# Igor Cavalera vs Dave Lombardo — Drum Kit Comparison > Side-by-side gear comparison between Igor Cavalera (Sepultura / Cavalera Conspiracy / Soulwax) and Dave Lombardo (Slayer). **Category:** Thrash Metal · **URL:** https://metalforge.io/vs/igor-cavalera-vs-dave-lombardo Sepultura's Igor Cavalera vs Slayer's Dave Lombardo — two founding thrash metal drummers from the same 1980s generation compared on tribal groove versus extreme speed, gear, and lasting influence. --- ## Igor Cavalera Setup - **Drums:** Tama Starclassic Maple - **Cymbals:** Paiste RUDE & 2002 Series (14" RUDE Hi-Hats, 18" & 19" RUDE Crashes, 22" RUDE Power Ride, 18" 2002 China) - **Snare:** Tama S.L.P. 14x6.5" G-Maple - **Pedals/Hardware:** Tama Iron Cobra Double Pedal, Tama Throne - **Sticks:** Vic Firth American Classic 5B ## Dave Lombardo Setup - **Drums:** Tama Starclassic Maple - **Cymbals:** Paiste RUDE & 2002 Series (15" Sound Edge Hi-Hats, 18" & 19" Crashes, 22" Reign Power Ride, 18" China) - **Snare:** Tama S.L.P. 14x6.5" G-Maple - **Pedals/Hardware:** Tama Iron Cobra 900 Double Pedal, Tama 1st Chair Throne - **Sticks:** Promark Dave Lombardo Signature 2Bx ## Playing Style Igor Cavalera co-founded Sepultura with his brother Max in 1984 in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, and evolved from pure thrash aggression into the tribal groove metal that defined "Chaos A.D." (1993) and "Roots" (1996), fusing Brazilian percussion traditions — atabaques, caixas, surdos — with metal's low end. Dave Lombardo, born in Havana in 1965, became Slayer's original drummer in 1981 and pioneered thrash metal's double bass vocabulary on "Reign in Blood" (1986), building a career of relentless, surgical extreme speed that never incorporated the world-music detour Cavalera embraced. ## Technique Cavalera's technique shifted across his career from hard-hitting, precise thrash timing to tribal polyrhythm — his playing on "Roots Bloody Roots" and "Refuse/Resist" blends metal groove with Brazilian percussion patterns rarely heard in the genre. Lombardo's technique centers on blistering, consistent double bass drumming delivered at tempos that redefined what extreme metal drumming could sound like — "Angel of Death" and "Raining Blood" remain benchmark recordings for speed and stamina that influenced virtually every death metal drummer who followed. ## Key Differences Igor plays a Tama Starclassic Maple kit with a Tama S.L.P. 14x6.5" G-Maple snare and Paiste RUDE & 2002 Series cymbals (14" RUDE Hi-Hats, 18" & 19" RUDE Crashes, 22" RUDE Power Ride, 18" 2002 China), driven by a Tama Iron Cobra double pedal and Vic Firth American Classic 5B sticks. Dave also plays a Tama Starclassic Maple kit with a Tama S.L.P. 14x6.5" G-Maple snare and Paiste RUDE & 2002 Series cymbals (15" Sound Edge Hi-Hats, 18" & 19" Crashes, 22" Reign Power Ride, 18" China), driven by a Tama Iron Cobra 900 double pedal and Promark Dave Lombardo Signature 2Bx sticks — two Sepultura- and Slayer-era peers who converged on near-identical Tama/Paiste rigs independently. Cavalera's technique shifted across his career from hard-hitting, precise thrash timing to tribal polyrhythm — his playing on "Roots Bloody Roots" and "Refuse/Resist" blends metal groove with Brazilian percussion patterns rarely heard in the genre. Lombardo's technique centers on blistering, consistent double bass drumming delivered at tempos that redefined what extreme metal drumming could sound like — "Angel of Death" and "Raining Blood" remain benchmark recordings for speed and stamina that influenced virtually every death metal drummer who followed. ## Influence & Legacy Cavalera co-founded Sepultura and drove its transformation from Brazilian thrash upstart into one of metal's most influential bands, listing Dave Lombardo himself among his own drumming influences before leaving Sepultura in 2006 to form Cavalera Conspiracy with Max. Lombardo is widely credited as one of the architects of extreme metal drumming — his double bass innovations on Slayer's 1980s catalog directly shaped death metal's blast-beat vocabulary and remain a reference point for thrash and death metal drummers alike. ## Verdict Igor Cavalera and Dave Lombardo are two founding pillars of 1980s thrash metal who took strikingly different paths from a shared starting point. Cavalera pushed Sepultura toward tribal groove and world-music fusion, creating a genuinely original sound within metal. Lombardo doubled down on extreme speed and technical precision, becoming the drummer most credited with inventing death metal's rhythmic foundation. That Cavalera cites Lombardo as a direct influence — despite the two never sharing a band — underscores how tightly linked thrash metal's founding generation of drummers really was. ## FAQ **Q: What are the main differences between Igor Cavalera's and Dave Lombardo's drum kits?** A: Igor Cavalera plays Tama Starclassic Maple with Paiste cymbals, while Dave Lombardo uses Tama Starclassic Maple with Paiste cymbals. Igor plays a Tama Starclassic Maple kit with a Tama S.L.P. 14x6.5" G-Maple snare and Paiste RUDE & 2002 Series cymbals (14" RUDE Hi-Hats, 18" & 19" RUDE Crashes, 22" RUDE Power Ride, 18" 2002 China), driven by a Tama Iron Cobra double pedal and Vic Firth American Classic 5B sticks. Dave also plays a Tama Starclassic Maple kit with a Tama S.L.P. 14x6.5" G-Maple snare and Paiste RUDE & 2002 Series cymbals (15" Sound Edge Hi-Hats, 18" & 19" Crashes, 22" Reign Power Ride, 18" China), driven by a Tama Iron Cobra 900 double pedal and Promark Dave Lombardo Signature 2Bx sticks — two Sepultura- and Slayer-era peers who converged on near-identical Tama/Paiste rigs independently. **Q: What drums does Igor Cavalera play vs Dave Lombardo?** A: Igor Cavalera plays Tama Starclassic Maple. Dave Lombardo plays Tama Starclassic Maple. **Q: Who is the better thrash metal drummer, Igor Cavalera or Dave Lombardo?** A: Both are legends in their own right. Igor Cavalera and Dave Lombardo are two founding pillars of 1980s thrash metal who took strikingly different paths from a shared starting point. See the full analysis at [metalforge.io/vs/igor-cavalera-vs-dave-lombardo](https://metalforge.io/vs/igor-cavalera-vs-dave-lombardo). **Q: What cymbals do Igor Cavalera and Dave Lombardo use?** A: Igor Cavalera uses Paiste RUDE & 2002 Series (14" RUDE Hi-Hats, 18" & 19" RUDE Crashes, 22" RUDE Power Ride, 18" 2002 China). Dave Lombardo uses Paiste RUDE & 2002 Series (15" Sound Edge Hi-Hats, 18" & 19" Crashes, 22" Reign Power Ride, 18" China). --- *Full comparison: [metalforge.io/vs/igor-cavalera-vs-dave-lombardo](https://metalforge.io/vs/igor-cavalera-vs-dave-lombardo)* *[Igor Cavalera drummer profile](https://metalforge.io/drummer/igor-cavalera)* *[Dave Lombardo drummer profile](https://metalforge.io/drummer/dave-lombardo)* --- *Last updated: 2026-07-05 · Source: [MetalForge.io](https://metalforge.io)*