Dave Lombardo

At 59 years old, Dave Lombardo has this physical status:

David Lombardo (born February 16, 1965) is a Cuban-American drummer best known as a founding member of American thrash metal band Slayer.

On nine Slayer albums, including Reign in Blood (1986) and Christ Illusion (2006), Lombardo played drums.

Both of these albums have been lauded.

Lombardo's music career has spanned forty years, during which he has been active in the creation of thirty-five commercial albums spanning a variety of genres.

In comparison to Slayer, he has performed with many bands, including Grip Inc., Fantômas, Testament, and Suicidal Tendencies.

Lombardo is currently playing drums with Fantômas, Suicidal Tendencies, Dead Cross, Mr. Bungle, and the Misfits.

His drumming has been praised as "astonishly modern."

He was dubbed "the Godfather of Double Bass" by Drummerworld.

He has a major influence on the underground music scene and has influenced modern metal drummers, especially extreme metal drummers.

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Musical career

When he was 16, Lombardo's friends told him of Kerry King, a guitarist who lived just blocks away. Lombardo stopped by the King's house to speak with him. Lombardo introduced himself, played drums and announced that he wanted to start a band. The King jammed with Lombardo and then showed Lombardo his guitar collection. The two musicians soon discovered that they had common musical tastes. After rehearsing in Lombardo's garage several times, King David introduced the drummer to another guitarist, Jeff Hanneman. Several times before deciding they needed a singer and bass player, the three rehearsed many times. The King had previously performed in a band called Quits and decided to introduce Araya to Lombardo and Hanneman.

Lombardo stabbed out the now legendary logo, and the band began to create their original sound with Slayer's line-up complete. Soon after, Slayer's debut album Show No Mercy appeared. Rick Rubin, a member of Lombardo, was enlisted on their third album Reign in Blood (1986). During their tour to promote Reign in Blood, Lombardo said, "I wasn't making any money." I figured if we were going to do this professionally on a large brand, I needed my rent and utilities paid." Whiplash's Tony Scaglione was sent to replace Lombardo. Rick Rubin has been calling Lombardo repeatedly, asking his return as a result of the change. Lombardo refused for a time before returning to the band in 1987.

On the Slayer albums South of Heaven (1988) and Seasons in the Abyss (1990), Lombardo played drums. In 1992, he left the band for the second time. Lombardo left Slayer because he wanted to be present for his first child's birth. At the start of the year, Lombardo told his colleagues that he would be unable to tour for the next two weeks of September. Rick Sales, Slayer's boss, called him and announced that they were booking a festival in September. Lombardo, on the other hand, was steadfast in his decision and insisted that he would not miss his child's birth.

Lombardo received a phone call from the band in 2001, asking if he would like to appear for a few shows ten years after leaving Slayer. Jeff was eager for Dave to return, but Kerry was less keen. Dave was not up to par, according to the King, but Dave's performance in rehearsals was "blown away." "He's got the feet and he's got the hands, he's not missing a step," Kerry later tweeted.

Lombardo has decided to return to drumming duties. On January 24, 2002, his first performance at Toad's Place in New Haven, Connecticut, was held. Araya applauded Lombardo's return and dedicated the performance to Exodus singer Paul Baloff, who died earlier this day, at the beginning of the band's show at The 7 Flags Event Center near Des Moines, Iowa. Slayer performed with Slayer on the 2004 Download Festival as part of Ozzfest, H82k2, Summer Tour, and the 2004 Download Festival. Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich was hospitalized in England for a mystery illness while preparing for the Download Festival. James Hetfield, Metallica's vocalist, sought volunteers to replace Ulrich, and Joey Jordison, Flemming Larsen (Ulrich's drum tech), and Lombardo volunteered. Lombardo performed "Battery" and "The Four Horsemen," while Jordison and Larsen performed the remainder of the songs.

On Slayer's 2006 debut Christ Illusion, the group was promoted on the tour by The Unholy Alliance. According to the king, Lombardo was a major draw for the fans and one of the reasons for the fandom's ascension to fame. On drums, the king and other band members preferred Lombardo. "It's right back where we started," Araya said. He's an excellent performer. You know, we departed right where we left off. It's like he's never gone. He's been working with Kerry on his tunes.

He's helped out a lot actually!"

Christ Illusion's return was generally favorable, with critics lauding Lombardo's return. "Christ Illusion is God Hates Us All," Rolling Stone's Chris Steffen wrote, "but hey, at least their amazing drummer Dave Lombardo shows off some chops, particularly on the aging 'Supremist.' Don Kaye of Blabbermouth gave the album a glowing review and praised Lombardo. "One thing's for certain: Lombardo's presence on this band is undeniable," Kaye wrote. He's simply essential to the Slayer's sound. He is one of metal's best drummers, and his style, look, and chops – not to mention his intangible chemistry with the rest of the band and those amazing flying feet – elevate Slayer's overall performance, intensity, and music to a new level."

