightly larger 18-inch floor tom added weight to the lower fills.

### The 2001 Crack: 14x6.5 Steel Snare

The snare drum on God Hates Us All was a 14x6.5 steel-shell — the standard size and material for thrash metal records of the era. Steel gave the snare the cutting, metallic crack that Slayer's music demands, with the 6.5-inch depth providing the body needed to translate through Matt Hyde's modern, layered production.

The snare sound on God Hates Us All is one of the most aggressive of the entire Slayer catalog. Hyde compressed it heavily — a deliberate departure from the more transparent Rick Rubin approach of the 1980s — and placed it forward in the mix. The result is the snare crack on "Bloodline" and "Disciple" hits with a brutality that defined the album's overall sonic character.

### Paiste 2002 and Signature: The Slayer Cymbal Sound

The cymbal selection on God Hates Us All stayed within the Paiste 2002 / Signature world that defined Slayer's sound throughout the 1990s and early 2000s. The 14-inch Sound Edge hi-hats provided the immediate, cutting chick that thrash metal demands. The 18 and 19-inch 2002 crashes punctuated the riff transitions. The Signature 22" Power Ride gave the album its ride bell sound: heavier than a standard ride, with a more pronounced fundamental that translated well through Matt Hyde's production. The 18-inch 2002 China above the floor tom maintained the trashy China accent that has been a Slayer constant since Show No Mercy.

## Key Facts

- Released September 11, 2001 — the morning of the World Trade Center attacks
- Last Slayer album before Dave Lombardo's return on Christ Illusion (2006)
- Reached #28 on the Billboard 200 — Slayer's highest US chart position at the time
- Produced by Matt Hyde at The Warehouse Studio in Vancouver, Canada (Bryan Adams' historic facility)
- Tama Starclassic Maple kit with double 22x18 bass drums and Tama Iron Cobra Power Glide pedals
- Closed the American Recordings / Rick Rubin Slayer arc that began with Reign in Blood
- Paul Bostaph recorded the album during Dave Lombardo's long absence from Slayer (1992-2006)
- "Bloodline" had previously appeared on the Dracula 2000 soundtrack
- RIAA Gold certification in subsequent years
- Estimated kit value: $3,200-4,500 (2001)
- Estimated snare value: $300-500 (2001)

**Source:** https://metalforge.io/articles/god-hates-us-all-drum-setup

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