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United States Paul Bostaph is a highly respected drummer known for his impactful contributions to prominent thrash metal bands, including Slayer, Exodus, and Testament.
Paul Bostaph is an endorsing artist for Yamaha drums. Their website highlights his career and features details about the specific Yamaha drum kits and hardware he uses, such as the Recording Custom series and AMS-1460SOB snare drum.
Paul Bostaph endorses Vater Drumsticks, as indicated by his official Instagram account where he tags their brand.
Paul Bostaph endorses Evans Drumheads, as mentioned on his official Instagram account.
Paul Bostaph endorses Paiste Cymbals, as seen on his official Instagram account and noted in his Wikipedia equipment section.
Paul Bostaph endorses Humes & Berg, as listed on his official Instagram profile.
Paul Bostaph endorses Lauten Audio, as stated on his official Instagram account.
Bostaph endorses Promark drumsticks, as stated in his equipment section on Wikipedia.
Paul Steven Bostaph was born on March 4, 1964, in Newark, California. His musical journey began with an initial interest in playing bass, but he ultimately pursued drumming after finding a drum kit at a more accessible price. His early exposure to rock music included bands like The Beatles and The Beach Boys, though AC/DC significantly influenced his dive into rock drumming. At the age of 15, after acquiring his first drum kit, he was profoundly inspired by Iron Maiden’s album ‘Killers,’ which solidified his ambition to become a metal drummer. He attended Newark Memorial High School, where his burgeoning interest in music began to take precedence over his academic pursuits, leading him to prioritize a job to fund his musical endeavors.
Bostaph’s professional career began with Forbidden, where he played drums from 1985 to 1992, contributing to their initial two studio albums, ‘Forbidden Evil’ and ‘Twisted into Form,’ along with the live EP ‘Raw Evil: Live at the Dynamo.’ His tenure with Forbidden established him within the thrash metal scene. Following his departure from Forbidden in 1992, he received an audition opportunity with Slayer, a pivotal moment that led to a significant period in his career. He joined Slayer in 1992, recording four albums with the band, including ‘Divine Intervention’ (1994), ‘Diabolus in Musica’ (1998), and the Grammy-nominated ‘God Hates Us All’ (2001). His drumming style, characterized by its technical precision, intensity, and speed, quickly became a hallmark of Slayer’s sound. He temporarily left Slayer in 1996 for a solo project, Truth About Seafood, but returned in 1997.
After leaving Slayer in 2001 due to a chronic elbow injury and a desire for musical exploration, Bostaph joined Systematic in 2003, a band he had co-founded earlier. He toured with Systematic for four months before departing in 2004. In 2005, he joined Exodus, recording drums for their album ‘Shovel Headed Kill Machine’ (2005) and toured extensively until 2007. Later, he rejoined Testament in October 2007, contributing to ‘The Formation of Damnation’ (2008), an album that received the 2008 ‘Album of the Year’ by the Metal Hammer Awards. He again returned to Slayer in 2013 and remained with them until their disbandment in 2019, featured on their twelfth and final studio album, ‘Repentless’ (2015). In 2024, Bostaph reunited with his former Slayer bandmate Kerry King for King’s solo debut album, ‘From Hell I Rise,’ demonstrating his enduring presence in the metal music landscape.
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