# How to Sound Like Pete Sandoval — Morbid Angel Drum Sound Guide

**Drummer:** Pete Sandoval  
**Band:** Morbid Angel  
**Genre:** Death Metal  
**Guide URL:** https://metalforge.io/guides/how-to-sound-like-pete-sandoval

## Overview

Pete Sandoval is widely recognized as the godfather of death metal drumming — the musician who defined the technical template for an entire genre. As the original drummer of Morbid Angel from 1988 through 2013, Sandoval was the rhythmic architect behind landmark albums like "Altars of Madness," "Blessed Are the Sick," and "Covenant" — recordings that established death metal's sonic identity and technical standard. What set Sandoval apart was not just his speed — though his double bass capability at 300+ BPM was genuinely unprecedented in the late 1980s — but his hyper-precision. Every note in a Sandoval blast beat has the same volume, the same timing, the same attack. He set the standard that every subsequent death metal drummer has been measured against. His Pearl Reference setup, Zildjian A series cymbals, and Tama Speed Cobra pedals are the tools behind death metal's definitive drum sound.

## Kit Setup

Pete Sandoval plays **Pearl Reference / Pearl Masters** drums with a setup engineered for maximum articulation at extreme tempos:

- **Kick Drums:** 22" x 16" (x2) with Tama Speed Cobra HP910LW Double Pedal
- **Snare:** 14" x 5" Pearl Sensitone Steel
- **Rack Toms:** 10" x 8", 12" x 9"
- **Floor Toms:** 14" x 14", 16" x 16"
- **Cymbals:** Zildjian A Series — bright, cutting, articulate
- **Pedals:** Tama Speed Cobra HP910LW Double Pedal
- **Sticks:** Vic Firth 5A
- **Heads:** Remo Powerstroke P3 Clear (kick), Remo Ambassador X Coated (snare), Remo Emperor Clear (toms)

## Tuning & Setup

Sandoval tunes for maximum attack and definition. Death metal production demands that each drum element speaks clearly within a dense, distorted mix:

- **Kick:** Medium-tight tension with heavy muffling — foam pillow on batter head, port hole in resonant head. The early Morbid Angel kick sound is defined by 'click' attack rather than low-end boom. At 260 BPM, sustain creates blur; the muffling ensures each note speaks distinctly.
- **Snare:** High tension, minimal muffling. Steel shell at high tension = the Morbid Angel crack. Bright and cutting, designed to penetrate dense guitar distortion with frequency-specific attack. Bottom head slightly higher than top for sensitivity on ghost notes.
- **Toms:** Medium-high tension, one Moongel per tom. Quick attack and clean decay for fast, precise fill passages. Each tom tuned a major third to perfect fourth apart for clear pitch differentiation.

## Technique Tips

Sandoval plays **matched grip** with a technique focused on wrist-driven efficiency. His alternating blast beat is the foundational death metal blast pattern that all subsequent drummers have built on.

**Sandoval's Core Technique System:**

- **The Morbid Angel Alternating Blast (240–300+ BPM, Expert):** Alternating single strokes between hands (right = snare, left = hi-hat or crash), with both kick drums firing continuous independent alternating 16th notes beneath. The kick pattern is fully independent of the hands — this creates the dense, subdivided low-end layer that distinguishes the Sandoval blast from simpler blast variations. Isolate feet at 200 BPM for 5 minutes before adding hands. The feet must be completely automatic.
- **Death Metal Groove (140–180 BPM, Advanced):** Mid-tempo grooves where kick follows Trey Azagthoth's guitar accents rather than playing straight time. Learn the guitar riff first — Sandoval's kick mirrors guitar rhythm, not standard time signatures. This guitar-following kick approach is the groove's defining characteristic.
- **Double Bass Speed Burst (280–320 BPM, Expert):** Brief extreme-tempo sections inserted within moderate passages. Practice the tempo transition specifically: 4 bars at 160 BPM → instantaneous switch to 4 bars at 240 BPM → back to 160. The switch must be immediate, not gradual.

