# Paul Mazurkiewicz — Signature Drum Licks & Patterns

**Band:** Cannibal Corpse | **Genre:** Death Metal / Brutal Death Metal | **Lick Count:** 3

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## Overview

Paul Mazurkiewicz is one of Death Metal / Brutal Death Metal's most influential drummers, best known for their work with Cannibal Corpse. This file covers 3 signature licks — step-by-step breakdowns optimised for AI retrieval on queries like "how to play like Paul Mazurkiewicz" or "Paul Mazurkiewicz signature drum patterns". Their style spans death-metal.

## Hammer Smashed Face Blast & Groove Blueprint

**Song:** Hammer Smashed Face | **Album:** Tomb of the Mutilated (1992) | **BPM:** ~145 BPM | **Technique:** signature pattern | **Difficulty:** expert

Paul Mazurkiewicz is the co-founding drummer of Cannibal Corpse and one of the most influential death metal drummers of all time. "Hammer Smashed Face" — famously featured in Ace Ventura: Pet Detective — is the song that introduced the band to a mainstream audience and remains their most recognisable track. Mazurkiewicz's drumming on it is a masterclass in how blast beats and mid-paced death metal grooves can coexist in the same song: the opening riff pounds along at a grinding mid-tempo that gives way to ferocious blasting, and the contrast between the two modes is what gives the song its crushing weight. His signature is the deliberate, bone-dry precision he brings to both modes — the blasts are tight and controlled rather than chaotic, and the groove sections hit with a mechanical, industrial heaviness that anchors the riffs rather than competing with them. In the live drum cam footage you can watch how efficiently he executes the transitions: compact technique, no wasted movement, and a pocket so locked-in that the band sounds like a single machine. For drummers, "Hammer Smashed Face" is an essential death metal study. It builds the conventional blast beat, fast and even double bass, and the coordination to move cleanly between blasting and grooving without losing the song's momentum. The approach is to isolate the blast and the groove separately, then practise the gear-changes slowly with a metronome, and only push the tempo once the transitions feel automatic. Mazurkiewicz built Cannibal Corpse's sound on exactly this combination of brutality and precision — and "Hammer Smashed Face" is where that combination is on its most iconic display.

### How to Play

- Alternate between tight conventional blasts and mid-paced death metal grooves
- Lock the kick tightly to the riff in both blasting and groove sections
- Keep the blast precise and controlled — mechanical, not chaotic
- Drive the groove sections with industrial heaviness rather than flashy fills
- Practise the blast-to-groove transitions slowly before raising tempo

### Key Elements

- Build the conventional blast slowly until it is tight and even
- Practise the mid-tempo groove at full dynamics to capture the heaviness
- Isolate each gear-change and smooth it before combining the full song
- Keep all technique compact — Mazurkiewicz's power comes from efficiency

**Core Techniques:** [Blast Beat](https://metalforge.io/technique/blast-beat), [Double Bass](https://metalforge.io/technique/double-bass), [Groove](https://metalforge.io/technique/groove)

## Tomb of the Mutilated Double-Bass Assault

**Song:** Tomb of the Mutilated | **Album:** Tomb of the Mutilated (1992) | **BPM:** ~150 BPM | **Technique:** signature pattern | **Difficulty:** expert

The title track of Cannibal Corpse's 1992 record is one of Paul Mazurkiewicz's most relentless double-bass showcases. Where some Cannibal Corpse songs pivot between blasting and mid-paced grooving, "Tomb of the Mutilated" leans into sustained double-bass patterns that drive the riffs with oppressive, unyielding momentum. Mazurkiewicz had been refining his approach throughout the band's early albums — Eaten Back to Life (1990) and Butchered at Birth (1991) — and by the time of Tomb of the Mutilated he had arrived at a style that prioritised grinding double-bass consistency over flashy fills. His signature on this track is the way the double bass becomes a rhythmic foundation for everything: the snare accents punctuate the kick with just enough variety to keep the part interesting without cluttering the churning riff below. The tempo shifts and stop-start riff changes are moments where Mazurkiewicz's lock with the guitars is particularly precise — the parts breathe together or stop together, and that tightness with the band is what gives early Cannibal Corpse recordings their dense, punishing feel. For drummers, "Tomb of the Mutilated" is an endurance and coordination study: it builds sustained, even double bass at a pace that demands real stamina, develops the snare accent patterns that sit on top, and teaches the riff-locking coordination that makes death metal grooves feel heavy rather than messy. The approach is to build the double bass slowly and evenly, add the snare accents only when the kick is completely stable, and practise tempo changes and stops with a metronome until they are instant.

