Pete Sandoval

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Pete Sandoval is a noted drummer in the extreme metal world. Born in El Salvador he is known for his great double bass drum speed and technical proficiency. His first important band was the grindcore band Terrorizer, formed in mid-1980s, where he began to demonstrate some of his talent.

Sandoval was invited to join the death metal band Morbid Angel. Terrorizer broke up after his departure. He is still known as one of the fastest drummers in metal, though some say he has slowed down since his peak with Morbid Angel. Some cite Sandoval as the drummer most responsible for introducing rhythmically precise blast beats (i.e. one set of bass-snare-bass-snare per count at 16th note tempos), as opposed to previous drummers many of whom had played blast beats simply as an alternation of bass and snare hits as fast as possible. Sandoval is also among the first extreme metal drummers to champion the use of acoustic drum triggers, a practice once scorned and labelled "cheating". Sandoval continues to maintain and improve upon the fluid, extreme percussive formula he helped create, earning the title "Pete the Feet".

Interestingly, Sandoval had never used double bass drums before joining Morbid Angel. He had to practice day and night in order to get his feet up to speed, and recorded the Altars of Madness record within only a couple of months of joining Morbid Angel. According to Morbid Angel guitarist Trey Azagthoth, the band would occasionally walk in on Sandoval passed out on his drum set. After being woken up, he would immediately say, "Time to get back to work!"

Sandoval is often referenced by his nickname, "Commando".