Dave Lombardo
Encyclopedia
Dave Lombardo is a Cuban American
heavy metal
drummer best known for his work with American thrash metal
band Slayer
. He has performed with Slayer on seven albums, including their groundbreaking 1986 release Reign In Blood
and their 2006 release Christ Illusion
, for which he received critical praise. Lombardo's music career has spanned more than 25 years, during which he has been involved in the production of 29 commercial recordings spanning a number of major genres with bands such as Grip Inc.
, Fantômas
, and Testament
in addition to Slayer
.
Lombardo's musical interest was sparked by playing along to a Santana
record with bongo drum
s and was later influenced by the musical styles of Led Zeppelin
and Kiss
. Lombardo is known as an aggressive heavy metal drummer and his use of the drums have been called "astonishingly innovative" and earned him the title "the godfather of double bass" from Drummer World. Over his career, he has had a significant influence on the metal scene and has inspired many modern metal drummers.
, Cuba
on February 16, 1965. When he was two years old, his family moved to South Gate, California
. During the third grade at the age of eight, Lombardo brought in a set of bongos
with a Santana
record for show and tell
at school and played along with the rhythm. This inspired his musical interest in drums and he joined the school band where he played the marching drum, although eventually he viewed the marching drum as "not for him." Lombardo's father saw his persistent interest in music at age ten and bought him a five-piece Maxwin drum set for $350. As Lombardo now had a drumkit, he purchased his first record, Alive! by Kiss
to play along to. He taught himself the song "100,000 Years" by listening to the record repeatedly. Able to perform the drum solo on the song, word of Lombardo's ability spread.
With his new-found hobby, Lombardo asked his parents for drum lessons. His parents accepted, however, the lessons lasted only one week as Lombardo got bored of the repetitiveness of constantly learning how to hit the drum left and right. After leaving music lessons, Lombardo's friends exposed him to the disco
genre, where he partied and became a temporary DJ for a mobile disc jockey under the name of A Touch of Class. Due to his arriving home at 4:00 am some nights, his parents threatened to put him in a military school. Lombardo later said that disco music showed him "the effects of rhythm on the body."
In 1978, Lombardo returned to playing rock music and would talk with several musicians around South Gate. They would travel to Lombardo's house to play renditions of songs by Jimi Hendrix
, such as "Purple Haze
," "Foxy Lady
", and "Fire." Graduating from private school in eighth grade, Lombardo moved to Pius X High School, which had more musicians than his previous school. He signed up to the school talent show
and performed "Johnny B. Goode
" by Chuck Berry
with a guitarist named Peter Fashing. "I'll never forget the roar of the crowd during the drum solo. We brought the house down," states Lombardo, who became known as "David the drummer" the following day.
With his new-found popularity, Lombardo formed a band in 1979 called Escape, with two guitarists. The group performed AC/DC
, Led Zeppelin, and Black Sabbath
songs in Lombardo's garage. After leaving Pius X school due to poor grades, Lombardo enrolled in South Gate High School
where he found a vocalist to join the band. The band performed at parties under the name Sabotage, but were unsuccessful in making an impact. Lombardo's parents noticed his withdrawal from everything except music, and convinced him to quit and find a job. On leaving Sabotage, Lombardo received threats from the guitarist's girlfriend. Lombardo said "the so-called manager
went as far as to write a poem about me leaving the band in the school news paper saying, 'we'll see who makes it to the top, let's place a bet.' I should've made that bet."
Rude cymbal package for $1,100. While making a delivery, Lombardo was told about a nearby guitarist named Kerry King
. He introduced himself to King, and asked if he would like to jam
with him. King agreed and offered to show Lombardo his guitar collection later that night. As King was looking for a drummer for his band, Slayer
, he extended an invitation to perform drumming duties which Lombardo accepted.
With Slayer's line-up now complete, the band toured extensively in the early 1980s to promote their debut album Show No Mercy, while Lombardo continued to work at K-Mart. During this period of touring, Lombardo formed a strong bond with drummer Gene Hoglan
, who was the band's roadie. Lombardo asked Hoglan to become his drum tutor
; however, Hoglan was fired as a roadie because he had no idea what to do. Lombardo felt Hoglan was a great influence to his drumming. During Slayer's 1986 "Reign in Pain" tour to promote the album Reign in Blood
, Lombardo left the band and stated "I wasn't making any money. I figured if we were gonna be doing this professionally, on a major label, I wanted my rent and utilities paid." The band enlisted Tony Scaglione
of Whiplash
as his replacement; however, Lombardo's wife, Teresa, whom he wed on July 19, 1986, convinced him to return in 1987.
Lombardo recorded drums on the Slayer albums South of Heaven
(1988) and Seasons in the Abyss
(1990), although in 1992, Lombardo left Slayer again due to conflicts with band members and his refusal to tour. He desired to witness the birth of his first child and gave the band members nine months notice of his wife's pregnancy and said he would be unable to tour in September. He received a phone call from Kerry King; "Dave, big shows comin' up in September..." and refused the offer, although the band members said it would be detrimental to their career if they did not. In a 1998 interview Lombardo stated; "I still hear shit. Even to this day I hear echoes of stuff Kerry says and Kerry was the only one I ever had a problem with...."
with Voodoocult
guitarist Waldemar Sorychta
. The pair recruited bassist Jason Viebrooks
and vocalist Gus Chambers
to complete the line-up, releasing their debut record in 1995. Entitled Power of Inner Strength
, the album was distributed via California-based label Metal Blade Records
. Prior to the album's release Lombardo described leaving Slayer as a career low, because he did not know what type of music to play. Allmusic reviewer Vincent Jeffries singled out Lombardo for praise on the album, remarking that Slayer fans "will enjoy the drummer's double bass work and overall aggression throughout the disc." Sorychta asserts critics and music fans always spot mistakes in their music, because of Lombardo's popularity with Slayer—they expect the band to sound like Slayer and complain. However, when Lombardo uses the double bass drum, Sorychta asserted people complain "now Grip Inc. sound exactly like Slayer."
The band released Nemesis in 1997; Jeffries praised Lombardo's "crushing drum work" which takes center stage on the album. Bassist Viebrooks left the band and was replaced by Stuart Caruthers in 1999. With a new bassist, the band released Solidify that same year, which was described as a step towards "progressive and exotic rhythm
s, structures, and instrumentations, while never compromising intensity" by Jeffries. Lombardo was once again praised for his drumming on the album by Jeffries, who stated his style is "expressive and technically excellent tom
work on cuts like 'Bug Juice' and 'Lockdown.'" Lombardo is proud of Grip Inc. and believes it made him more creative as a musician.
with Faith No More
vocalist Mike Patton
and Melvins' guitarist Buzz Osborne
. The band formed when Lombardo attended a Faith No More concert and was approached by Patton concerning his "fusion" project (Grip Inc.). Several months later following the break-up of Faith No More, Lombardo received a phone call from Patton who asked if Lombardo would like to join his own fusion project. Lombardo accepted and replied "Fuck yeah!"
