SLAYER Drummer On Musical Influences, 'World Painted Blood'

BlissfulViolet of Beyond the Dark Horizon recently conducted an interview with SLAYER drummer Dave Lombardo. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.

Beyond the Dark Horizon: I want to now talk about your musical background, considering that you're from Cuba. Cuba's music is extremely unique and percussion based. How has this influenced your style?

Dave Lombardo: It's a big part of my daily listening of music. I listen to music. I don't watch sports or follow sports. I listen to music, I enjoy buying CDs. Latin jazz and even Cuban music is a big part of me. The rhythms, patterns that they use… there are a lot of things that I do that come from that. Just the way I think a song is structured; I'll think of it in a different way and approach my drums in a different way. It's just my soul. It's in me.

Beyond the Dark Horizon: Politics at one time separated the U.S. from Cuba but now that's all changed. Do you think that now there may be more openness to the Cuban culture? Perhaps we may see more…

Dave Lombardo: That would be great! A lot of Cuban culture has crossed over. Maybe within the past 10 to 15 years, because I remember there was a time where nobody had heard of a Mojito [national drink of Cuba, Rum-flavored with lime and mint] and now you see Mojitos everywhere. Even in the music. Sometimes I listen to elevator music and I think, "I know who this is; this is a Latin/jazz song — 'Mompo Santa Maria' or you know, another artist. Even in the SANTANA song 'Oye Como Va'. That was Tito Puente, of course, and he's from Puerto Rico but it's all that island music. I don't know what that has to do with the question that you just asked me but I'm just saying. So I think it's all great and the fact that we can all go now to Cuba, I think I'm going to go. I have to go. I really want to go. I haven't been there since I was two. My mom's still alive so she's able to tell me street names, we had a house here, and this is where your uncle lived. You know, she'll tell me all this information. My dad owned a meat market. He was a carnicero until the government took it away but he had 3 of them.

Beyond the Dark Horizon: Are your children aware of your culture?

Dave Lombardo: Absolutely. I cook for them Cuban food, go to Cuban restaurants. Obviously I play for them the music. They love it and know where it comes from. I tell them, "Kids, you play drums because it's in your blood."

Beyond the Dark Horizon: And they're interested?

Dave Lombardo: Oh yeah, they're very musical inclined. My boys and my daughter — I have a 15 and 17 year old boys and my daughter, she's 9 and plays the piano. My second oldest that's 15; he plays the piano really good. He's been playing the longest. My oldest is very business-inclined, very academic but he plays drums. He wants to be a producer or engineer.

Beyond the Dark Horizon: That's very interesting. Let's now talk about the new album, "World Painted Blood". I've been keeping up with the press and everything that's going on and I know you guys have mentioned the album's producer [Greg Fidelman] frequently. I was wondering if you could give us some specific examples of how he has helped the band bring that old SLAYER sound back.

Dave Lombardo: I think one of the best things and greatest thing that he did was go to rehearsal… To our rehearsal where it's a room about half this size, from here to the wall and he heard us play. He feels and hears what this band is in a very small environment, very pure. So when you hear that, I think that helps you develop the band's sound or what the band is supposed to sound like on record. And he definitely captured the sound, so that was really important. He really worked with me personally. Let's say a guitar riff, I will have different drum parts to put to that guitar riff but what I would choose may not be the wisest choice, so I would take the advice of the producer to help me choose what drum rhythm would be best for the part. Maybe I would pick one and he would say, "Why don't you take the other one and do the second half with the other one?" So those were little things that he helped me out with and the same with the guys in the band.

Beyond the Dark Horizon