DAVE LOMBARDO Is 'F**king Sick And Tired' Of Answering Questions About His Split With SLAYER

September 23, 2014

Niclas Müller-Hansen of RockSverige.se recently conducted an interview with former SLAYER and current PHILM drummer Dave Lombardo. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.

RockSverige.se: About SLAYER, can you pinpoint a time when it became more business than camaraderie?

Dave: Well, I think I realized that it became more business when we signed with Def Jam. We signed to a major label and they were asking us for our social security numbers and we had accountants and we were appointed a manager. It changed, it definitely changed, but that's normal if you're gonna work at that level. You need these people to help the machine grow.

RockSverige.se: Looking back, there's gotta be a favorite SLAYER album of yours?

Dave: I have two favorites. The first one, obviously, which I can't argue with everybody, is "Reign In Blood". That is the most amazing album and one of the most amazing albums I've ever recorded and been a part of. The second one is "World Painted Blood", and the reason why is because the band was working collectively in the rehearsal studio and Jeff [Hanneman, late SLAYER guitarist] was part of it. He really wasn't too much a part of "Christ Illusion", although he was there, but I don't think the amount of songs that he contributed were enough to make that album one of the better ones. With "World Painted Blood", he was part of that and I remember being in rehearsal and him being a big part of structuring and telling me, "Try this, Dave," and "Gimme some of that," and, "Gimme some of this," giving me ideas. Those two really stand out. "World Painted Blood" was our last big push.

RockSverige.se: How do you feel about never playing SLAYER songs again? Can you see yourself not doing that?

Dave: Ehhmm… Okay, here we go. I answer this fucking question, and next thing you know, Blabbermouth is all, "He doesn't see himself playing SLAYER songs ever again," and out of the entire fucking interview, that one fucking line is taken. I'm not answering it! I'm not gonna answer it, because I'm fucking sick and tired of it. No offense toward you, but it's just so redundant. But you know what? Good press, bad press, I don't give a fuck. Just spell my name right. [laughs] It's all good, but I don't wanna get into that.

RockSverige.se: I spoke to Mike Portnoy a few weeks ago and he said that since leaving DREAM THEATER, he feels a lot more musically satisfied. Do you feel the same way, not being part of a bigger band? Does it open up a lot of new oppertunitues?

Dave: Absolutely! You're not part of this machine that has to go on tour 90 days or 100 days out of the year, to pay for other people's mortages. With [the freedom to pursue other projects], you're doing it for yourself and it's creativity based on what you like. You express yourself in many different ways and it's definitely more satisfying and challenging too. You're not with the same guys and the same formula and you're challenged by walking into a room with these new artists and it's, like, 'Okay, how am I gonna make this work?' It's great, and I agree with Mike. It's a whole different light when you're out of your element.

Read the entire interview at RockSverige.se.

Find more on Slayer
  • facebook
  • twitter
  • reddit
  • email

Comments Disclaimer And Information

BLABBERMOUTH.NET uses the Facebook Comments plugin to let people comment on content on the site using their Facebook account. The comments reside on Facebook servers and are not stored on BLABBERMOUTH.NET. To comment on a BLABBERMOUTH.NET story or review, you must be logged in to an active personal account on Facebook. Once you're logged in, you will be able to comment. User comments or postings do not reflect the viewpoint of BLABBERMOUTH.NET and BLABBERMOUTH.NET does not endorse, or guarantee the accuracy of, any user comment. To report spam or any abusive, obscene, defamatory, racist, homophobic or threatening comments, or anything that may violate any applicable laws, use the "Report to Facebook" and "Mark as spam" links that appear next to the comments themselves. To do so, click the downward arrow on the top-right corner of the Facebook comment (the arrow is invisible until you roll over it) and select the appropriate action. You can also send an e-mail to blabbermouthinbox(@)gmail.com with pertinent details. BLABBERMOUTH.NET reserves the right to "hide" comments that may be considered offensive, illegal or inappropriate and to "ban" users that violate the site's Terms Of Service. Hidden comments will still appear to the user and to the user's Facebook friends. If a new comment is published from a "banned" user or contains a blacklisted word, this comment will automatically have limited visibility (the "banned" user's comments will only be visible to the user and the user's Facebook friends).