Lombardo asserted it was the hardest music he has played, saying "Slayer doesn't even come close. Slayer was hard in a physical way, but this is physically demanding as well and requires 'feeling'. (The kind of connectedness that demands) no clicking of sticks." The drummer described the sound of Fantômas by stating "if Picasso was a musician, this would be his music." Lombardo recorded four albums with the band.
composition. In 2000, Lombardo released a book titled Dave Lombardo:Power Grooves. The book and video contained warm ups, eight, sixteen, and double bass grooves, riding the toms and more.
1999 also saw Lombardo perform drumwork on the Testament
album The Gathering, rounding off a veritable "supergroup" with Steve DiGiorgio
and James Murphy.
In 2005, Lombardo recorded Drums of Death
with DJ Spooky
. Spooky played some records, with Lombardo playing along and interpreting his own rhythms. Spooky recorded the session and took the tapes to his New York recording studio, downloaded it onto his computer, and mixed the beats and drums incorporating scratching
and other DJ techniques. Scott Peace-Miller of Glide Magazine noted, "Lombardo's influence is front and center in the driving, up tempo "Quantum Cyborg Drum Machine," and the almost straight-up thrash of Kultur Krieg."
Lombardo recorded six tracks with the Finnish cello metal group Apocalyptica
on their 2003 album Reflections
. Members of Apocalyptica had approached Lombardo in 1998 at a drum clinic in the Netherlands
titled "Headbangers fest", and asked if Lombardo would like to do a duo with the band, which he agreed to. Both Lombardo and Apocalyptica enjoyed playing a duo and Lombardo said to Apocalyptica : "Whenever you need a drummer, call me !". The band sent him the recording tapes of Reflections to his home recording studio in California where he recorded the drums. Lombardo's later Apocalyptica contributions have consisted of playing the drums for the track "Betrayal/Forgiveness" on the 2005 album Apocalyptica
for the track "Last Hope" on the 2007 album Worlds Collide
and for the track "2010" on the 2010 album 7th Symphony
.
In October 2009, it was announced that he had recorded a cover of "Stand by Me
", featuring Lemmy on vocals and bass, and produced by DJ and producer Baron
. The song was made for legendary pro skateboarder Geoff Rowley
.
wanted him to return, while Lombardo believed King had his reservations following his negative review of Lombardo playing with Testament. Initially, King did not think of Lombardo as a candidate and believed Lombardo would not be able to perform to a satisfactory level. However, King was "blown away" by Lombardo in rehearsals, stating "he's got the feet and he's got the hands, he's not missing a step." Slayer needed a drummer to replace Paul Bostaph
, who left the band because of a chronic elbow injury.
Lombardo accepted to resume drumming duties and his first show was at The 7 Flags Event Center near Des Moines, Iowa on February 2, 2002. At the beginning of the concert, vocalist Tom Araya welcomed the return of Dave Lombardo, as well as dedicating the show to Exodus
vocalist Paul Baloff
, who had died earlier that day. He toured with Slayer as part of Ozzfest
, H82k2, Summer Tour, and the 2004 Download Festival
. While preparing for the Download Festival in England, Metallica
drummer Lars Ulrich
was hospitalized for a mysterious illness. Metallica's vocalist James Hetfield
searched for volunteers to replace Ulrich; Slipknot
drummer Joey Jordison
and Lombardo volunteered. Lombardo performed the songs "Battery
" and "The Four Horsemen
", whilst Jordison performed the rest of the songs.
Lombardo recorded his final album to date with Grip Inc. in 2004, Incorporated. He asserts the band is on the 'back burner,' because of time taken up touring with Slayer.
Lombardo recorded drums on Slayer's 2006 release Christ Illusion
, promoting the album on The Unholy Alliance
tour. King asserts Lombardo is a major attraction for the fans, and one of the reasons for their surge in popularity. King said he prefers Lombardo helming the drumkit, as do the other band members. Slayer bassist Tom Araya
said, "It's kind of right back where we started. He's an amazing performer. We took off right where we left off, you know? It's like he was never gone. He's working with Kerry on his tunes. He's helped out a lot actually!"
Christ Illusion received generally favorable reviews and Lombardo's return was praised by critics. Chris Steffen of Rolling Stone
asserted "Christ Illusion is God Hates Us All
without the memorable riffs, at least their awesome drummer Dave Lombardo shows off some chops, particularly on the raging 'Supremist.'" Don Kaye of Blabbermouth gave the album a favorable review and praised Lombardo. Kaye wrote, "One thing's for sure: Lombardo's influence on this band is absolutely undeniable. With no disrespect to Paul Bostaph
, a fine drummer (and Jon Dette
, who also did some work with the group in the mid-Nineties), Lombardo is simply essential to the Slayer sound. He is one of metal's all-around best drummers, perhaps the very best in the field of thrash/speed metal, and his power, style, and chops — not to mention his intangible chemistry with the rest of the group and those amazing flying feet — bring Slayer's overall performance, intensity and music to a higher level."
Lombardo has now also recorded Slayer
's 2009 album World Painted Blood
.
drummer Daniel Erlandsson feels Lombardo is "really tasteful in his playing, and doesn't overplay. He's gifted with a groove that not many speed metal, or metal drummers generally, have."
In response to an interview question, "How talented is Dave Lombardo?" King responded, "Have you ever seen the movie The Natural
? That's Dave. He doesn't have to try to be good. He comes into the venue 10 or 15 minutes before we hit the stage and he doesn't warm up. He just goes and does it, after me and Jeff [Hanneman, guitarist] have been warming up for like an hour."
Lombardo's work has been an influence on many rock and heavy metal drummers. Per Möller Jensen
of The Haunted
cites Lombardo as a major influence, having grown up listening to Slayer; the band was a big influence on his style and The Haunted's. Suffocation
drummer Mike Smith also cites Lombardo as an influence. Rocky Gray
, former member of the alternative metal
band Evanescence
was influenced by Lombardo's choice of equipment; "All those old school guys are all TAMA guys. Where I'm from, if you're in the big time, you get a TAMA drum set. You have to be good if you've got a TAMA set."