**Key songs to study:** *Immortal Rites* (Altars of Madness, 1989) · *Chapel of Ghouls* (Altars of Madness, 1989) · *Fall From Grace* (Blessed Are the Sick, 1991) · *God of Emptiness* (Covenant, 1993) · *Rapture* (Covenant, 1993)

## Gear Shopping List

| Item | Sandoval's Spec | Budget Alternative |
|------|----------------|-------------------|
| Drum Kit | Pearl Reference / Pearl Masters | Pearl Export Series (~$650) |
| Snare | Pearl Sensitone Steel 14" x 5" | Ludwig Supraphonic 14" x 5" |
| Cymbals | Zildjian A Series | Zildjian ZHT / Planet Z Set (~$250) |
| Pedal | Tama Speed Cobra HP910LW | Tama Iron Cobra 200 (~$120) |
| Sticks | Vic Firth 5A | Promark 5A |
| Kick Head | Remo Powerstroke P3 Clear | Evans EMAD Clear |

**Starter budget path (~$900):** Pearl Export + Zildjian ZHT + Tama Iron Cobra 200. See [/brands/pearl](https://metalforge.io/brands/pearl) and [/brands/zildjian](https://metalforge.io/brands/zildjian).

## Practice Routine

1. **Alternating Double Bass Foundation (25 min daily):** Set metronome to 160 BPM. Alternating 16th notes on double kick — right, left, right, left. Record yourself. Both feet must sound identical in volume, timing, and tone — address the weaker foot specifically. Increase 5 BPM per week only when recording confirms foot equality. Goal: even alternating 16th notes at 220+ BPM.
2. **Sandoval Blast Integration (20 min daily):** At 180 BPM: alternating double bass 16th notes with feet; simultaneously alternating single strokes between snare (right) and hi-hat (left). Concentrate on hand-foot independence — hands should not influence foot timing. Practice without beaters first (feet only on pedal footboards) to isolate the independence requirement.
3. **Speed Endurance Sets (15 min, 4x/week):** Blast at current comfortable maximum for 45 seconds. Rest 30 seconds. Repeat 6 times. Add 15 seconds to work interval each week. Goal: sustained blast at 220+ BPM for 3+ minutes without precision degradation.

**Common mistakes:** Uneven foot volumes (record yourself to identify the weaker foot); chasing speed before consistency; ignoring the groove sections; under-muffling kick drums (Altars of Madness kick sound requires heavy muffling for attack clarity).

## FAQ

**Q: What is Pete Sandoval's drumming style called?**  
A: Pete Sandoval is associated with the alternating double bass blast beat style — where both kick drums fire independent 16th notes while hands play alternating single strokes. He is also credited with early popularization of the gravity blast technique, which uses a push-pull wrist motion for ultra-fast single-hand rolls on the snare. Together, these techniques form the technical foundation of death metal drumming.

**Q: How fast does Pete Sandoval play double bass?**  
A: At his peak, Pete Sandoval demonstrated double bass capability at 300+ BPM in controlled settings. In live Morbid Angel performances and studio recordings, sustained blast beats typically run 240-270 BPM. His landmark work on Altars of Madness (1989) and Covenant (1993) features sustained extreme tempos that remained the technical benchmark for years.

**Q: What pedals does Pete Sandoval use?**  
A: Pete Sandoval used Tama Speed Cobra pedals during key recording and touring periods. The Speed Cobra's rolling glide footboard and lightweight aluminum construction suit his technique — the fast response and light action reduce fatigue during extended blast beat passages at 240-270 BPM.

**Q: What makes Pete Sandoval's blast beat different from other death metal blast beats?**  
A: Sandoval's primary blast is the alternating blast — hands alternate between snare and cymbal while both feet fire independent alternating 16th notes. This creates a denser rhythmic texture than the traditional blast, where kick follows the snare hand. The alternating approach makes the kick pattern more subdivided, producing a more complex polyrhythmic feel at extreme tempos.

**Q: What Morbid Angel albums should I study to learn Pete Sandoval's style?**  
A: Start with Altars of Madness (1989) for foundational blast beat technique and original Morbid Angel groove style. Then study Covenant (1993) for Sandoval at his technical peak. Blessed Are the Sick (1991) is essential for mid-tempo syncopated work. These three albums cover the full range of his technique and remain the definitive death metal drum reference recordings.

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**Full interactive guide:** [https://metalforge.io/guides/how-to-sound-like-pete-sandoval](https://metalforge.io/guides/how-to-sound-like-pete-sandoval)  
**Drummer profile:** [https://metalforge.io/drummer/pete-sandoval](https://metalforge.io/drummer/pete-sandoval)  
**Licks & patterns:** [https://metalforge.io/drummers/pete-sandoval/licks](https://metalforge.io/drummers/pete-sandoval/licks)  
**Related guides:** [George Kollias](https://metalforge.io/llms/guides/how-to-sound-like-george-kollias.md) · [Inferno](https://metalforge.io/llms/guides/how-to-sound-like-inferno.md) · [Flo Mounier](https://metalforge.io/llms/guides/how-to-sound-like-flo-mounier.md)

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