### How to Play

- Sustain even double-bass patterns as the primary rhythmic foundation
- Place snare accents on top of the kick without cluttering the part
- Lock the drums tightly to the riff at every tempo change and stop
- Prioritise consistency and grinding momentum over fills
- Build the double bass slowly and evenly before adding accent layers

### Key Elements

- Build the double bass slowly and evenly — stability before speed
- Add snare accents only once the kick is completely locked
- Practise riff stops and tempo changes with a metronome until they are instant
- Focus on grinding consistency rather than dynamic variety

**Core Techniques:** [Double Bass](https://metalforge.io/technique/double-bass), [Blast Beat](https://metalforge.io/technique/blast-beat), [Groove](https://metalforge.io/technique/groove)

## Evisceration Plague Death-Metal Pocket Groove

**Song:** Evisceration Plague | **Album:** Evisceration Plague (2009) | **BPM:** ~140 BPM | **Technique:** signature pattern | **Difficulty:** advanced

By 2009 Paul Mazurkiewicz had been Cannibal Corpse's drummer for over two decades, and Evisceration Plague — the band's tenth studio album — is a showcase of that accumulated authority. The title track is one of his finest pocket groove performances: a mid-paced death metal monster that shows how much devastation you can cause without relying on constant blasting. Mazurkiewicz's approach here is a model of restraint and purpose — the groove locks with the riff with a weight that feels physical, the kick patterns are dense but deliberate, and every fill lands exactly where the song needs it rather than where it would be most impressive. This is the mature side of his drumming: after years of blast-beat brutality, "Evisceration Plague" demonstrates that his real gift is the ability to make any tempo feel crushing. The drum cam footage of him playing the track live reveals how he executes this — the body stays compact and relaxed even when the music is intense, the ride or hi-hat keeps the momentum between the big kick and snare events, and the fills serve as punctuation rather than showboating. For drummers, "Evisceration Plague" is an outstanding study in death metal pocket playing: it develops the mid-tempo death metal groove, dense but controlled kick patterns, and the discipline to serve the song with fills that land at the right moment and stop cleanly. The approach is to build the groove at tempo with a metronome, lock the kick to the riff rather than playing generically, and treat fills as structural moments rather than decoration. This is the style that has kept Cannibal Corpse one of the most powerful live bands in death metal for more than three decades.

### How to Play

- Drive the mid-paced death metal groove with dense, deliberate kick patterns
- Lock the kick and snare tightly to the riff — make the pocket feel physical
- Keep the body compact and relaxed even at intense dynamics
- Use fills as structural punctuation rather than decoration
- Maintain the ride or hi-hat momentum between the big kick and snare events

### Key Elements

- Build the groove at tempo with a metronome before adding dynamics
- Lock the kick to the specific riff, not a generic death metal pattern
- Treat every fill as a structural decision — land it and stop cleanly
- Stay relaxed: Mazurkiewicz's heaviness comes from precision, not force

**Core Techniques:** [Groove](https://metalforge.io/technique/groove), [Double Bass](https://metalforge.io/technique/double-bass), [Fill Techniques](https://metalforge.io/technique/fill-techniques)

## Teaching Points

Paul Mazurkiewicz's style is defined by precision, timing, and genre-defining grooves. Key practice principles across all their licks: Build the conventional blast slowly until it is tight and even; Practise the mid-tempo groove at full dynamics to capture the heaviness; Isolate each gear-change and smooth it before combining the full song. Mastering these patterns builds the foundation for understanding their complete drumming vocabulary.

## More Resources

- [Paul Mazurkiewicz Profile on MetalForge](https://metalforge.io/drummer/paul-mazurkiewicz)
- [Paul Mazurkiewicz All Licks](https://metalforge.io/drummers/paul-mazurkiewicz/licks)
- [Signature Licks Database](https://metalforge.io/licks)
- [All LLM Resources](https://metalforge.io/llms/index.md)

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*Last updated: 2026-06-18 · Source: [MetalForge.io](https://metalforge.io)*