Richard Christy
, former member of Death was "blown away" by Dave's performance and double bass on the album Reign in Blood
, as was Cannibal Corpse
drummer Paul Mazurkiewicz
. Raymond Herrera
of the band Fear Factory
cites Lombardo as one of his major influences, as do Pete Sandoval
(Morbid Angel
), Adrian Erlandsson
(Paradise Lost
, Cradle of Filth
, Brujeria), George Kollias
(Nile
, Nightfall
), Joey Jordison
(Slipknot
), Dirk Verbeuren
(Soilwork
), Derek Roddy
(Aurora Borealis
, Nile
, Hate Eternal
), Mike Portnoy
(Dream Theater
, Adrenaline Mob
), James Sullivan
(Avenged Sevenfold
), Steve Asheim
(Deicide
), Michael "Moose" Thomas (Bullet for My Valentine
), Tony Laureano
(Dimmu Borgir
, Nile
, Angelcorpse
, Malevolent Creation
), Dave Witte
(Municipal Waste
, Burnt by the Sun
, Black Army Jacket
) and Max Kolesne
(Krisiun
). Patrick Grün of Caliban
and Demonic GG Allin was inspired to play drums by Lombardo, while Jason Bittner
of Shadows Fall
was particularly inspired by Lombardo's double bass, utilizing double bass when starting his own music career.
Fantômas
Grip Inc.
Testament
Other works
Cuban American
A Cuban American is a United States citizen who traces his or her "national origin" to Cuba. Cuban Americans are also considered native born Americans with Cuban parents or Cuban-born persons who were raised and educated in US...
heavy metal
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
drummer best known for his work with American thrash metal
Thrash metal
Thrash metal is a subgenre of heavy metal that is characterized usually by its fast tempo and aggression. Songs of the genre typically use fast percussive and low-register guitar riffs, overlaid with shredding-style lead work...
band Slayer
Slayer
Slayer is an American thrash metal band formed in Huntington Park, California, in 1981 by guitarists Jeff Hanneman and Kerry King. Slayer rose to fame with their 1986 release, Reign in Blood, and is credited as one of the "Big Four" thrash metal acts, along with Metallica, Megadeth and...
. He has performed with Slayer on seven albums, including their groundbreaking 1986 release Reign In Blood
Reign in Blood
Reign in Blood is the third studio album and the major label debut by the American thrash metal band Slayer. It was released on October 7, 1986 through Def Jam Recordings. The album was the band's first collaboration with record producer Rick Rubin, whose input helped the band's sound evolve...
and their 2006 release Christ Illusion
Christ Illusion
Christ Illusion is the tenth studio album by the American thrash metal band Slayer. Released on August 8, 2006, the album received generally favorable critical reviews, and it entered the Billboard 200 at number 5—the band's highest U.S. chart position to date...
, for which he received critical praise. Lombardo's music career has spanned more than 25 years, during which he has been involved in the production of 29 commercial recordings spanning a number of major genres with bands such as Grip Inc.
Grip Inc.
Grip Inc. is a groove metal band and a side project of drummer Dave Lombardo. The band was formed in 1993, and they are currently signed to SPV Records...
, Fantômas
Fantômas (band)
Fantômas is an avant-garde metal supergroup formed in 1998 in California, United States. The band is named after Fantômas, a supervillain featured in a series of crime novels popular in France before World War I and in film, most notably in the 60s French movie series.-History:Fantômas began just...
, and Testament
Testament (band)
Testament is an American metal band from Berkeley, California, formed in 1983. They are often credited as one of the most popular bands of the 1980s thrash metal scene...
in addition to Slayer
Slayer
Slayer is an American thrash metal band formed in Huntington Park, California, in 1981 by guitarists Jeff Hanneman and Kerry King. Slayer rose to fame with their 1986 release, Reign in Blood, and is credited as one of the "Big Four" thrash metal acts, along with Metallica, Megadeth and...
.
Lombardo's musical interest was sparked by playing along to a Santana
Santana (band)
Santana is a rock band based around guitarist Carlos Santana and founded in the late 1960s. It first came to public attention after their performing the song "Soul Sacrifice" at the Woodstock Festival in 1969, when their Latin rock provided a contrast to other acts on the bill...
record with bongo drum
Bongo drum
Bongo or bongos are a Cuban percussion instrument consisting of a pair of single-headed, open-ended drums attached to each other. The drums are of different size: the larger drum is called in Spanish the hembra and the smaller the macho...
s and was later influenced by the musical styles of Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin were an English rock band, active in the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s. Formed in 1968, they consisted of guitarist Jimmy Page, singer Robert Plant, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham...
and Kiss
KISS (band)
Kiss is an American rock band formed in New York City in January 1973. Well-known for its members' face paint and flamboyant stage outfits, the group rose to prominence in the mid to late 1970s on the basis of their elaborate live performances, which featured fire breathing, blood spitting,...
. Lombardo is known as an aggressive heavy metal drummer and his use of the drums have been called "astonishingly innovative" and earned him the title "the godfather of double bass" from Drummer World. Over his career, he has had a significant influence on the metal scene and has inspired many modern metal drummers.
Early years
Lombardo was born in HavanaHavana
Havana is the capital city, province, major port, and leading commercial centre of Cuba. The city proper has a population of 2.1 million inhabitants, and it spans a total of — making it the largest city in the Caribbean region, and the most populous...
, Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
on February 16, 1965. When he was two years old, his family moved to South Gate, California
South Gate, California
South Gate is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. The sixteenth largest city in Los Angeles County, it encompasses . South Gate is located just southeast of downtown Los Angeles It is part of the Gateway Cities region of southeastern Los Angeles County...
. During the third grade at the age of eight, Lombardo brought in a set of bongos
Bongo drum
Bongo or bongos are a Cuban percussion instrument consisting of a pair of single-headed, open-ended drums attached to each other. The drums are of different size: the larger drum is called in Spanish the hembra and the smaller the macho...
with a Santana
Santana (band)
Santana is a rock band based around guitarist Carlos Santana and founded in the late 1960s. It first came to public attention after their performing the song "Soul Sacrifice" at the Woodstock Festival in 1969, when their Latin rock provided a contrast to other acts on the bill...
record for show and tell
Show and tell (education)
Show and tell is the process of showing an audience something and telling them about it, predominantly in North America and also popular in Australia. It is usually done in a classroom as an early elementary school technique for teaching young children the skills of public speaking...
at school and played along with the rhythm. This inspired his musical interest in drums and he joined the school band where he played the marching drum, although eventually he viewed the marching drum as "not for him." Lombardo's father saw his persistent interest in music at age ten and bought him a five-piece Maxwin drum set for $350. As Lombardo now had a drumkit, he purchased his first record, Alive! by Kiss
KISS (band)
Kiss is an American rock band formed in New York City in January 1973. Well-known for its members' face paint and flamboyant stage outfits, the group rose to prominence in the mid to late 1970s on the basis of their elaborate live performances, which featured fire breathing, blood spitting,...
to play along to. He taught himself the song "100,000 Years" by listening to the record repeatedly. Able to perform the drum solo on the song, word of Lombardo's ability spread.