In 2009, Lombardo released World Painted Blood, a sequel to Slayer's World Painted Blood.

He left the band in February 2013, just before the band was due to appear at Australia's Soundwave Festival. Following a labor and salary dispute with band members, he resigned.

Slayer's last concert was held on November 30, 2019. Lombardo said he had no interest in attending their final performances because he was so busy with his own musical projects.

Captor of Sin, Ghosts of War, and Beauty Through Order were among his top Slayer songs in 2022.

Lombardo formed Grip Inc. with Voodocult guitarist Waldemar Sorychta following the birth of his first child in 1993. Jason Viebrooks and guitarist Gus Chambers were hired by the pair to complete the line-up. Former Overkill guitarist Bobby Gustafson claimed to have come up with the term Grip, which Lombardo modified to Grip Inc. shortly after Gustafson's departure in order to avoid a potential lawsuit. In 1995, Grip Inc.'s debut came out. The album, titled Power of Inner Strength, was released by Metal Blade Records, a California-based company. "Slayer fans will enjoy the drummer's double bass work and general aggression throughout the album," Slayer reviewer Vincent Jeffries praised Lombardo for praise on the album. Because of Lombardo's success with Slayer, Sorychta claims that critics and music enthusiasts always find mistakes in their music: they expect the band to sound like Slayer and complain. However, when Sorychta uses the double bass drum, people complain "now Grip Inc. sound exactly like Slayer."

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Nemesis debuted in 1997. Jeffries praised Lombardo's "crushing drum work," which takes center stage on the album. VieBrooks, the bassist, left the band in 1999 and was replaced by Stuart Carruthers. Solidify was released later this year. The album was described as a step toward "profound and exotic rhythms, structures, and instrumentation, but never compromised intensity." Lombardo was praised once more for his drumming on the album by Jeffries, who said his style is "expressive and technically superb tom work on cuts such as 'Bug Juice' and 'Lockdown.' Lombardo is proud of Grip Inc. and says it made him more creative as a guitarist.

In 2004, Lombardo recorded his last album with Grip Inc., Incorporated. Because of time spent with Slayer, the band is on the "back burner," he said.

Following the demise of their former band, Civil Defiance, Lombardo began collaborating with singer/guitarist Gerry Nestler and bassist Juan Perez in 1997. The experimental trio renamed Letter Bomb for the first time, and Philm was later added to the acronym. Before Lombardo's home studio, the group exhibited in the Los Angeles area and worked on film until Lombardo returned to Slayer in 2001. Nestler and Perez continued to perform with new drummer George Hernandez, who released the M album under the name Kkleq Muzzil in 2002. Both Lombardo and Nestler appeared on DJ Spooky's 2005 album, Drums of Death, and later reformed Philm in early 2010 after a jam at the famed Rainbow Bar and Grill in West Hollywood, CA, attracting War's Francisco 'Pancho' Tomaselli on bass.

The band premiered a three-song demo with producer Piers Baron in August 2010. It came as a 7" single, a recreation of the Black Sabbath's classic Symptom of the Universe. It was released by Volcom Entertainment as part of the Volcom Vinyl Club in translucent blue vinyl and limited to 500 copies. Philm will open with a string of dates in the United States before signing with Mike Patton's Ipecac label for the launch of their 2012 debut album, 'Harmonic', which featured updated versions of the songs "Amoniac", "Dome" and "Meditation," written by the original Philm line-up and first published by Kkleq Muzzil on the M album.

Dan Lutz, Lombardo, Nestler, and stand-in bass player Christopher Young's Suite from Ghost Rider appeared in Los Angeles, CA, as part of a night of horror movie scores performed with a 75-piece orchestra.

Philm announced a new collaboration with German-based company UDR Records for the unveiling of the company's sophomore effort, 'Fire From the Evening Sun,' in July 2014. In late 2014, the album was released as a result of a European tour. Lombardo talked about the upcoming Philm album, a 19-song double album recorded in New York City in September 2015. "It's called 'Philm Noir,' and it includes piano, bass, and drums." Gerry (Paul Nestler, guitar/vocals) plays piano very well, and Pancho (Francisco Tomaselli), as usual, on bass and myself. I toned it down and tried with scrubs. So, I would say 'Fire From the Evening Sun' is Philm's extreme, but we also have a very avant-garde, jazz, and ambient aspect of Philm, which is 'Philm Noir.'

Lombardo announced the company's demise in early 2016. Nestler and Tomaselli stayed with a new drummer and released 'Time Burner', their third album, in early 2021.

With Faith No More vocalist Mike Patton and Melvins' guitarist Buzz Osborne, Lombardo performed on a side project called Fantômas in 1998. Patton approached Lombardo at a Faith No More festival, and Patton informed Lombardo about his "fusion" scheme (Grip Inc.). Patton called Lombardo several months after Faith No More broke up and asked if Lombardo wanted to join Patton's fusion scheme. "Fuck yeah," the Lombardo yelled.

