SLAYER's DAVE LOMBARDO Talks About 'World Painted Blood'

By Keith Bergman

Just as it's impossible to fully calculate the influence of SLAYER on heavy metal, it's hard to imagine where metal drumming would be without their founding skinsman Dave Lombardo. His forceful fills, precision double-bass work and breakneck thrashing inspired and influenced a generation, and his presence has been felt across the musical spectrum. After an acrimonious split in the 1990s, even Lombardo's bandmates in SLAYER realized his importance, and fans were thrilled when the man returned to his rightful place behind the kit in 2001.

BLABBERMOUTH.NET spoke exclusively with Lombardo on the eve of the band's Canadian Carnage tour with MEGADETH and the completion of forthcoming long-player "World Painted Blood":

Q: Where are you in the process of creating "World Painted Blood"?

Dave Lombardo: We're still in the mixing stage. Greg Fidelman and his team are going at it. The whole process with Greg was really amazing; I really enjoyed him as a producer. It's been a real treat because the way everything's turning out, he's been to this band like [former producer Rick] Rubin was back in the "South of Heaven" and "Seasons in the Abyss" days. He's got that vibe — he's enthusiastic and really good to work with. And now we're getting ready for the [Rockstar Energy] Mayhem tour, and today's the first day of rehearsal!

Q: When does that kick off?

Dave Lombardo: We have a week or two in Canada with MEGADETH — it's gonna be interesting having both bands on the same stage, it's almost like [1991 tour] Clash of the Titans revisited. Then we come home for a week, and then the Mayhem tour kicks off.

Q: There have been feuds with MEGADETH and other bands over the years, will those words in the press come back to cause any ill will on the tour?

Dave Lombardo: I have not run into Dave Mustaine since probably Clash of the Titans, so, 1991? That was the last time I saw him. I dunno about [guitarists] Kerry [King] or Jeff [Hanneman]. I know Kerry has said some stuff about him, but I'm sure by now it's all water under the bridge. At some point, stuff like that doesn't really matter any more.

Q: How are things within the band? Is everyone getting along?

Dave Lombardo: We're getting along better than we ever have. There's a couple little things here and there, but nothing that would be detrimental to the band's future. The last tour was great, the one before that... it's all been good. I've been back for what, seven years now, and that's the longest [we've gone] without an issue or problem. I think we've grown a lot, and we don't have the attitudes and egos between each other, I think we respect each other and enjoy it for what it's worth.

Q: Is there still friendship and camaraderie among the four of you, or is it a more professional relationship between you these days?

Dave Lombardo: It's on a very professional level. But there are moments, like we'll be getting on a plane, cutting up and laughing about something, and it takes us back. There is a sense of professionalism, and... how would you say it... independence from one another. When you're kids and you're out on tour like that, it's a whole different story — a different way of living, and different level of camaraderie. I'm 44 now, and I started with SLAYER when I was 17. A lot has happened in those years, growth and maturity, and you learn to give each other space when needed, when to joke, when not to joke. I think everything's going great, though.

Q: What can we expect from the new album? Anything drum-wise that'll surprise people?

Dave Lombardo: A lot, actually. A lot of the stuff I did this time had more thought [put into it], in terms of variations of drum parts. We'd take one section of a song, and put a variety of beats behind it, and then choose, or use the same beat but varying them slightly, [as simple as] leaving a bass drum out — very little things, which we had time to do, thanks to the producer. He took the time at rehearsals to go through and make suggestions. He would question me, we'd run stuff past Kerry... Kerry was really open to suggestions and ideas, and so was Jeff. I think the result, on this record, is really SLAYER at its finest. I may be jumping the gun here, it's my own personal view of it — I could be wrong. But the album starts from its foundation, which is the drums, and that directs how things flow. And that part was amazing. And then I started hearing the leads, and it was even cooler — the leads really speak to you. It's not just the same old leads, they're on a different level. And the vocals — the melodies are amazing! There's actually the kind of vocal melodies that "South of Heaven" had. I mean, even "Reign in Blood" had some melodies, in its own way — and that's what this record has. I'm impressed with it, I'm happy, and I can't wait 'till the fans get a hold of it.

Q: A whole generation of metal drummers grew up listening to you, and are now taking the craft to new levels. Are you ever influenced by the younger guys who you inspired?

Dave Lombardo: Absolutely. A perfect example would be blast beats. Somebody else developed that, I didn't — I think it's safe to say that it's okay for me to take those ideas that they developed and interpret them in my own way... like they did with me. They listened to what I did and took it to the next level, but then I listen to what they do and I take it somewhere else. It's a sharing thing. I'm not ever gonna be able to make private, or copyright, my drum ideas, but what I can do is — if they copy me, I can [learn from] them too, why not? I do take drummers' ideas and interpret them my way. On "Supremist" [from 2006's "Christ Illusion"] I did a blast beat, but it was brief. On this record, I added a little more. And it's great, and it fits really well, and the way I play it is different — I make it talk, instead of being like a typewriter [imitates 'tap tap tap' sound]. I make it flow a little better, I'll give it more feeling.

