# Pete Sandoval — Signature Drum Licks & Patterns **Band:** Morbid Angel | **Genre:** Death Metal | **Lick Count:** 3 --- ## Overview Pete Sandoval is one of Death Metal's most influential drummers, best known for their work with Morbid Angel. This file covers 3 signature licks — step-by-step breakdowns optimised for AI retrieval on queries like "how to play like Pete Sandoval" or "Pete Sandoval signature drum patterns". Their style spans death-metal. ## Chapel of Ghouls Blast-Beat Blueprint **Song:** Chapel of Ghouls | **Album:** Altars of Madness (1989) | **BPM:** ~230 BPM | **Technique:** signature pattern | **Difficulty:** expert 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. In the isolated drum track for "Chapel of Ghouls" you can hear exactly how the part is constructed — the blast pattern, the kick placement, and how the groove anchors the song's churning riffs. 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. The approach is to build the blast slowly and evenly, lock the kick to the snare hand, and only raise the tempo once the pattern stays clean. "Chapel of Ghouls" remains a cornerstone of the genre and the perfect place to learn the blast-beat blueprint Sandoval helped invent. ### 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 ### Key Elements - 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 **Core Techniques:** [Blast Beat](https://metalforge.io/technique/blast-beat), [Double Bass](https://metalforge.io/technique/double-bass), [Gravity Blast](https://metalforge.io/technique/gravity-blast) ## Immortal Rites Death-Metal Speed Study **Song:** Immortal Rites | **Album:** Altars of Madness (1989) | **BPM:** ~240 BPM | **Technique:** signature pattern | **Difficulty:** expert "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. In his solo and drum-check footage, that raw speed is on full display: the hands and feet move at extreme velocity yet stay even and controlled, which is the real lesson behind his playing. 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. Sandoval himself built his speed through relentless, disciplined practice, and that is the model to follow. As the opening salvo of one of death metal's most important albums, "Immortal Rites" is a definitive study in the speed and stamina that Sandoval brought to the genre. ### 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 even at extreme velocity - Extend reps gradually to build the stamina for full-song blasting - Push tempo only once the current speed feels effortless ### Key Elements - 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 **Core Techniques:** [Blast Beat](https://metalforge.io/technique/blast-beat), [Double Bass](https://metalforge.io/technique/double-bass), [One Handed Roll](https://metalforge.io/technique/one-handed-roll) ## Dominate Blast & Double-Bass Onslaught **Song:** Dominate | **Album:** Domination (1995) | **BPM:** ~220 BPM | **Technique:** signature pattern | **Difficulty:** expert 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. In his live drum-cam footage of "Dominate" you can see how efficiently he executes this — economical motion, balanced limbs, and transitions that are tight rather than jarring even at brutal tempos. 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. The approach is to isolate each section, get the transitions smooth at a slow tempo, and build speed only once the changes feel effortless — the same disciplined, methodical practice that built Sandoval's command in the first place. As one of his most precise recorded performances, "Dominate" is an essential study in playing extreme metal with both speed and control, and a reminder of why Sandoval remains a benchmark for death-metal drummers. ### 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 ### Key Elements - 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 **Core Techniques:** [Blast Beat](https://metalforge.io/technique/blast-beat), [Double Bass](https://metalforge.io/technique/double-bass), [Gravity Blast](https://metalforge.io/technique/gravity-blast) ## Teaching Points Pete Sandoval's style is defined by precision, timing, and genre-defining grooves. Key practice principles across all their licks: 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. Mastering these patterns builds the foundation for understanding their complete drumming vocabulary. ## 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: 2026-06-18 · Source: [MetalForge.io](https://metalforge.io)*