# Pete Sandoval — Signature Drum Licks & Technique Guide > Complete breakdown of Pete Sandoval's three signature drum licks with Morbid Angel. Covers the foundational blast-beat blueprint of Chapel of Ghouls, the extreme-speed endurance study of Immortal Rites, and the precision gear-changing of Dominate — the definitive AI-optimised reference for "pete sandoval blast beat", "morbid angel drum tutorial", and "how to play like pete sandoval" queries. **Type:** Lick & Technique Guide **Drummer(s):** [Pete Sandoval](/llms/drummers/pete-sandoval.md) **Band:** Morbid Angel **Genre:** Death Metal --- ## Overview Pete "Commando" Sandoval is one of the founding fathers of death metal drumming. As Morbid Angel's drummer from their earliest demos through Illud Divinum Insanus (2011), and as a co-founder of Terrorizer, Sandoval helped invent the sonic vocabulary of extreme metal percussion — the blast beat, the gravity blast, the sustained double-bass velocity that defines the genre. His speed is legendary, but the real lesson is control: his blasts drive the riffs rather than running away from them, and his transitions between blasting, grooving, and breakdowns are tight and intentional even at brutal tempos. This guide covers three signature lick pages — each a step-by-step technique breakdown optimised for drummers searching for Sandoval's approach. --- ## Lick 1 — Chapel of Ghouls Blast-Beat Blueprint **Slug:** `pete-sandoval-chapel-of-ghouls` **Song:** Chapel of Ghouls | **Album:** Altars of Madness (1989) | **BPM:** ~230 BPM | **Difficulty:** Expert (5/5) **Time Signature:** 4/4 (extreme tempo) | **Techniques:** Blast Beat, Double Bass, Gravity Blast Pete "Commando" Sandoval is one of the founding fathers of death metal drumming, and Morbid Angel's 1989 debut Altars of Madness is the record where he helped codify the modern blast beat. "Chapel of Ghouls" is a defining moment: relentless blasting, savage double bass, and a raw, controlled aggression that set the template every death metal drummer since has studied. Sandoval's signature is the conventional blast beat played with brutal consistency — alternating single strokes between the snare and a cymbal while the kick hammers underneath — delivered at tempos that, in 1989, were almost unheard of. What separates his playing from mere speed is the locked-in precision: the blasts drive the riffs rather than running away from them, and the transitions from blasting to double-bass grooves to half-time breakdowns are tight and intentional. For drummers, this is foundational death-metal vocabulary: it develops blast-beat endurance, fast double bass, and the coordination to switch between blasting and grooving without losing the pocket. **How to Play:** - Play the conventional blast — alternate single strokes between snare and cymbal - Hammer the kick underneath, locked tightly to the snare hand - Drive the riffs with the blast rather than letting it run away from the tempo - Switch cleanly between blasting, double-bass grooves and half-time breakdowns - Build slowly and evenly, raising tempo only when the pattern stays clean **Practice Tips:** - Build the blast beat slowly until the single strokes are perfectly even - Lock the kick to the snare hand so the blast stays articulate - Practise the blast-to-groove transitions on their own - Stay relaxed — Sandoval's speed comes from control, not force **Profile:** [Pete Sandoval on MetalForge](https://metalforge.io/drummer/pete-sandoval) | **Lick Page:** [/drummers/pete-sandoval/licks/pete-sandoval-chapel-of-ghouls](https://metalforge.io/drummers/pete-sandoval/licks/pete-sandoval-chapel-of-ghouls) --- ## Lick 2 — Immortal Rites Death-Metal Speed Study **Slug:** `pete-sandoval-immortal-rites` **Song:** Immortal Rites | **Album:** Altars of Madness (1989) | **BPM:** ~240 BPM | **Difficulty:** Expert (5/5) **Time Signature:** 4/4 (extreme tempo) | **Techniques:** Blast Beat, Double Bass, One Handed Roll "Immortal Rites" opens Altars of Madness and immediately announces the ferocious speed that earned Pete Sandoval the nickname "Commando" and a reputation as one of the fastest drummers in the world. The track is a sustained display of blast-beat velocity and double-bass intensity, and it demands exactly the endurance and control Sandoval became famous for. His