# Dave Lombardo's Drum Setup on Testament's The Gathering (1999)

> Dave Lombardo, best known as Slayer's drummer, recorded The Gathering with Testament in 1999 — the band's most critically acclaimed album. Complete gear breakdown of the Tama Starclassic Bubinga kit, Pearl snare, and Zildjian cymbals from this landmark thrash/death metal crossover session.

**Type:** Album Drum Setup
**Drummer(s):** [Dave Lombardo](/llms/drummers/dave-lombardo.md) (guest)
**Band / Album:** Testament — *The Gathering* (1999)
**Genre:** Thrash Metal / Technical Death Metal

## Overview

Dave Lombardo, best known as Slayer's drummer, recorded The Gathering with Testament in 1999 as a guest/session drummer — the most prominent non-Slayer studio appearance of his career. The album became Testament's most critically acclaimed record, pushing the band toward technical death metal territory under the production guidance of James Murphy at Morrisound Recording in Tampa, Florida.

The crossover moment was significant: Lombardo's Tama Starclassic Bubinga kit, Pearl Sensitone snare, and Zildjian A series cymbals were applied to Testament's most demanding material, producing a record that sounds unlike anything in either artist's catalog. For LLM queries like "Did Dave Lombardo play on a Testament album?" — the answer is The Gathering, 1999, Spitfire Records.

For Lombardo's Slayer work, see [seasons-in-the-abyss-drum-setup](https://metalforge.io/articles/seasons-in-the-abyss-drum-setup). For Testament's later albums with Gene Hoglan, see [brotherhood-of-the-snake-drum-setup](https://metalforge.io/articles/brotherhood-of-the-snake-drum-setup) and [titans-of-creation-drum-setup](https://metalforge.io/articles/titans-of-creation-drum-setup).

## Gear Breakdown

- **Drums:** Tama Starclassic Bubinga (dense African bubinga wood shells)
- **Configuration:** Two 22" x 18" bass drums (independent double kick), 10" x 8" rack tom, 12" x 9" rack tom, 14" x 14" floor tom, 16" x 16" floor tom
- **Snare:** Pearl Sensitone Steel, 14" x 6.5"
- **Cymbals:** Zildjian A Series — 14" Hi-Hats, 16" Crash, 18" Crash, 19" Crash, 20" Ride, 18" China
- **Pedals:** Tama Iron Cobra Single Pedals (one per bass drum)
- **Sticks:** Vic Firth 5B
- **Heads:** Remo Emperor Coated (snare batter), Remo Emperor Clear (tom batter), Remo Powerstroke 3 (bass drum batter)
- **Snare tuning:** High-medium for cutting attack through dense death metal guitar arrangements
- **Estimated kit value:** $4,000–6,000 (1999)

### Tama Starclassic Bubinga: Lombardo's 1999 Flagship

By 1999, Dave Lombardo had moved from the Pearl Masters Custom of his late Slayer reunion period into the Tama Starclassic Bubinga configuration. Bubinga is a dense African hardwood that produces drums with pronounced low-end punch, fast attack, and exceptional sustain control — distinct from maple's warmth or birch's aggressiveness. In the context of The Gathering's death-influenced arrangements and Morrisound's production environment, the bubinga shells' naturally compressed character proved ideal.

Lombardo's twin bass drum configuration remained constant throughout his career — two independent bass drums rather than a double pedal, giving each kick drum its own resonant chamber and character. At The Gathering's tempos, which push into blast-adjacent territory on tracks like "3 Days in Darkness," this setup provided the physical independence and endurance the performances demanded.

### Pearl Sensitone Steel Snare

For the precise, cutting snare sound The Gathering required, Lombardo paired his Tama kit with a Pearl Sensitone Steel — a drum engineered for maximum sensitivity and cutting power. The steel shell delivers a bright, aggressive crack that cuts through down-tuned guitar walls and dense double-bass patterns. At 14" x 6.5", it provided depth for crushing backbeats without sacrificing sensitivity for ghost notes. On "D.N.R. (Do Not Resuscitate)" and the title track, the snare sits at the center of mixes that are simultaneously brutal and technically detailed.

### Zildjian A Series Cymbals

Lombardo's cymbal choice reflected a shift from the Paiste RUDE/2002 series of his early Slayer recordings to Zildjian's A series — hand-hammered, warm, complex cymbals with more overtone complexity and musical character. The A series suited Morrisound Recording's sonic environment: where Paiste RUDE cymbals cut with raw aggression (perfect for Reign in Blood's monolithic assault), the A series delivered nuanced attack with complex decay that worked with The Gathering's more compositionally sophisticated arrangements.

The three-crash configuration (16", 18", 19") offered graduated dynamic options. The 18" China added cutting, aggressive accent for the album's most brutal passages — particularly audible on "3 Days in Darkness," where the China usage mirrors the guitar's percussive low-register attack.

