Dave Lombardo (Slayer) Interview

Dave Lombardo is a musician that can truly be called a legend. His style has influenced countless numbers of young drummers. Lombardo was born in Cuba and moved to the U.S. as a child. He joined Slayer in 1982. After recording several seminal metal albums with the group, Lombardo departed in 1990 and formed Grip, Inc. a couple years later. He worked with many different musicians including Testament and John Zorn. He also became a member of Fantomas with Mike Patton (Faith No More, Mr. Bungle) and Buzz Osborne (Melvins). In 2001 Lombardo rejoined Slayer to the delight of his legion of fans. I spoke to him during the midst of the 2004 Ozzfest tour.

Chad Bowar: How is Ozzfest going so far?

Dave Lombardo: It's going really well. No complaints whatsoever. It's a smooth flowing festival and it's awesome.

How does Judas Priest sound with Rob Halford back singing lead?

Great. Better than ever. The magic is there with Priest.

What's going to be on your upcoming DVD?

The entire Reign In Blood record that we did in 1986 in its entirety. It's going to be performed live. There will be some added bonus songs. We did it in Augusta, Maine at the beginning of the Ozzfest tour.

You were a member of Metallica very briefly on June 10th when Lars Ulrich was ill and couldn't perform, right?

It was very brief. I only did a couple of songs. I've known the Metallica guys for a while now, so when they asked me I said "Yeah, this will be fun." Plus it was really good promotion and publicity. It was great.

How did your reunion with Slayer come about?

They gave me a call almost exactly ten years after I left and asked me if I wanted to do some shows. I said I'd think about it. I called them back and it all worked out and it's been going really good since then.

When you came back was there a readjustment period, or did you just pick right up where you left off?

There was a bit of a readjustment period because I didn't know what it was going to be like. I didn't know what was happening, how it was going to be, how it was all going to feel. As time went on it was great. Everything felt good so we decided to go with it. Right now we're in the process of writing new material for a new record.

Is there a timetable for the new album?

Sometime in 2005. We've done some demo taping over at my house, but nothing in the studio.

Will Rick Rubin be involved in the production of the album?

As far as I know, yes.

You recently finished a tour with the group Fantomas. Is that something you're going to continue doing, or are you done playing with them?

For this recording period, yes. It is an ongoing thing, but I don't know what time I'm going to have for it considering I'm working so much with Slayer right now. I am trying to fit things in between the time that Slayer is off and if I'm up to it. I'm doing a lot of touring and things have been really busy for me.

How about your group Grip, Inc.?

We just released a new record this past February, and unfortunately that is a band that has to be put on the back burner. I cannot do anything with them at all. There's not enough time. It's a great record, I'm really proud of it. Unfortunately there's no touring that I can do.

You released an instructional book called Power Grooves a few years back. Any plans to do anything else in that vein?

No. I'm really not into the educational aspect of performing. It's not in me. I'm not really one that likes to teach.

During your 20 plus years on the road, who have been your favorite bands to tour with?

One of the great bands we opened up for was Priest back in '89. That was really great because at that time we had never met them, never toured with them before. They were a big influence on Slayer, so to open up for them was really cool. We were able to see them as the original lineup.

What are your favorite Slayer songs to play live?

There's a lot of them. I like a lot of the stuff that they did without me, the time I wasn't around. For example, "Stain Of Mind," "Threshold," "Disciple." They are really fun to play. Also the classic ones off of Reign In Blood and South of Heaven and Seasons In The Abyss. Those are great tunes.

What do you do on the road when you're not playing?

There's a lot of down time on the road. That part of it I really don't enjoy. There's nothing to do. You're at the hotel and after that you go to the venue and sit there and wait. At the moment I have my family coming out with me on the road. We have our own vehicle and it's more like a family vacation. I just stop, do some gigs, and take off. It's a lot more fun now with the family.

Tons of drummers list you as an influence. How does that make you feel?

I don't think about it. People tell me, but it's nothing something I focus on or dwell on. It's something that's there. People say it and I just keep doing my best. I just to put out the best records I can and perform the best I can.

For more information, visit Dave's official site: http://www.davelombardo.com>