# Paul Mazurkiewicz's Drum Setup on Cannibal Corpse's 'Torture' (2012)

> Complete drum gear breakdown for Cannibal Corpse's Torture (2012). Paul Mazurkiewicz's Pearl Reference and Meinl rig, Erik Rutan's two-studio production, and the band's highest Billboard 200 debut at the time.

**Type:** Album Drum Setup
**Drummer(s):** [Paul Mazurkiewicz](/llms/drummers/paul-mazurkiewicz.md)
**Band / Album:** Cannibal Corpse — *Torture* (2012)
**Genre:** Death Metal
**Label:** Metal Blade Records
**Studio:** Sonic Ranch Studios, Tornillo, Texas / Mana Recording Studios, St. Petersburg, Florida
**Producer:** Erik Rutan

## Overview

Released on March 13, 2012 through Metal Blade Records, "Torture" is Cannibal Corpse's twelfth studio album and the direct follow-up to "Evisceration Plague" (2009). The same five-piece lineup that had recorded the band's two previous records returned intact for a third consecutive album: George "Corpsegrinder" Fisher, Pat O'Brien, Rob Barrett, Alex Webster, and Paul Mazurkiewicz.

Torture was once again shaped by Erik Rutan, but the production process changed: drums, bass, and rhythm guitars were recorded at Sonic Ranch Studios in Tornillo, Texas, while guitar solos, additional guitar, and vocals were tracked and mixed at Rutan's own Mana Recording Studios in St. Petersburg, Florida. The album was mastered by Alan Douches at West West Side Music.

Commercially, Torture became Cannibal Corpse's best chart performance to date, debuting at #38 on the Billboard 200 on first-week sales of roughly 9,600 copies — surpassing Evisceration Plague's #66 debut three years earlier. AllMusic's Gregory Heaney awarded the album 4 out of 5 stars, and the record posted a Metacritic aggregate score of 81/100 based on seven critic reviews.

## Gear Breakdown

- **Drums:** Pearl Reference (mature endorsement configuration, 2012) — dual 22" x 18" kicks, 10" and 12" rack toms, 16" and 18" floor toms
- **Snare:** 14" x 6.5" Pearl Free-Floating steel-shell snare
- **Cymbals:** Meinl Byzance (established endorsement, 2012)
- **Hardware / Pedals:** Pearl Eliminator Double Bass Pedal; ddrum Acoustic Pro Triggers in live context
- **Sticks:** Vic Firth Paul Mazurkiewicz Signature
- **Heads:** Remo Powerstroke 3 (kicks), Remo Emperor Coated (tom batters), Remo Ambassador Clear (resonant), Remo Coated Ambassador (snare batter)

### Pearl Reference, Unwavering

For a third consecutive album, Mazurkiewicz tracked on the same Pearl Reference configuration that had carried him through Kill (2006) and Evisceration Plague (2009) — dual 22" x 18" kicks and a four-tom layout in maple/African mahogany hybrid shells. Tracking drums at Sonic Ranch Studios in Tornillo, Texas gave the kit a different room character than the two prior Mana Recording Studios sessions, even with Erik Rutan again producing and mixing back at Mana. The band's tuning through this stretch of its catalog is reported by multiple sources as sitting in the G#/A# standard range established on Kill.

### Erik Rutan, Split Across Two Studios

Rather than tracking the whole album at his own Mana Recording Studios as he had for Kill and Evisceration Plague, Rutan split the sessions between Sonic Ranch Studios (drums, bass, rhythm guitars) and Mana (solos, vocals, mix). Contemporary reviews noted the album's tonal consistency with its two predecessors, suggesting the mix successfully carried the established Kill-era sonic identity across the change in tracking environment.

### Scourge of Iron and the Album's Technical Centerpiece

"Scourge of Iron" is one of the most frequently cited tracks on the record, built around sustained, high-velocity double-bass work that continues the technical peak Mazurkiewicz reached on Evisceration Plague. "Encased in Concrete" showcases the album's heavier, more deliberate mid-tempo material, giving the Pearl Reference kit's low end room to breathe against the dense guitar mix.

## Key Facts

- Released March 13, 2012 — Cannibal Corpse's twelfth album on Metal Blade Records
- Third consecutive album with the same five-piece lineup: Fisher, O'Brien, Barrett, Webster, Mazurkiewicz
- Produced by Erik Rutan across two studios: Sonic Ranch Studios (Tornillo, Texas) for drums/bass/rhythm guitars, Mana Recording Studios (St. Petersburg, Florida) for solos, vocals, and mix
- Mastered by Alan Douches at West West Side Music
- Debuted at #38 on the Billboard 200 on roughly 9,600 first-week copies — Cannibal Corpse's best chart performance to that point
- AllMusic's Gregory Heaney awarded the album 4/5 stars; Metacritic aggregate score of 81/100
- Notable tracks: "Scourge of Iron" and "Encased in Concrete"
- Estimated kit value: $3,200–5,800 (2012 era, fully mature Reference configuration)
- Estimated snare value: $400–700

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

**Related articles:**
- [Evisceration Plague drum setup (2009)](/llms/articles/evisceration-plague-drum-setup.md) — the album that preceded Torture
- [A Skeletal Domain drum setup (2014)](/llms/articles/skeletal-domain-drum-setup.md) — the album that ended the Rutan production streak
- [Kill drum setup (2006)](/llms/articles/kill-drum-setup.md) — the return-to-brutality album and the start of the Rutan era
- [Paul Mazurkiewicz drum setup (modern)](/llms/articles/paul-mazurkiewicz-drum-setup.md) — Pearl Reference / Meinl / Pearl Eliminator

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*Last updated: 2026-07-02 · Source: [MetalForge.io](https://metalforge.io)*