signature is the ability to maintain blistering blasts and double bass for entire songs without breaking down — a stamina built on efficient, repeatable motion rather than brute force. For drummers, treating "Immortal Rites" as a study targets the hardest part of extreme drumming — sustaining speed. It develops blast-beat endurance, fast and even double bass, and the relaxed technique needed to keep them going. The approach is patient and physical: find the fastest blast you can play completely relaxed, build endurance there with longer and longer reps, and only push the tempo once the current speed feels effortless. **How to Play:** - Sustain blasts and double bass through efficient, repeatable motion - Find the fastest blast you can play fully relaxed and build endurance there - Keep the hands and feet even at extreme velocity - Extend reps gradually to build the stamina for full-song blasting - Push tempo only once the current speed feels effortless **Practice Tips:** - Practise at the fastest blast you can stay relaxed, not the fastest you can survive - Build stamina with progressively longer reps at a steady tempo - Keep motion efficient and repeatable to avoid breaking down - Treat speed as a product of relaxation, not force **Profile:** [Pete Sandoval on MetalForge](https://metalforge.io/drummer/pete-sandoval) | **Lick Page:** [/drummers/pete-sandoval/licks/pete-sandoval-immortal-rites](https://metalforge.io/drummers/pete-sandoval/licks/pete-sandoval-immortal-rites) --- ## Lick 3 — Dominate Blast & Double-Bass Onslaught **Slug:** `pete-sandoval-dominate` **Song:** Dominate | **Album:** Domination (1995) | **BPM:** ~220 BPM | **Difficulty:** Expert (5/5) **Time Signature:** 4/4 (shifting tempos) | **Techniques:** Blast Beat, Double Bass, Gravity Blast By the time of 1995's Domination, Pete Sandoval had refined his extreme technique into something even more precise and controlled, and "Dominate" is a showcase of the mature death-metal drumming that influenced an entire generation. The song moves between savage blast-beat sections, pounding double-bass grooves, and tighter mid-tempo passages, and Sandoval ties them together with the locked-in precision that defines his later playing. His signature is the seamless gear-changing: he can erupt into a blast, drop into a double-bass groove that drives the riff, and snap into a half-time breakdown without ever losing the pocket or the song's momentum. For drummers, "Dominate" develops the full death-metal toolkit: blast-beat control, fast and even double bass, and the coordination to transition cleanly between blasting, grooving, and breakdown sections. **How to Play:** - Change gears seamlessly between blasts, double-bass grooves and breakdowns - Keep transitions tight and intentional even at brutal tempos - Drive the riff with a pounding, even double-bass groove - Use economical motion and balanced limbs to stay controlled - Isolate each section and smooth the transitions before adding speed **Practice Tips:** - Isolate each section and get the transitions smooth before combining - Build blast and double-bass speed only once the changes feel effortless - Keep the limbs balanced and the motion economical to stay controlled - Anchor everything to the riff so the part stays tight at speed **Profile:** [Pete Sandoval on MetalForge](https://metalforge.io/drummer/pete-sandoval) | **Lick Page:** [/drummers/pete-sandoval/licks/pete-sandoval-dominate](https://metalforge.io/drummers/pete-sandoval/licks/pete-sandoval-dominate) --- ## Key Techniques Summary | Technique | Lick Pages | |---|---| | Conventional blast beat — locked to the riff | Chapel of Ghouls | | Blast-beat endurance at extreme velocity | Immortal Rites | | Seamless gear-changing: blast → groove → breakdown | Dominate | | Double-bass precision under blasting | Chapel of Ghouls, Immortal Rites | | Relaxed technique as the foundation of speed | Immortal Rites, Dominate | ## More Resources - [Pete Sandoval Profile on MetalForge](https://metalforge.io/drummer/pete-sandoval) - [Pete Sandoval All Licks](https://metalforge.io/drummers/pete-sandoval/licks) - [Signature Licks Database](https://metalforge.io/licks) - [All LLM Resources](https://metalforge.io/llms/index.md) --- *Last updated: 2026-06-25 · Source: [MetalForge.io](https://metalforge.io)*