A band that truly requires no introduction, Slayer has been terrorizing the world’s concert stages 
for more than 25 years, and the malevolent bulldozer shows no signs of stopping. Currently stalking North America on The American Carnage Tour with Megadeth and Testament (with Anthrax swapping places with Testament September), Slayer is looking back and performing its arguably most progressive album in its profane catalogue, 1990’s SEASONS IN THE ABYSS.
Examiner recently caught up with drummer Dave Lombardo to discuss the band’s storied legacy.
Slayer is one of the very few heritage metal bands where fans constantly want to hear new material. I’m sure this doesn’t surprise you, but does this put some added responsibility on your shoulders?
I think it’s great. It’s a positive thing that reaffirms the fact that you’ve got put new music out. You shouldn’t just play all your old sh**. Keep creating; keep moving forward.
Slayer also benefits from having a ferociously (almost jealously) loyal fan base. Does it ever frighten you as to the power you wield over your following?
No, nothing really frightens me. I think it’s great that they have a love for the music that we play, and we love to play it for them. And we love to see them get crazy and enjoy themselves. That’s awesome.
And because your following is so strong, do you ever feel that Slayer is no longer given a fair shake by critics? It seems like the populace is at the point now where they collectively say that a Slayer album is great just because it’s a Slayer album, and they don’t base their opinion on any of the album’s actual merits.
I don’t concern myself with people who don’t look into it deeply. Everyone has a choice to look into it, hear it, listen to it, and there are people who just don’t. It really doesn’t concern me.
I noticed on Amazon that three of the Slayer live DVDs are being reissued (LIVE INTRUSION, WAR AT 
THE WARFIELD, and STILL REIGNING), but you only make an appearance on one of the discs. Does that make you feel weird at all?
Well, I am part of at least one, so it’s perfectly fine with me. There was a time, when I was in the band, that they released WAR AT THE WARFIELD, and that was done with Paul Bostaph. It’s just the way it is. And now they’re packaging it all together, and I think it’s cool. The box set that we had released, SOUNDTRACK TO THE APOCALYPSE, the majority of it I had performed on, to where Paul Bostaph didn’t perform much on it. So this time, the tables are turned. Two of the videos feature him, and one of them features me.
And since we’re dancing around the time when you weren’t in Slayer, are you still a part of Fantomas, or are you finished with that because of the demands of Slayer?
Oh no, I’m still very much a part of Fantomas. It just so happens that we’re both busy right now. Mike Patton’s doing Faith No More again. We’re just waiting to hear from Patton and the new material. He has it; it’s almost ready, and I can’t wait to hear it, learn it, and perform it!
Is it challenging to adjust to Patton’s frenetic writing style as opposed to the streamlined metal of Slayer?
No, you just have to learn. I’m very familiar with, and I understand his songwriting process, and what his approach is to music. So it’s actually pretty easy to adjust. It’s just a whole different animal.
When you came back into Slayer after spending time in Fantomas, were there any moments when the Patton-ness would emerge in your playing style?
I don’t think any of it came into Slayer, but it did make me a better drummer. It actually made me understand Slayer’s music better. Actually, all the bands I played with during my time away all helped me become a better musician.
What do you do to keep the performance from becoming “a job”? Is there anything specific you do 
to keep things fresh and exciting?
Dude, I love playing drums, and I love being on stage, and I love recording. It’s my life…it’s been my life, all my life, and I don’t think it could ever become boring for me. Every job has its downside. For example, being in a band; the travel part of it – getting picked up from your house in a car, going to the airport, getting on a plane, going from the airplane to a van, then going from the van to a hotel.
Then you wait until it’s time to go to the venue. Then you go to the venue, and you do soundcheck – it gets a little monotonous, all the traveling, and taking these long airplane flights everywhere. Yeah, we do fly business class, which does help a little bit, but it’s still the most stressful part about being in a band – the travelling.
Do you ever write while you’re travelling?
I do editing. I have a little Pro-Tools rig that travels with me. I do little things on that. But writing for me is improvising. Of course I can’t carry a drum set into my hotel room, so I have to find other ways to create – one of them is to record at home, and then bring those recordings with me, editing them, and putting them into context. But like I said, a lot of my creativity comes from improvising.
Do you actively seek out these additional side projects because you want to become a better drummer?
Not “to become a better drummer,” I want to be known for other things. Let’s say that everybody knows me from Slayer. Hey, I don’t just play Slayer; I know how to play other things. That’s always been the top of my priority list ever since I left the band in 1992 – to show the world that I am much more than just a metal drummer.
Which explains the VIVALDI: THE MEETING project...
You see, there you go, that’s another thing. You just have to go out there and be as creative as you can be. That’s the spice, right there, to the playing and performing; being diverse and doing things other than what you would normally do!
It just seems that, the way they are handled in the press, that the other three guys treat Slayer like a business, where you come across as a musician expressing himself.
I can’t speak for the other guys or how they feel about it, but yeah, I strive not to be “just a drummer.” I want to be a musician, and there’s a big difference. It doesn’t necessarily mean that you play other instruments; I think it has a lot to do with your approach and your outlook and what you create.
It is also interesting to note that while Slayer is rooted in its history, it strives to be a forward-looking band. Are there things you proactively try to bring to the table to keep from repeating yourself?
Every album I put out, I give 100%. For me, the goal is to make each song that much better than the previous one, and not to try to perfect yourself. I think with perfection, you lose the spontaneity of your playing, and it becomes very sterile. I try to keep things very loose, and marry the rolls with the guitar riff or the change that’s occurring. I guess that’s an artistic side of me.
