diff --git a/CHANGES.txt b/CHANGES.txt
index 8e994343fd..6764096caa 100644
--- a/CHANGES.txt
+++ b/CHANGES.txt
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 2.2
+ * faster async logback configuration for tests (CASSANDRA-9376)
  * Add `smallint` and `tinyint` data types (CASSANDRA-8951)
  * Avoid thrift schema creation when native driver is used in stress tool (CASSANDRA-9374)
  * Populate TokenMetadata early during startup (CASSANDRA-9317)
diff --git a/build.xml b/build.xml
index f613478b28..a7c4e98d27 100644
--- a/build.xml
+++ b/build.xml
@@ -338,8 +338,8 @@
           <dependency groupId="org.slf4j" artifactId="slf4j-api" version="1.7.7"/>
           <dependency groupId="org.slf4j" artifactId="log4j-over-slf4j" version="1.7.7"/>
           <dependency groupId="org.slf4j" artifactId="jcl-over-slf4j" version="1.7.7" />
-          <dependency groupId="ch.qos.logback" artifactId="logback-core" version="1.1.2"/>
-          <dependency groupId="ch.qos.logback" artifactId="logback-classic" version="1.1.2"/>
+          <dependency groupId="ch.qos.logback" artifactId="logback-core" version="1.1.3"/>
+          <dependency groupId="ch.qos.logback" artifactId="logback-classic" version="1.1.3"/>
           <dependency groupId="org.codehaus.jackson" artifactId="jackson-core-asl" version="1.9.2"/>
           <dependency groupId="org.codehaus.jackson" artifactId="jackson-mapper-asl" version="1.9.2"/>
           <dependency groupId="com.googlecode.json-simple" artifactId="json-simple" version="1.1"/>
@@ -1192,8 +1192,8 @@
         <pathelement location="${build.lib}/libthrift-0.9.0.jar" />
         <pathelement location="${build.lib}/slf4j-api-1.7.7.jar" />
         <pathelement location="${build.lib}/log4j-over-slf4j.jar" />
-        <pathelement location="${build.lib}/logback-core-1.1.2.jar" />
-        <pathelement location="${build.lib}/logback-classic-1.1.2.jar" />
+        <pathelement location="${build.lib}/logback-core-1.1.3.jar" />
+        <pathelement location="${build.lib}/logback-classic-1.1.3.jar" />
         <pathelement location="${build.lib}/jackson-core-asl-1.9.2.jar" />
         <pathelement location="${build.lib}/jackson-mapper-asl-1.9.2.jar" />
         <fileset dir="${build.dir.lib}">
diff --git a/lib/logback-classic-1.1.2.jar b/lib/logback-classic-1.1.2.jar
deleted file mode 100644
index 9230b2a737..0000000000
Binary files a/lib/logback-classic-1.1.2.jar and /dev/null differ
diff --git a/lib/logback-classic-1.1.3.jar b/lib/logback-classic-1.1.3.jar
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..2aa10a5196
Binary files /dev/null and b/lib/logback-classic-1.1.3.jar differ
diff --git a/lib/logback-core-1.1.2.jar b/lib/logback-core-1.1.2.jar
deleted file mode 100644
index 391da641f0..0000000000
Binary files a/lib/logback-core-1.1.2.jar and /dev/null differ
diff --git a/lib/logback-core-1.1.3.jar b/lib/logback-core-1.1.3.jar
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..996b722d05
Binary files /dev/null and b/lib/logback-core-1.1.3.jar differ
diff --git a/test/conf/logback-test.xml b/test/conf/logback-test.xml
index faffac43d0..8d99aa206f 100644
--- a/test/conf/logback-test.xml
+++ b/test/conf/logback-test.xml
@@ -17,7 +17,9 @@
  under the License.
 -->
 
-<configuration>
+<configuration debug="false">
+  <shutdownHook class="ch.qos.logback.core.hook.DelayingShutdownHook"/>
+
   <appender name="FILE" class="ch.qos.logback.core.rolling.RollingFileAppender">
     <file>./build/test/logs/system.log</file>
     <rollingPolicy class="ch.qos.logback.core.rolling.FixedWindowRollingPolicy">
@@ -31,9 +33,17 @@
     </triggeringPolicy>
     <encoder>
       <pattern>%-5level [%thread] %date{ISO8601} %msg%n</pattern>
+      <immediateFlush>false</immediateFlush>
     </encoder>
   </appender>
   
+  <appender name="ASYNCFILE" class="ch.qos.logback.classic.AsyncAppender">
+      <discardingThreshold>0</discardingThreshold>
+      <maxFlushTime>0</maxFlushTime>
+      <queueSize>1024</queueSize>
+      <appender-ref ref="FILE"/>
+  </appender>
+
     <appender name="STDERR" target="System.err" class="ch.qos.logback.core.ConsoleAppender">
     <encoder>
       <pattern>%-5level %date{HH:mm:ss,SSS} %msg%n</pattern>
@@ -53,7 +63,7 @@
   </appender>
         
   <root level="DEBUG">
-    <appender-ref ref="FILE" />
+    <appender-ref ref="ASYNCFILE" />
     <appender-ref ref="STDERR" />
     <appender-ref ref="STDOUT" />
   </root>