With his new-found hobby, Lombardo asked his parents for drum lessons. His parents accepted, however, the lessons lasted only one week as Lombardo got bored of the repetitiveness of constantly learning how to hit the drum left and right. After leaving music lessons, Lombardo's friends exposed him to the disco
Disco
Disco is a genre of dance music. Disco acts charted high during the mid-1970s, and the genre's popularity peaked during the late 1970s. It had its roots in clubs that catered to African American, gay, psychedelic, and other communities in New York City and Philadelphia during the late 1960s and...
genre, where he partied and became a temporary DJ for a mobile disc jockey under the name of A Touch of Class. Due to his arriving home at 4:00 am some nights, his parents threatened to put him in a military school. Lombardo later said that disco music showed him "the effects of rhythm on the body."
In 1978, Lombardo returned to playing rock music and would talk with several musicians around South Gate. They would travel to Lombardo's house to play renditions of songs by Jimi Hendrix
Jimi Hendrix
James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix was an American guitarist and singer-songwriter...
, such as "Purple Haze
Purple Haze
"Purple Haze" is a song written in 1966 and recorded in 1967 by The Jimi Hendrix Experience and released as a single in both the United Kingdom and the United States. It appeared on their 1967 album Are You Experienced...
," "Foxy Lady
Foxy Lady
"Foxy Lady" is a song by The Jimi Hendrix Experience from their 1967 album Are You Experienced. It can also be found on a number of Hendrix's greatest hits compilations, including Smash Hits and Experience Hendrix: The Best of Jimi Hendrix...
", and "Fire." Graduating from private school in eighth grade, Lombardo moved to Pius X High School, which had more musicians than his previous school. He signed up to the school talent show
Talent show
A talent show is an event where participants perform their talent or talents of acting, singing, dancing, acrobatics, drumming, martial arts, playing an instrument, and other activities to showcase a unique form of talent, sometimes for a reward, trophy or prize...
and performed "Johnny B. Goode
Johnny B. Goode
"Johnny B. Goode" is a 1958 rock and roll song written and originally performed by American musician Chuck Berry. The song was a major hit among both black and white audiences peaking at #2 on Billboard magazine's Hot R&B Sides chart and #8 on the Billboard Hot 100.The song is one of Chuck Berry's...
" by Chuck Berry
Chuck Berry
Charles Edward Anderson "Chuck" Berry is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter, and one of the pioneers of rock and roll music. With songs such as "Maybellene" , "Roll Over Beethoven" , "Rock and Roll Music" and "Johnny B...
with a guitarist named Peter Fashing. "I'll never forget the roar of the crowd during the drum solo. We brought the house down," states Lombardo, who became known as "David the drummer" the following day.
With his new-found popularity, Lombardo formed a band in 1979 called Escape, with two guitarists. The group performed AC/DC
AC/DC
AC/DC are an Australian rock band, formed in 1973 by brothers Malcolm and Angus Young. Commonly classified as hard rock, they are considered pioneers of heavy metal, though they themselves have always classified their music as simply "rock and roll"...
, Led Zeppelin, and Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath are an English heavy metal band, formed in Aston, Birmingham in 1969 by Ozzy Osbourne , Tony Iommi , Geezer Butler , and Bill Ward . The band has since experienced multiple line-up changes, with Tony Iommi the only constant presence in the band through the years. A total of 22...
songs in Lombardo's garage. After leaving Pius X school due to poor grades, Lombardo enrolled in South Gate High School
South Gate High School
South Gate High School is located on Firestone Boulevard, South Gate, California, United States. The school, which serves grades 9 through 12, is part of the Los Angeles Unified School District...
where he found a vocalist to join the band. The band performed at parties under the name Sabotage, but were unsuccessful in making an impact. Lombardo's parents noticed his withdrawal from everything except music, and convinced him to quit and find a job. On leaving Sabotage, Lombardo received threats from the guitarist's girlfriend. Lombardo said "the so-called manager
Talent manager
A talent manager, also known as an artist manager or band manager, is an individual or company who guides the professional career of artists in the entertainment industry...
went as far as to write a poem about me leaving the band in the school news paper saying, 'we'll see who makes it to the top, let's place a bet.' I should've made that bet."
Slayer
Lombardo followed his parents' advice and applied as a pizza delivery boy in 1981. With money earned from the job and money loaned from his father, he purchased a TAMA Swingstar drum set and PaistePaiste
Paiste, a Swiss manufacturer and designer, is the world's third largest manufacturer of cymbals, gongs, and metal percussion. Paiste is an Estonian/Finnish word which means "shine"...
Rude cymbal package for $1,100. While making a delivery, Lombardo was told about a nearby guitarist named Kerry King
Kerry King
Kerry King is an American lead and rhythm guitarist. He is best known as the lead guitarist and cofounder of American thrash metal band Slayer. He co-founded the band with Jeff Hanneman in 1981 and has been a member ever since...
. He introduced himself to King, and asked if he would like to jam
Jam session
Jam sessions are often used by musicians to develop new material, find suitable arrangements, or simply as a social gathering and communal practice session. Jam sessions may be based upon existing songs or forms, may be loosely based on an agreed chord progression or chart suggested by one...
with him. King agreed and offered to show Lombardo his guitar collection later that night. As King was looking for a drummer for his band, Slayer
Slayer
Slayer is an American thrash metal band formed in Huntington Park, California, in 1981 by guitarists Jeff Hanneman and Kerry King. Slayer rose to fame with their 1986 release, Reign in Blood, and is credited as one of the "Big Four" thrash metal acts, along with Metallica, Megadeth and...
, he extended an invitation to perform drumming duties which Lombardo accepted.
With Slayer's line-up now complete, the band toured extensively in the early 1980s to promote their debut album Show No Mercy, while Lombardo continued to work at K-Mart. During this period of touring, Lombardo formed a strong bond with drummer Gene Hoglan
Gene Hoglan
Eugene "Gene" Victor Hoglan II is an American drummer. He is acclaimed for his creativity in drum arrangements, including usage of odd devices for percussion effects and his trademark lengthy double-kick drum rhythms...
, who was the band's roadie. Lombardo asked Hoglan to become his drum tutor
Tutor
A tutor is a person employed in the education of others, either individually or in groups. To tutor is to perform the functions of a tutor.-Teaching assistance:...
; however, Hoglan was fired as a roadie because he had no idea what to do. Lombardo felt Hoglan was a great influence to his drumming. During Slayer's 1986 "Reign in Pain" tour to promote the album Reign in Blood
Reign in Blood
Reign in Blood is the third studio album and the major label debut by the American thrash metal band Slayer. It was released on October 7, 1986 through Def Jam Recordings. The album was the band's first collaboration with record producer Rick Rubin, whose input helped the band's sound evolve...