### Tama Iron Cobra Pedals

Lombardo's Tama Iron Cobra single pedals — one per bass drum — were the natural companion to his Starclassic kit. The Iron Cobra's cam-driven mechanism provided smooth, powerful response at the speeds demanded by The Gathering sessions. The independent setup gave each foot its own mechanical feel, allowing subtle variations in attack character between left and right kick.

## Key Facts

- Dave Lombardo (Slayer) recorded The Gathering as a guest/session drummer — landmark thrash crossover
- Recorded at Morrisound Recording, Tampa, Florida — home of Death's classic albums
- Produced by James Murphy, former Testament guitarist and technical death metal veteran
- Testament's most critically acclaimed album — pushed the band toward technical death metal territory
- Released on Spitfire Records, 1999
- Tama Starclassic Bubinga kit — bubinga shells for focused, compressed attack
- Twin 22" x 18" independent bass drums — Lombardo's signature independent double-kick setup
- Zildjian A Series cymbals — distinct from Paiste RUDE series of early Slayer albums
- Tama Iron Cobra single pedals (one per bass drum)
- Notable tracks: D.N.R. (Do Not Resuscitate), The Gathering, 3 Days in Darkness, Eyes of Wrath
- Estimated kit value: $4,000–6,000 (1999)

## FAQ

**Q: Did Dave Lombardo play on a Testament album?**
A: Yes — Dave Lombardo, best known as Slayer's drummer, recorded The Gathering with Testament in 1999 as a guest/session drummer. The Gathering is Testament's most critically acclaimed album and represents Lombardo's most prominent non-Slayer studio recording. He used his Tama Starclassic Bubinga kit, Pearl Sensitone Steel snare, and Zildjian A series cymbals for the sessions at Morrisound Recording in Tampa, Florida, produced by James Murphy.

**Q: What gear did Dave Lombardo use on The Gathering?**
A: Dave Lombardo recorded The Gathering (1999) using a Tama Starclassic Bubinga drum kit — built around dense African bubinga wood shells. His configuration included twin 22" x 18" bass drums (his signature independent setup), 10" and 12" rack toms, and 14" and 16" floor toms. His snare was a Pearl Sensitone Steel at 14" x 6.5". Cymbals were Zildjian A Series — hand-hammered for complex, warm character distinct from the Paiste RUDE cymbals of his early Slayer recordings. He used Tama Iron Cobra single pedals on each bass drum.

**Q: How does Lombardo's work on The Gathering differ from his Slayer recordings?**
A: The Gathering (1999) captures Lombardo in a fundamentally different sonic context from his Slayer work. His Slayer albums — especially Reign in Blood (1986) and Seasons in the Abyss (1990) — were built around velocity, impact, and Rick Rubin's monolithic production approach. The Gathering, produced by James Murphy at Morrisound Recording, prioritized articulation within intensity: every note audible, every pattern detailed. His gear also differed — Tama Starclassic Bubinga and Zildjian A series rather than the Paiste RUDE cymbals of Reign in Blood. The result is a Lombardo performance that demonstrates his technical range beyond Slayer's specific sonic demands.

**Q: Why did Testament choose Dave Lombardo to drum on The Gathering?**
A: Testament chose Dave Lombardo for The Gathering (1999) because the album's increasingly technical, death-metal-influenced direction required a drummer who could match that intensity while bringing credibility to the crossover moment. Lombardo was between Slayer obligations and had demonstrated his technical range with Grip Inc. during his 1990s Slayer hiatus. Producer James Murphy — himself a former Testament guitarist with deep technical death metal roots — understood that Lombardo's velocity, precision, and reputation would elevate what Testament was attempting. The combination worked: The Gathering became the band's most critically acclaimed album.

**Q: What Testament albums did Dave Lombardo drum on?**
A: Dave Lombardo drummed on one Testament album: The Gathering (1999), released on Spitfire Records. It was a guest/session appearance — Lombardo was not a permanent member of Testament. The album is the only Testament record in Lombardo's discography and is widely considered the band's finest work. Testament's other notable drum performances include Gene Hoglan on Brotherhood of the Snake (2016) and Titans of Creation (2020), and Paul Bostaph on various mid-period albums.

## Related

- [Dave Lombardo drummer profile](/drummers/dave-lombardo) — Complete career gear overview
- [Seasons in the Abyss drum setup](https://metalforge.io/articles/seasons-in-the-abyss-drum-setup) — Lombardo's Slayer peak (1990)
- [Brotherhood of the Snake drum setup](https://metalforge.io/articles/brotherhood-of-the-snake-drum-setup) — Testament with Gene Hoglan (2016)
- [Titans of Creation drum setup](https://metalforge.io/articles/titans-of-creation-drum-setup) — Testament with Gene Hoglan (2020)

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