If it's wood under the paint it shouldn't be a problem at all - there are many noxious chemical paint strippers that do the job very effectively (don't live in the US so don't know the brand names).
You just need to make sure that you are in an extremely well-ventilated area, cover every bit of skin so this stuff get on you 'cause it stings (and continues to do so many hours after) if it gets on you. Make sure all holes on the shell are covered from the inside with masking tape (maybe even doubled-up) so you don't get "drip through" to the inside of the shell. Then paint the stripper on with an old brush. Let the stuff sit for a few hours, particularly if the paint is thick, then start taking it off with a metal or ideally rubber paint scraper (so you don't accidentally hack into the outside of the shell).
After that go over the surface with a slightly damp plastic sponge/scourer (using the scourer side) to get rid of the excess stuff. You will need a bit of water but not too much so it doesn't start seaping into the drums plies 'cause that would be bad.
And then use another similar sponge/scourer to go over the shell with a liberal (though not too liberal) dose of a spirit-based neutraliser (again, I'm useless on brand names) so that the stripper doesn't keep reacting with wrap, glue or lacquer or whatever else is going on to it at a later date (and it will if you don't neutralise and clean it off completely at this stage).
Then dry it off with paper towels or similar immediately after that process.
After it has dried (which shouldn't take long), then lightly sand it with 300 - 400 grade sandpaper to get rid of any remaining paint, stripper or anything else. If you are aiming to go for a wood finish later, going to an even finer sandpaper or even really fine steel wool after that should prep it nicely for lacquer.
I'm sure others in here might have more or alternative approaches to this, not to mention brands.
Cheers,
David