, Lombardo left the band and stated "I wasn't making any money. I figured if we were gonna be doing this professionally, on a major label, I wanted my rent and utilities paid." The band enlisted Tony Scaglione
Tony Scaglione
Tony Scaglione originally gained notoriety in the mid-eighties with his powerful drumming on Whiplash’s debut album, “Power and Pain". Throughout the years, Tony went on to perform and record with some of the most popular names in the metal and hardcore scenes while branching out into many other...
of Whiplash
Whiplash (band)
Whiplash is an American thrash metal/speed metal band. The band was founded in 1984 in Passaic, New Jersey by the three Tonys: Tony Portaro , Tony Scaglione and Tony Bono . Joe Cangelosi replaced Tony Scaglione in 1986 when he left for a small stint with Slayer...
as his replacement; however, Lombardo's wife, Teresa, whom he wed on July 19, 1986, convinced him to return in 1987.
Lombardo recorded drums on the Slayer albums South of Heaven
South of Heaven
South of Heaven is the fourth studio album by American thrash metal band Slayer. Released on July 5, 1988, the album was the band's second collaboration with record producer Rick Rubin, whose production skills on Slayer's previous album Reign in Blood had helped the band's sound evolve.South of...
(1988) and Seasons in the Abyss
Seasons in the Abyss
Seasons in the Abyss is the fifth studio album by the thrash metal band Slayer. It was released on October 9, 1990 through Def American Records, and later through American Recordings after the company changed its name. The album's recording sessions began in January 1990...
(1990), although in 1992, Lombardo left Slayer again due to conflicts with band members and his refusal to tour. He desired to witness the birth of his first child and gave the band members nine months notice of his wife's pregnancy and said he would be unable to tour in September. He received a phone call from Kerry King; "Dave, big shows comin' up in September..." and refused the offer, although the band members said it would be detrimental to their career if they did not. In a 1998 interview Lombardo stated; "I still hear shit. Even to this day I hear echoes of stuff Kerry says and Kerry was the only one I ever had a problem with...."
Grip Inc.
Following the birth of his first child in 1993, Lombardo formed Grip Inc.Grip Inc.
Grip Inc. is a groove metal band and a side project of drummer Dave Lombardo. The band was formed in 1993, and they are currently signed to SPV Records...
with Voodoocult
Voodoocult
Voodoocult was an international thrash metal band formed in 1994 by Phillip Boa, vocalist of the alternative band Phillip Boa & The Voodooclub. The project was especially notable for the reputation of the participating musicians, such as Chuck Schuldiner , Slayer drummer Dave Lombardo, and Mille...
guitarist Waldemar Sorychta
Waldemar Sorychta
Waldemar Sorychta , is a German heavy metal musician, songwriter, producer and artist who lives in Dortmund Germany since 1982.- Career :He initially worked with the German thrash metal band Despair, founded in 1986....
. The pair recruited bassist Jason Viebrooks
Jason Viebrooks
Jason Viebrooks is a touring bassist and guitarist. He has toured the world with many groups, and is an endorsee of .-History:Beginning in the Spring of 2011, he went out on tour with Heathen, a band who he had last been with in 1992....
and vocalist Gus Chambers
Gus Chambers
Gary Chambers , known as Gus Chambers, was a musician from Coventry, England. He was most known as lead vocalist of Grip Inc.-Early life:...
to complete the line-up, releasing their debut record in 1995. Entitled Power of Inner Strength
Power of Inner Strength
- Track listing :# "Toque de Muerto" – 1:22# "Savage Seas " – 3:11# "Hostage to Heaven" – 3:57# "Monster Among Us" – 4:22# "Guilty of Innocence" – 3:37# "Innate Affliction" – 3:34# "Colors of Death" – 3:04# "Ostracized" – 3:08...
, the album was distributed via California-based label Metal Blade Records
Metal Blade Records
Metal Blade Records is a record label which was founded by Brian Slagel in 1982. The U.S. corporate office for Metal Blade is located in Agoura Hills, California. It also has offices in Arizona, Germany, Japan, Canada, and the UK. The label is distributed in the U.S. by Sony BMG Music...
. Prior to the album's release Lombardo described leaving Slayer as a career low, because he did not know what type of music to play. Allmusic reviewer Vincent Jeffries singled out Lombardo for praise on the album, remarking that Slayer fans "will enjoy the drummer's double bass work and overall aggression throughout the disc." Sorychta asserts critics and music fans always spot mistakes in their music, because of Lombardo's popularity with Slayer—they expect the band to sound like Slayer and complain. However, when Lombardo uses the double bass drum, Sorychta asserted people complain "now Grip Inc. sound exactly like Slayer."
The band released Nemesis in 1997; Jeffries praised Lombardo's "crushing drum work" which takes center stage on the album. Bassist Viebrooks left the band and was replaced by Stuart Caruthers in 1999. With a new bassist, the band released Solidify that same year, which was described as a step towards "progressive and exotic rhythm
Rhythm
Rhythm may be generally defined as a "movement marked by the regulated succession of strong and weak elements, or of opposite or different conditions." This general meaning of regular recurrence or pattern in time may be applied to a wide variety of cyclical natural phenomena having a periodicity or...
s, structures, and instrumentations, while never compromising intensity" by Jeffries. Lombardo was once again praised for his drumming on the album by Jeffries, who stated his style is "expressive and technically excellent tom
Tom-tom drum
A tom-tom drum is a cylindrical drum with no snare.Although "tom-tom" is the British term for a child's toy drum, the name came originally from the Anglo-Indian and Sinhala; the tom-tom itself comes from Asian or Native American cultures...
work on cuts like 'Bug Juice' and 'Lockdown.'" Lombardo is proud of Grip Inc. and believes it made him more creative as a musician.
Fantômas
In 1998, Lombardo joined a side project called FantômasFantômas (band)
Fantômas is an avant-garde metal supergroup formed in 1998 in California, United States. The band is named after Fantômas, a supervillain featured in a series of crime novels popular in France before World War I and in film, most notably in the 60s French movie series.-History:Fantômas began just...
with Faith No More
Faith No More
Faith No More is an American rock band from San Francisco, California, formed originally as Faith No Man in 1981 by bassist Billy Gould, keyboardist Wade Worthington, vocalist Michael Morris and drummer Mike Bordin. A year later when Worthington was replaced by keyboardist Roddy Bottum, and Mike...
vocalist Mike Patton
Mike Patton
Michael Allan "Mike" Patton is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, producer, and actor, best known as the lead singer of the metal/experimental rock band Faith No More. He has also sung for Mr...
and Melvins' guitarist Buzz Osborne
Buzz Osborne
Roger "Buzz" Osborne , also known as King Buzzo, is the guitarist/vocalist/songwriter and technically the only remaining founding member of the Melvins...
