Ex-SLAYER Drummer DAVE LOMBARDO Looks Back On 'Reign In Blood': 'It Still Gives Me The Chills When I Listen To That Album'

In a new interview with Scott Penfold of Loaded Radio, original SLAYER drummer Dave Lombardo reflected on one of the most uncompromising metal records of all time, SLAYER's classic third full-length effort, "Reign In Blood", which celebrated its fortieth anniversary this past Wednesday, October 7. Asked how he views the album four decades later, Dave said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Oh, it still gives me the chills when I listen to that album. The palms of your hands get sweaty, your heart rate increases, and you're in the moment.

"I've performed those songs so many times in my life on stage, and that adrenaline, just thinking about it, and when I listen to those songs, it triggers that adrenaline," Lombardo explained. "I get charged. If I go into cardiac arrest, play 'Angel Of Death' or 'Raining Blood' or something, and watch me just pop up, like, 'Hey, what's going on?'"

When asked if he still holds thrash metal very close to his heart, Dave said: "I enjoy thrash when I hear good thrash. There's a lot of really positive — or not positive, commendable attempts, but since computer software, music recording software, a lot of the music has turned very sterile. And so you kind of miss that push and pull of those albums that were almost — they were kind of restless. They were very just aggressive, I would say. And you could hear it. You could hear it in the recording. And I could see how that translated on to the record, because when we were recording those songs, we would look at each other and say, 'All right, let's go. Come on. Let's fucking kill it. Let's nail this one. Let's get this song.' 'Faster?' 'Yeah, play it just a little faster.' 'Okay, let's go.' Count four and the band just comes in. Yeah, anger, angst, adrenaline — everything."

Lombardo also talked about legendary SLAYER guitarist Jeff Hanneman, who died in 2013 from alcohol-related cirrhosis of the liver. He is credited for writing many of SLAYER's classic songs, including "Angel Of Death" and "South Of Heaven". Dave said: "[Jeff] was a great guy. He was funny. [He was an] amazing songwriter. He was a trailblazer, man. He came to the band self-taught, and took it from there, and created some of the most amazing music of our genre."

"Reign In Blood" notably served as SLAYER's first collaboration with Rick Rubin as producer and their debut for American Recordings. The quartet's lineup at the time — Tom Araya (vocals, bass),Kerry King (guitar),the late Jeff Hanneman (guitar) and Dave Lombardo (drums) — channeled the ferocity of their live show during the studio sessions. The record's 10 songs infamously clocked in at only 28 minutes and 58 seconds, yet that was all SLAYER needed to forever change the course of heavy metal history.

From Araya's infamous blood-curdling howl at the beginning of "Angel Of Death" to the last strains of rainfall tapering off into feedback on "Raining Blood", "Reign In Blood" remains a pillar of not only SLAYER's catalog, but of popular culture at large. Pitchfork touted it at No. 31 among "The 200 Best Albums Of The 1980s", going so far as to christen it "not just an introduction to a band but to a whole new way of being." Rolling Stone pegged it at No. 6 on "The 100 Greatest Metal Albums Of All Time", hailing it as "the first and last word on speed metal." Not to mention, it received a gold certification from the RIAA. Speaking to its everlasting appeal, this body of work has amassed hundreds of millions of streams.

Armed with classics like "Altar Of Sacrifice", "Piece By Piece" and "Criminally Insane", to say "Reign In Blood"'s influence has only grown over the years is an understatement; it has simply consumed everything in its path.

This year, SLAYER will herald the record's legacy with a handful of special live engagements where Araya and King — joined by drummer Paul Bostaph and guitarist Gary Holt — are performing "Reign In Blood" in its entirety. Next up, they take the stage at Palacio De Los Deportes in Mexico City, Mexico on October 21 followed by a much-anticipated set at Sick New World Texas on October 24. Concluding the North American campaign, they will take over Kia Forum in their hometown of Los Angeles for two sold-out headline shows on November 13 and 14 featuring support from CANNIBAL CORPSE, CAVALERA and CROWBAR. SLAYER closes out 2026 with headline shows in Bogotá, Colombia; Santiago, Chile; Buenos Aires, Argentina; and São Paulo, Brazil.

SLAYER first dropped their magnum opus third full-length album, "Reign In Blood", on October 7, 1986. It actually cracked the Top 100 of the Billboard 200 and earned a gold certification from the RIAA. Most importantly, it made an indelible mark on the world. Arguably, death metal and black metal as we know them today don't exist without "Reign In Blood". Rolling Stone ranked it at No. 6 on the "100 Greatest Metal Albums Of All Time", and NME named it one of the "500 Greatest Albums Of All Time". Kerrang! christened it "The Greatest Thrash Album Of All Time". Indicative of the record's cultural impact, PUBLIC ENEMY slid a sample from "Angel Of Death" into "She Watch Channel Zero?!" on "It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back". Songs from the album have appeared in dozens of movies and television series, spanning the "Gremlins" and "Jackass" franchises as well as "Yellowjackets", "The Leftovers", "South Park", "Californication" and many more. In 2026, the band present a new limited-edition liquid filled "blood" zoetrope vinyl and commemorate this milestone by performing the album in its entirety at select shows. After all of these years, there will never be another album like "Reign In Blood".

Back in October 2021, Lombardo told Metal Injection about "Reign In Blood": "I look at that album as a masterpiece. And it's one of those albums that will stand the test of time. It's brilliant. The fire, the energy that that album has. I don't hear that in other records. I don't know if it's because I'm listening to a band that I was part of that I have this perspective that's objective. But you know, it's brilliant and I'm very appreciative … I think that album will forever be like the epitome of thrash music and part of a historic time in music history… SLAYER had a certain energy that's unlike anything else. And so that definitely is for me one of the greatest metal records ever made."

SLAYER are now and forever heavy metal's most unrestrained, unrepentant, unapologetic, and unstoppable force of nature. When it comes to speed, intensity, and honesty, the Los Angeles group set a bar that's never been met — and never will be. No other band in history has played with this much attitude, aggression, and authenticity for this long. Formed in 1981, SLAYER have earned two Grammy Awards, sold tens of millions of records worldwide, tallied billions of streams, and decimated sold-out crowds in arenas and stadiums around the globe. They have delivered classic albums in successive decades, spanning "Reign In Blood" and "South Of Heaven" in the '80s, "Seasons In The Abyss" and "Divine Intervention" in the '90s, and "God Hates Us All" and "World Painted Blood" in the 2000s. Most recently, 2015's "Repentless" notably bowed in the Top 5 of the Billboard 200 — their second Top 5 bow on the respective chart.

Photo credit: Hannah Verbeuren