SLAYER Drummer: Nine Songs Written For Next Album

Joe Daly of The Nervous Breakdown recently conducted an interview with SLAYER drummer Dave Lombardo. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.

The Nervous Breakdown: Looking back, some of those [SLAYER] songs are coming up on thirty years. How does it feel to still get that big response when you play them?

Lombardo: Lucky. It feels very lucky. For anybody to last more than five years in this business is rare. You have to count your blessings in this business because you never know when it's gonna end. I'm very fortunate and proud of the fact that I'm part of a band that's legendary.

The Nervous Breakdown: What's happening with you personally? What's on tap for the year ahead?

Lombardo: I have a new album coming out May 15. The band's called PHILM. It's my first production — I actually produced it and I'm really excited. It's very old school. Very reminiscent of the old CREAM, LED ZEPPELIN, Jimi Hendrix style of playing. I play a four-piece drum set, instead of the big double bass kit, with a single pedal instead of the double pedal. And it's a trio–bass player and guitar player who sings. It's fifteen songs, there's improvising, there's very moody soundscape stuff, and some very heavy songs but yet very bluesy songs. It's very diverse and very different. And it doesn't have any "Pro Tools paralysis."

The Nervous Breakdown: How did you like producing?

Lombardo: I loved it. It's what I want to continue doing. I asked the other guys — although I am the main person in the band, but it is a band — but I asked them for production of the first three records of this band. And if there's a different reputable producer coming into the picture, then I'll say, "OK," but I don't want some fly-by-night producer coming in and taking over…

The Nervous Breakdown: Are you going to tour behind it?

Lombardo: I'm hoping to pick up some shows in between SLAYER or during SLAYER. If SLAYER's on tour and there's an opportunity to fly PHILM out, it's only two other guys, so it's easy. Or even between SLAYER dates, maybe book a week of special shows, and then when SLAYER's off the road, then I'll maybe set up a tour.

The Nervous Breakdown: So what's happening with SLAYER?

Lombardo: Writing new music. Kerry [King, guitar] and I are writing new material. We have nine songs and everything's moving forward.

The Nervous Breakdown: What does it sound like so far?

Lombardo: SLAYER.

The Nervous Breakdown: So old-school fans will be happy?

Lombardo: Traditional fans will be pacified and non-traditional fans will be like, "Again?"

The Nervous Breakdown: Any estimation when the album could see the light of day?

Lombardo: I don't know, but we're going to do a three- or four-song EP to keep the fans pacified until we come out with the full-length record. Kind of like what we did with "Psycopathy Red", which was like a two-song 45.

Read the entire interview from The Nervous Breakdown.