. The band formed when Lombardo attended a Faith No More concert and was approached by Patton concerning his "fusion" project (Grip Inc.). Several months later following the break-up of Faith No More, Lombardo received a phone call from Patton who asked if Lombardo would like to join his own fusion project. Lombardo accepted and replied "Fuck yeah!"
Lombardo asserted it was the hardest music he has played, saying "Slayer doesn't even come close. Slayer was hard in a physical way, but this is physically demanding as well and requires 'feeling'. (The kind of connectedness that demands) no clicking of sticks." The drummer described the sound of Fantômas by stating "if Picasso was a musician, this would be his music." Lombardo recorded four albums with the band.
Side projects
In 1999, on his constant quest to expand his horizon as a drummer, Lombardo collaborated with Italian classical musician Lorenzo Arruga to record Vivaldi - The Meeting. The seven-track album had drum improvisations on Vivaldi's work including two pieces from The Four SeasonsThe Four Seasons (Vivaldi)
The Four Seasons is a set of four violin concertos by Antonio Vivaldi. Composed in 1723, The Four Seasons is Vivaldi's best-known work, and is among the most popular pieces of Baroque music. The texture of each concerto is varied, each resembling its respective season...
composition. In 2000, Lombardo released a book titled Dave Lombardo:Power Grooves. The book and video contained warm ups, eight, sixteen, and double bass grooves, riding the toms and more.
1999 also saw Lombardo perform drumwork on the Testament
Testament (band)
Testament is an American metal band from Berkeley, California, formed in 1983. They are often credited as one of the most popular bands of the 1980s thrash metal scene...
album The Gathering, rounding off a veritable "supergroup" with Steve DiGiorgio
Steve DiGiorgio
Steve DiGiorgio is an American bassist and musician.DiGiorgio has played bass guitar in heavy metal bands such as Death, Autopsy, Control Denied, Testament, Vintersorg, Iced Earth, Sebastian Bach, Charred Walls of the Damned, Obituary, and is a founding member of Sadus. He is widely renowned for...
and James Murphy.
In 2005, Lombardo recorded Drums of Death
Drums of Death (album)
Drums of Death is an album recorded by DJ Spooky and Slayer drummer Dave Lombardo. The album is primarily instrumental, although some tracks include rap vocals. Guest artists on the album include Public Enemy's Chuck D who does reworkings of several Public Enemy tracks, Dälek, and Living Colour...
with DJ Spooky
DJ Spooky
Paul D. Miller , known by his stage name DJ Spooky, That Subliminal Kid, is a Washington DC-born electronic and experimental hip hop musician whose work is often called by critics or his fans as "illbient" or "trip hop". He is a turntablist, a producer, a philosopher, and an author...
. Spooky played some records, with Lombardo playing along and interpreting his own rhythms. Spooky recorded the session and took the tapes to his New York recording studio, downloaded it onto his computer, and mixed the beats and drums incorporating scratching
Scratching
Scratching is a DJ or turntablist technique used to produce distinctive sounds by moving a vinyl record back and forth on a turntable while optionally manipulating the crossfader on a DJ mixer. While scratching is most commonly associated with hip hop music, since the late 1980s, it has been used...
and other DJ techniques. Scott Peace-Miller of Glide Magazine noted, "Lombardo's influence is front and center in the driving, up tempo "Quantum Cyborg Drum Machine," and the almost straight-up thrash of Kultur Krieg."
Lombardo recorded six tracks with the Finnish cello metal group Apocalyptica
Apocalyptica
Apocalyptica is a band from Helsinki, Finland, formed in 1993. The band is composed of classically trained cellists Eicca Toppinen, Paavo Lötjönen, and Perttu Kivilaakso and drummer Mikko Sirén...
on their 2003 album Reflections
Reflections (Apocalyptica album)
Reflections is the fourth studio album of Finnish metal band Apocalyptica, released in 2003 with a special-edition entitled Reflections Revised released in the later part of 2003 containing a DVD as well as the original album with five bonus tracks. It is the first album from the band to include...
. Members of Apocalyptica had approached Lombardo in 1998 at a drum clinic in the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
titled "Headbangers fest", and asked if Lombardo would like to do a duo with the band, which he agreed to. Both Lombardo and Apocalyptica enjoyed playing a duo and Lombardo said to Apocalyptica : "Whenever you need a drummer, call me !". The band sent him the recording tapes of Reflections to his home recording studio in California where he recorded the drums. Lombardo's later Apocalyptica contributions have consisted of playing the drums for the track "Betrayal/Forgiveness" on the 2005 album Apocalyptica
Apocalyptica (album)
Apocalyptica is the self-titled fifth studio album by Apocalyptica.-Track listing:#"Life Burns!" – 3:06#"Quutamo" – 3:28#"Distraction" – 3:56#"Bittersweet" – 4:26#"Misconstruction" – 3:56...
for the track "Last Hope" on the 2007 album Worlds Collide
Worlds Collide
Worlds Collide is the sixth studio album from Finnish metal band Apocalyptica, released on September 14, 2007. It includes special guests Till Lindemann, Corey Taylor, Adam Gontier, Dave Lombardo, Tomoyasu Hotei, and Cristina Scabbia...
and for the track "2010" on the 2010 album 7th Symphony
7th Symphony (album)
-Digital download:Digital download versions include the standard 10 track edition and the limited 12 track edition of the album, with additional bonus tracks "Spiral Architect" or "Return Game"...
.
In October 2009, it was announced that he had recorded a cover of "Stand by Me
Stand by Me (song)
"Stand by Me" is the title of a song originally performed by Ben E. King and written by King, Jerry Leiber, and Mike Stoller, based on the spiritual "Lord Stand by Me,", plus two lines rooted in Psalms 46:2-3...
", featuring Lemmy on vocals and bass, and produced by DJ and producer Baron
Baron (musician)
Baron is the artist name of Piers Baron, an award winning record producer and musician whose work includes film scores, Song Writing and DJing...
. The song was made for legendary pro skateboarder Geoff Rowley
Geoff Rowley
Geoff Rowley , is a professional skateboarder and co-owner of Flip Skateboards.- Professional Skateboarder :Rowley started skateboarding at age 12 in Liverpool, England...
.
