DAVE LOMBARDO On Playing Other Styles Of Music: 'Believe It Or Not, Metal Has A Lot Of Boundaries'

Bob Baker Fish of Cyclic Defrost recently conducted an interview with former SLAYER and current PHILM drummer Dave Lombardo. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.

Cyclic Defrost: Of course, everyone is aware of your imposing legacy in SLAYER and for a long time it seemed like your sole focus, but you've increasingly been involved in left of centre or weirder projects like FANTOMAS or your work with John Zorn. Did a light bulb suddenly go off above your head where you realized that people would be interested in your stranger music, or was it more that people of the caliber of Mike Patton and Zorn started asking you to do things?

Dave: I've always been a fan of music that is left of center. It wasn't until I started to work with Patton that I realized I had the instinctual ability to play avant-garde style of music. When Patton introduced me to the first FANTOMAS demos, I felt very comfortable and connected with the music. When I performed "Xu Feng" for the first time with John Zorn and his ensemble, I was comfortable and uninhibited. This is the most pure form of musical self expression.

Cyclic Defrost: What do you get from these less metal and weirder projects?

Dave: I get the chance to play drums without limits. Believe it or not, metal has a lot of boundaries. When I play with these artists, the intensity and dynamics are so great because we're tapping into so many genres. Quite honestly, most music, in comparison, feels less exciting for me.

Cyclic Defrost: With your departure from SLAYER, and, from what I read, little chance of that changing anytime soon, I understand that you're focused on PHILM's second album. The first album, "Harmonic", was operating with a much broader focus than SLAYER. How would you describe the upcoming one?

Dave: PHILM's first album, "Harmonic", was a musical expression unlike any other album I've worked on. Blending structured songs and improvisations was the direction I intended to take the band. PHILM's ability to improvise and create music unlike the typical sounds that have emerged within the past 20 years is refreshing to me as an artist and drummer. As the producer of the band, I suggested for this album that we leave out the improvisations and focus on structured, concise movements. I always want to change it up and keep it fresh. As we write the third album, I'm reintroducing the double-bass drums which will take the songs to a different level.

Read the entire interview at Cyclic Defrost.