Ex-SLAYER Drummer DAVE LOMBARDO: 'Intensity Goes Hand In Hand With DAVE LOMBARDO'

Natalia Britt of California Rock News conducted an interview with former SLAYER and current PHILM drummer Dave Lombardo before PHILM's July 21 concert at the Whisky a Go Go in West Hollywood, California. You can now watch the chat below. A couple of excerpts follow (transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET).

On the intensity of his drumming style:

"I think intensity goes hand in hand with Dave Lombardo. I play very hard and I play, you know, obviously, heavy rock and metal grooves… I mean, I could interpret my drumming in different ways, but, for the most part, it's like this — it's heavy rock; heavy in a metal style."

On whether he is excited to travel to Cuba for the first time (Lombardo was born in Havana, Cuba and emigrated to Southern California with his parents when he was a toddler):

"Yes. I have to go to Cuba. I don't know when I'm going, but it has to be before the end of this year. The clock is ticking, and I need to make a move. Maybe in November or December. I think I'm going to Mexico with John Zorn, the saxophone player, and we're going to do a show there. So, I don't know… Maybe I'll take a little plan flight from Mexico City over there. I mean, I could go from the United States, but… I don't know."

On whether he thinks some changes have been made in Cuba since he left the country:

"Oh, God — this is a big change right now. Yes. I mean, finally, after fifty-something years. It's about time. You know, like [President] Obama said, people don't know why we never got along with Cuba; the generation today doesn't know anything about what happened. So it was time to open the borders. Things will get better for the people. It's gonna take time, and it's gonna take some adjusting. Just like when the wall came down in Europe. I used to go and record albums in Germany, and I made a lot of friends, and they were telling me about the situation, you know, when the wall came down and how they were trying to adjust. So it was a challenge. And I feel the Cuban people are gonna face similar challenges and adjustments."

Lombardo was effectively fired from SLAYER after sitting out the band's Australian tour in February/March 2013 due to a contract dispute with the other members of the group. He has since been replaced by Paul Bostaph, who was previously SLAYER's drummer from 1992 until 2001 and recorded four albums with the band.

PHILM released its sophomore album, "Fire From The Evening Sun", on September 16, 2014 (one day earlier internationally) via UDR. The band's lineup is completed by guitarist/vocalist Gerry Paul Nestler (CIVIL DEFIANCE),and bassist Francisco "Pancho" Eduardo Tomaselli (WAR).