Q: Playing metal is physically demanding — have you had to make any adjustments to the way you play as you've gotten older, and has it gotten harder to do?

Dave Lombardo: No, not really. A friend of mine who hadn't seen me play in a long time told me, "You're like wine, the older you get, the better you get!" [laughs] I really haven't done anything. I watch what I eat... I don't sit in front of a TV. The only sitting I do is when I'm sitting behind the drums or sitting at my computer working in ProTools. But I keep myself busy — I'm the opposite of lazy. So it's not harder at all — it feels good. I haven't developed any tendonitis or anything — thank God, man, because I'd be in a world of shit right now! [laughs]

Q: Do you think the other projects you've been in, and the variety of music you've played over the years, keeps you from falling into a rut when you play metal?

Dave Lombardo: Playing with FANTOMAS, playing with [Mike] Patton, playing with John Zorn, Bill Laswell — all those jazz, avant-garde, insane musicians — has helped me not only take my drumming to the next level of playing and performance, but — let's say, my approach. When I approach a rhythm, or a piece of music, and I need to improvise and find something, instead of two "drawers" in my brain where I can pick out drum pieces, now I have ten. It's helped me immensely, and I'm very grateful and thankful to be part of all that. Hopefully one day, I'll perform with them again — I miss them. It's a different musical world.

Q: Did you find that being a "metal drummer" stigmatized you in the more mainstream music community, or that your accomplishments weren't taken as seriously?

Dave Lombardo: [pauses] No, I really wasn't. That didn't drive me. It was a personal thing. When I was at rehearsal, or in my own studio, I just felt that I could do so much more. It was a personal achievement rather than a competitive thing. I don't think I work that way — I'm just trying to push my own threshold and get as far as I can musically, without being competitive or bitter.

Q: You've done more diverse and wide-ranging projects than any other drummer in metal than I can think of.

Dave Lombardo: That's what I wanted to achieve. I was tired of being pigeonholed in a certain genre. I wanted to be different.

Q: And even when you did GRIP INC., it was still metal, but it was a different style, and [guitarist] Waldemar Sorychta's playing and arranging were in a different realm from what you'd been doing.

Dave Lombardo: You've heard that stuff! I love that band, the songs are just so amazingly put together. Now, unfortunately, [vocalist] Gus Chambers has died, and that's it. It could never really exist [again]. The vocalist is such a big part of what distinguishes the band... he had a very distinct voice, it'd be very difficult to replace that.

Q: The last record, in particular, seemed to really come and go without getting its due.

Dave Lombardo: Well, it might have just been bad timing. It came out in, what, 1999? Or I could be wrong on that... I lose track. ["Incorporated" came out in 2004.] I counted the other day, and I have 21 records under my belt. I'm pretty happy about that, but I'm lagging a little bit — I might need to get out and work more [laughs]… I want to do more records — not only performing them, but I'm really interested in doing production to get my feet wet. I think with the experience I've gained and the producers I've worked with, I've really learned a lot, and I'd like to apply that one day. Maybe not now, of course, because I'm busy, but I'd really like to work with a band and record something. I've done some small home-studio demos and they've turned out really well, but I wanna do something on a bigger scale. Maybe I could help a band — launch them. We'll see how that goes — one day I'll get that demo and I'll hear a band where I can do for them what other great producers have done for me. Just sharing that knowledge.

Q: By SLAYER standards, this is a pretty short break between albums. "Christ Illusion" came out in 2006.

Dave Lombardo: That happened organically. The collective enthusiasm of us being out on tour so much, coming up with ideas at soundcheck, it lit a fire under us — "look at all this stuff we're coming up with, we can't let this go."

Q: So the band gets along better, collaborates more, and things move faster.

Dave Lombardo: Well, it's like any business — when the team is focused on a mindset, and has common goals, everything just happens faster and runs smoother.

Q: It had to help that "Christ Illusion" was a pretty well-received album.

Dave Lombardo: For the most part. It coulda been better.

Q: The reception to it, or the record itself?

Dave Lombardo: I think the record was good, but it coulda been better in a lot of ways. I can't really pinpoint anything, but overall... I think we were still getting used to being around each other — I mean, I'd been back for five years... but coming off a departure of ten years, I think it really takes a lot of time to get back into each other's minds. They've been able to kinda understand my playing a little better, where I was coming from, because during those years I was developing my drumming in the SLAYER style. I was away from it, so I had to think in the SLAYER mode again. They were getting used to me, I was getting used to them again, and learning the things they'd developed while I was gone. That record had to happen, and it was what it was, but I think this one is definitive.