Return to Slayer
Ten years after departing from Slayer, Lombardo received a phone call from Slayer, who asked if he would like to perform a few shows. Slayer guitarist Jeff HannemanJeff Hanneman
Jeffrey John "Jeff" Hanneman is a rhythm/lead guitarist and founding member of the American thrash metal band Slayer. Hanneman grew up in Los Angeles in a family of war veterans, and his fascination with warfare is attributed to his upbringing...
wanted him to return, while Lombardo believed King had his reservations following his negative review of Lombardo playing with Testament. Initially, King did not think of Lombardo as a candidate and believed Lombardo would not be able to perform to a satisfactory level. However, King was "blown away" by Lombardo in rehearsals, stating "he's got the feet and he's got the hands, he's not missing a step." Slayer needed a drummer to replace Paul Bostaph
Paul Bostaph
Paul Bostaph is a heavy metal drummer. His drumming career began in 1984, when he was 20 years old, and he had since worked with bands like Slayer, Forbidden, Exodus and Systematic. He is from Newark, California and currently drums for Testament...
, who left the band because of a chronic elbow injury.
Lombardo accepted to resume drumming duties and his first show was at The 7 Flags Event Center near Des Moines, Iowa on February 2, 2002. At the beginning of the concert, vocalist Tom Araya welcomed the return of Dave Lombardo, as well as dedicating the show to Exodus
Exodus (band)
Exodus is an American thrash metal band formed in 1980 in Richmond, California. Spanning a career of over 30 years, Exodus has gone through numerous lineup changes, two extended hiatuses, and the deaths of two former band members. Guitarist Gary Holt remains the only constant member of the band,...
vocalist Paul Baloff
Paul Baloff
Paul Baloff was an American singer, most notable for his time in thrash metal band Exodus.Paul was the second vocalist with Exodus replacing Keith Stewart in 1981 and singing on their 1982 Demo and their first official album Bonded by Blood in 1985. After the release, they started the...
, who had died earlier that day. He toured with Slayer as part of Ozzfest
Ozzfest
Ozzfest is an annual festival tour of the United States featuring performances by many heavy metal and hard rock musical groups. It was founded by Ozzy Osbourne and his wife Sharon Osbourne, both of whom also organize each yearly tour with their son Jack Osbourne...
, H82k2, Summer Tour, and the 2004 Download Festival
Download Festival
The Download Festival is a three day rock music festival held annually at Donington Park, England . It usually takes place in June...
. While preparing for the Download Festival in England, Metallica
Metallica
Metallica is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 1981 when James Hetfield responded to an advertisement that drummer Lars Ulrich had posted in a local newspaper. The current line-up features long-time lead guitarist Kirk Hammett and bassist Robert Trujillo ...
drummer Lars Ulrich
Lars Ulrich
Lars Ulrich is a Danish drummer, and one of the founding members of the American thrash metal band Metallica. He was born in Gentofte, Denmark to an upper-middle class family. A tennis player in his youth, Ulrich moved to Los Angeles, California at age sixteen to pursue his training; though rather...
was hospitalized for a mysterious illness. Metallica's vocalist James Hetfield
James Hetfield
James Alan Hetfield is the rhythm guitarist, co-founder, main songwriter, and lead vocalist for the American heavy metal band Metallica. Hetfield co-founded Metallica in October 1981 after answering a classified advertisement by drummer Lars Ulrich in the Los Angeles newspaper The Recycler,...
searched for volunteers to replace Ulrich; Slipknot
Slipknot (band)
Slipknot is an American heavy metal band from Des Moines, Iowa. Formed in 1995, the group was founded by percussionist Shawn Crahan and bassist Paul Gray...
drummer Joey Jordison
Joey Jordison
Joey Jordison , is an American musician, songwriter, and record producer, best known for his work as the drummer for the nu metal band Slipknot. He grew up in Waukee, Iowa with his parents and two sisters, and was given his first drum kit at the age of 8...
and Lombardo volunteered. Lombardo performed the songs "Battery
Battery (song)
"Battery" is a song by the American heavy metal band Metallica. It is the opening track and was released as the second single from their third album, Master of Puppets.-Structure:...
" and "The Four Horsemen
Kill 'Em All
Kill 'Em All is the debut studio album by the American heavy metal band Metallica. It was released on July 25, 1983. Since its release, it has been certified 3x platinum by the RIAA, having sold over 3 million copies in the United States alone.-Music:...
", whilst Jordison performed the rest of the songs.
Lombardo recorded his final album to date with Grip Inc. in 2004, Incorporated. He asserts the band is on the 'back burner,' because of time taken up touring with Slayer.
Christ Illusion
Christ Illusion is the tenth studio album by the American thrash metal band Slayer. Released on August 8, 2006, the album received generally favorable critical reviews, and it entered the Billboard 200 at number 5—the band's highest U.S. chart position to date...
, promoting the album on The Unholy Alliance
The Unholy Alliance (tour)
The Unholy Alliance Tour is a biennial heavy metal concert tour of Europe and North America, with the tag-line "Preaching to the Perverted". The tour is headlined by the thrash metal band Slayer, and featured Trivium, Amon Amarth and Mastodon in its latest edition.-Europe 2004:The 2004 European...
tour. King asserts Lombardo is a major attraction for the fans, and one of the reasons for their surge in popularity. King said he prefers Lombardo helming the drumkit, as do the other band members. Slayer bassist Tom Araya
Tom Araya
Tom Araya is a Chilean musician, best known as the bassist and vocalist of the American thrash metal band Slayer...
said, "It's kind of right back where we started. He's an amazing performer. We took off right where we left off, you know? It's like he was never gone. He's working with Kerry on his tunes. He's helped out a lot actually!"
Christ Illusion received generally favorable reviews and Lombardo's return was praised by critics. Chris Steffen of Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
asserted "Christ Illusion is God Hates Us All
God Hates Us All
God Hates Us All is the ninth studio album by American thrash metal band Slayer. Released on September 11, 2001, the album received positive critical reviews, although it entered the Billboard 200 at number 28. It was recorded in three months at The Warehouse Studio in Canada, and includes the...
without the memorable riffs, at least their awesome drummer Dave Lombardo shows off some chops, particularly on the raging 'Supremist.'" Don Kaye of Blabbermouth gave the album a favorable review and praised Lombardo. Kaye wrote, "One thing's for sure: Lombardo's influence on this band is absolutely undeniable. With no disrespect to Paul Bostaph
Paul Bostaph
Paul Bostaph is a heavy metal drummer. His drumming career began in 1984, when he was 20 years old, and he had since worked with bands like Slayer, Forbidden, Exodus and Systematic. He is from Newark, California and currently drums for Testament...
, a fine drummer (and Jon Dette
Jon Dette
Jon Dette is the heavy metal drummer of Killing Machine. He has previously played for Apocalypse, Evildead, Testament and Slayer. Dette joined Slayer in 1996, when Paul Bostaph left to work on his side project, The Truth about Seafood in L.A.. Dette attended the 1996 Ozzfest to promote the band's...