Later, Lombardo referred to Fantômas as the worst music he had encountered: "Slayer doesn't even come close." Slayer was difficult in a physical sense, but this is physically demanding and needs 'feeling'. No clicking of sticks is required for this kind of connectedness (not the kind of connectedness that demands it). "I]f Picasso was a singer, this will be his music," the drummer said of Fantômas' sound. With the band, Lombardo released four albums.

In November 2015, Lombardo announced the development of Dead Cross, another new musical project. Rolling Stone described the band as a "vicious show of renewed hope from Lombardo, the most influential drummer of the last 30 years," with ruthless, hardcore punk rock music. [1] Archived October 28, 2017, The Wayback Machine Dead Cross announced on December 12, 2016, that Mike Patton would front the band. [2] Ross Robinson and Dead Cross produced the band's eponymous debut album in August 2017.

Lombardo formed Suicidal Tendencies in February 2016 and toured with the band for their spring tour with Megadeth and summer European dates. Lombardo was only playing with the band as a fill-in drummer, according to some. However, those rumors were discredited when the band posted a video on their Instagram account on May 15, 2016. The video showed Lombardo playing drums for a new album called World Gone Mad. The album was released on September 30, 2016.

The Misfits announced Lombardo as their drummer for their reunion performances in August 2016. The Misfits revealed in August 2017 that they would perform two more shows due to the popularity of the shows. Lombardo will be back on drums again.

On December 28, 2017, Lombardo performed two shows, one on December 28, 2017, at MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas, and the other on December 30, 2017, which sold out in less than a minute.

Lombardo was named as the drummer for the seven forthcoming Mr. Bungle reunion shows in 2020, where the band performed their 1986 Demo The Raging Wrath of The Easter Bunny. The band rerecorded the performance in 2020, with Lombardo on drums, and Lombardo on drums. It was announced on October 30, 2020.

Lombardo performed drums on the Testament album The Gathering in 1999, rounding off a real "supergroup" with Steve Di Giorgio and James Murphy. Nevertheless, he left the band right before the album's world tour in 1999-2000.

Lombardo had recalled Testament as the replacement for Gene Hoglan, who had left the band just over two months before, who had been out of town on March 1, 2022. His return to Testament came just one month before the band's first big tour, and they also plan to release a new album with him.

Lombardo collaborated with Italian classical musician Lorenzo Arruga to record Vivaldi in 1999 – The Meeting. Vivaldi's work on record was improvisational on drums, with two pieces from The Four Seasons collection on display. Dave Lombardo: Power Grooves was published in 2000 by Lombardo. Warm ups, eight, sixteen, and double bass grooves, riding the toms and more were included in the book and video.

He has appeared on two albums by John Zorn: Taboo and Exile (1999) and Xu Feng (2000), along with Zorn, Bill Laswell, Fred Frith, William Winant, and others. In another improvisatonal quartet project called Blade Runner, he appeared in Paris with Zorn, Laswell, and Frith.

Matthew Barney's "Cremaster 2," a avant-garde sculptor/filmmaker, was also released in 1999, influenced by Gary Gilmore's life. On the track "The Man in Black," Lombardo performed an epic drum solo accompanied by a swarm of enraged bees.

Lombardo's 2005 recording of Drums of Death with DJ Spooky. Spooky performed on certain records with Lombardo, who was on the dance floor with him and interpreting his own rhythms. Spooky filmed the session and took the tapes to his New York recording studio, downloaded it onto his computer, and mixed the beats and drums with scratching and other DJ techniques. "Lombardo's presence is front and center in the 'Quantum Cyborg Drum Machine'" and the almost straight-up thrash of culture war," Scott Peace-Miller of Glide Magazine wrote, "Lombardo's influence is front and center in the driving, upbeat, and soaring thrash of culture war."

On their 2003 album Reflections, Lombardo recorded six tracks with the Finnish cello metal band Apocalyptica. Members of Apocalyptica had approached Lombardo at a drum clinic in the Netherlands called "Headbangers Festival" in 1998, asking if Lombardo would like to do a duel with the band, which he agreed to. Both Lombardo and Apocalyptica loved playing a duo and Lombardo, according to Apocalyptica, "You call me when you need a drummer." Reflections' recording tapes were sent by the band to his home studio in California, where he recorded the drums. Lombardo's post-Apocalyptica contributions consisted of playing the drums on the track "Betrayal/Forgiveness" on the 2005 album Apocalyptica, as well as the track "2010" on the 2010 album 7th Symphony's track "2010."

In October 2009, it was announced that he had recorded a remix of "Stand by Me" starring Lemmy on vocals and bass and produced by DJ and producer Baron. Geoff Rowley, a legendary pro skateboarder, was involved in the video.

Dawn of the Dead, Insidious: Chapter 3, and the seventh season of Showtime's Californication have all contributed to television and film scores.

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