I don’t try to out-create myself, or create the most complex drum roll or whatever. It has much more to do with “feel” and how those two parts go together – how the drums go together with the music. I like to be one of those drummers who actually add to the music, not one of those guys who sit in a room 24/7 trying to outwit or outplay another drummer. You have to be able to apply what you’ve done to the music.
Do you ever feel haunted by the shadow of REIGN IN BLOOD? To most metal fans, that album is heralded as the pinnacle of your achievements.
Hey, it’s great; I love it. Let that record haunt me all it wants! You see, bands strive to have a record like that, that becomes the pinnacle or the focal point – THE record to listen to if you want to get into this kind of music. It sets a mood, it’s aggressive, and it’s brutal. To be a shadow or something negative is the wrong thing to say. I think it’s good to have under your belt.
And every Slayer show reflects that sort of celebratory feeling, despite all the violence. Does the sometimes overzealousness of the fans ever bother you?
Well, there are a lot of people who don’t get hurt at Slayer shows. It’s usually the ones in the pit and throwing punches. They just don’t know how to mosh. They think that throwing their arms around and karate-kicking is moshing, and all they are doing is inviting conflict. That’s when people get hurt.
It amazes me, because when we play shows in Europe, in places like Spain, Italy, and Greece, those people know how to mosh – they mosh the way it used to be, with kids all running in a big circle. It’s unfortunate, because the modern North American version of moshing is simply throwing your fists around. It’s more dangerous than fun now, and I think a lot of kids don’t even bother going into the pit because of that.
Since we’re on the topic of moshing, what is your impression of the resurgence in the thrash metal
genre, with new bands cropping up directly influenced by 20-25 year-old metal albums?
I think it’s great! It just shows that everything comes around full circle. More power to thrash! It’s like what Jack Black said in that Tenacious D song, “You can’t destroy the metal!” And you can’t, because it’s real! It’s not produced by some wannabe musician who can’t go on stage or has to hire people to play his music. This is REAL musicians playing their music. I think that’s why it has lasted so long.
Forgive the tone of this question, but was Tom Araya’s recent surgery a sign that you guys are getting older and should consider slowing down a little?
No, the only real wake-up call there was that Tom can’t whip his head around like that anymore. You know, Kerry and Jeff still headbang, but it was different what Tom did. He headbanged to get whiplash, and that’s what he got...a really bad case of whiplash to the point where he needed surgery. And I think that only developed over the past 2-3 years; I don’t think it was something that was slowly developing. He just got more intense with his headbanging, and I think that’s what caused it. I’ve never spoken to him about it, but that’s what I think it was.
So, when all is said and done, what do you want people to remember about Slayer?
That it was the most powerful band on stage. That it was total brutality. When you go to a Slayer show, you’re going to feel the bass drums in your chest. You’re going to feel this power and energy – this drive like a locomotive that just speeding down the f***ing tracks. That’s what I want them to experience, and that’s what I want them to remember. I want them to feel like they were just beaten up by music.
Catch Slayer, along with Megadeth and Testament now on The American Carnage Tour. On September 24, Testament drops off, and Anthrax joins the party!
Jul 27 at Moncton Coliseum in Moncton, NB, Can..jpg)
Jul 29 at Molson Amphitheatre in Toronto, ON, Can.
Jul 30 at John Labatt Centre in London, ON, Can.
Aug 11 at Glens Falls Civic Center in Glens Falls, NY
Aug 12 at Izod Center in East Rutherford, NJ
Aug 14 at Tsongas Arena in Lowell, MA
Aug 15 at Susquehanna Center in Camden, NJ
Aug 16 at Oakdale Theatre in Wallingford, CT
Aug 18 at Tower City Amphitheater in Cleveland, OH
Aug 19 at Joe Louis Arena in Detroit, MI
Aug 20 at UIC Pavilion in Chicago, IL
Aug 21 at Roy Wilkins Auditorium in St Paul, MN
Aug 23 at Sandstone in Bonner Springs, KS
Aug 25 at Magness Arena in Denver, CO
Aug 26 at Tingley Coliseum in Albuquerque, NM
Aug 27 at Dodge Theatre in Phoenix, AZ
Aug 29 at Cricket Wireless in Chula Vista, CA
Aug 30 at Long Beach Arena in Long Beach, CA
Aug 31 at Cow Palace in San Francisco, CA
Sep 1 at Arco Arena in Sacramento, CA
Sep 3 at Wamu Theatre in Seattle, WA
Sep 4 at Washington County Fairgrounds in Portland, OR
Sep 5 at Hampton Coliseum in Hampton, VA
Sep 24 at Superpages.com Amphitheater in Dallas, TX.jpg)
Sep 25 at AT&T Center in San Antonio, TX
Sep 26 at Verizon Wireless Theater in Houston, TX
Sep 28 at Lakefront Arena in New Orleans, LA
Sep 30 at Knoxville Civic Coliseum in Knoxville, TN
Oct 1 at The Arena at Gwinnett Center in Duluth, GA
Oct 2 at Hard Rock Live in Orlando, FL
Oct 3 at Bayfront Park Amphitheater in Miami, FL
Oct 6 at 1st Mariner Arena in Baltimore, MD
Oct 8 at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Uniondale, NY
Oct 9 at Toyota Pavilion at Montage Mountain in Moosic, PA
Oct 10 at Lifestyle Communities Pavilion in Columbus, OH
Oct 12 at Broadbent Arena in Louisville, KY
Oct 14 at War Memorial Coliseum in Fort Wayne, IN
Oct 15 at DeltaPlex in Grand Rapids, MI
Oct 16 at Eagles Ballroom in Milwaukee, WI
Oct 19 at E Center in West Valley, UT
Oct 20 at The Pearl in Las Vegas, NV
Oct 21 at Gibson Amphitheatre in Hollywood, CA
Comments