, who also did some work with the group in the mid-Nineties), Lombardo is simply essential to the Slayer sound. He is one of metal's all-around best drummers, perhaps the very best in the field of thrash/speed metal, and his power, style, and chops — not to mention his intangible chemistry with the rest of the group and those amazing flying feet — bring Slayer's overall performance, intensity and music to a higher level."
Lombardo has now also recorded Slayer
Slayer
Slayer is an American thrash metal band formed in Huntington Park, California, in 1981 by guitarists Jeff Hanneman and Kerry King. Slayer rose to fame with their 1986 release, Reign in Blood, and is credited as one of the "Big Four" thrash metal acts, along with Metallica, Megadeth and...
's 2009 album World Painted Blood
World Painted Blood
World Painted Blood is the eleventh studio album by American thrash metal band Slayer. It was released through American Recordings and Sony Music on November 3, 2009 and was produced by Greg Fidelman and executively produced by Rick Rubin. It is the band's only album produced by Greg Fidelman...
.
Style and influence
Lombardo is known for his fast, aggressive style of play utilizing the double bass technique which has earned him the title "the godfather of double bass" by Drummerworld. Lombardo states his reasons for using two bass drums: "when you hit the bass drum the head is still resonating. When you hit it in the same place right after that you kinda get a 'slapback' from the bass drum head hitting the other pedal. You're not letting them breathe." When playing the double bass, Lombardo uses the 'heel-up' technique and places his pedals at an angle. As well as considering him an influence, Arch EnemyArch Enemy (band)
Arch Enemy is a Swedish melodic death metal band, originally a supergroup, from Halmstad, formed in 1996. Its members were in bands such as Carcass, Armageddon, Carnage, Mercyful Fate, Spiritual Beggars, and Eucharist to name a few. It was founded by Carcass guitarist Michael Amott along with Johan...
drummer Daniel Erlandsson feels Lombardo is "really tasteful in his playing, and doesn't overplay. He's gifted with a groove that not many speed metal, or metal drummers generally, have."
In response to an interview question, "How talented is Dave Lombardo?" King responded, "Have you ever seen the movie The Natural
The Natural (film)
The Natural is a 1984 film adaptation of Bernard Malamud's 1952 baseball novel of the same name, directed by Barry Levinson and starring Robert Redford, Glenn Close and Robert Duvall...
? That's Dave. He doesn't have to try to be good. He comes into the venue 10 or 15 minutes before we hit the stage and he doesn't warm up. He just goes and does it, after me and Jeff [Hanneman, guitarist] have been warming up for like an hour."
Lombardo's work has been an influence on many rock and heavy metal drummers. Per Möller Jensen
Per Möller Jensen
Per Möller Jensen is a Danish drummer in the Swedish thrash metal band The Haunted. He has earlier played drums in Invocator, Konkhra and Nightrage.-References:...
of The Haunted
The Haunted
The Haunted is a Swedish metal band from Gothenburg, formed in 1996.The original members were Anders & Jonas Björler, Peter Dolving, Adrian Erlandsson and Patrik Jensen...
cites Lombardo as a major influence, having grown up listening to Slayer; the band was a big influence on his style and The Haunted's. Suffocation
Suffocation (band)
Suffocation is an American death metal band that was formed in 1989 in Long Island, New York. The band comprises vocalist Frank Mullen, guitarists Terrance Hobbs and Guy Marchais, drummer Mike Smith and bassist Derek Boyer. Suffocation rose to prominence of death metal and created a blueprint for...
drummer Mike Smith also cites Lombardo as an influence. Rocky Gray
Rocky Gray
William "Rocky" Gray is a drummer and guitarist who has been part of the Arkansas metal scene since the early 1990s. He has an extensive career as a musician and is best known as the lead guitarist for Living Sacrifice and the drummer for We Are the Fallen...
, former member of the alternative metal
Alternative metal
Alternative metal is a genre of alternative rock and heavy metal that gained popularity in the early 1990s. Most notably, alternative metal bands are characterized by heavy guitar riffs and experimental approaches to heavy music.-Origins:...
band Evanescence
Evanescence
Evanescence is an American rock band founded in Little Rock, Arkansas in 1995 by singer/pianist Amy Lee and guitarist Ben Moody. After recording private albums, the band released their first full-length album, Fallen, on Wind-up Records in 2003. Fallen sold more than 17 million copies worldwide...
was influenced by Lombardo's choice of equipment; "All those old school guys are all TAMA guys. Where I'm from, if you're in the big time, you get a TAMA drum set. You have to be good if you've got a TAMA set."
Richard Christy
Richard Christy
Thomas Richard Christy is an American musician and radio personality who currently works on The Howard Stern Show. Christy began to work on the show after winning the "Get John's Job" contest on July 1, 2004. He is known for his prank calls, song parodies, personality, and stunts performed on the...
, former member of Death was "blown away" by Dave's performance and double bass on the album Reign in Blood
Reign in Blood
Reign in Blood is the third studio album and the major label debut by the American thrash metal band Slayer. It was released on October 7, 1986 through Def Jam Recordings. The album was the band's first collaboration with record producer Rick Rubin, whose input helped the band's sound evolve...
, as was Cannibal Corpse
Cannibal Corpse
Cannibal Corpse is an American death metal band from Buffalo, New York. Formed in 1988, the band has released eleven studio albums, one box set, and one live album...
drummer Paul Mazurkiewicz
Paul Mazurkiewicz
Paul Mazurkiewicz is the Polish-American drummer of Cannibal Corpse, and one of two remaining original members, the other being bassist Alex Webster.-Musical History:...
. Raymond Herrera
Raymond Herrera
Raymond Herrera is the drummer for industrial metal band Arkaea. He is a former member of the industrial metal band Fear Factory and Mexican death metal band Brujeria.-Biography:Herrera has been an avid gamer all his life...
of the band Fear Factory
Fear Factory
Fear Factory is an American industrial metal band. Formed in 1989, they have released seven full-length albums and a number of singles and remixes. Over the course of their career they have evolved from a succession of styles, as well as steadily pioneered a combination of the styles death metal,...
cites Lombardo as one of his major influences, as do Pete Sandoval
Pete Sandoval
Pete Sandoval is an American death metal drummer. Born in Santa Ana, El Salvador, he is known for his accomplishments in the world of extreme metal drumming. His first significant stint as a drummer was for the grindcore band Terrorizer, formed in 1986, where he began to demonstrate some of his...
(Morbid Angel
Morbid Angel
Morbid Angel is an American death metal band based in Tampa, Florida. UK music magazine Terrorizer ranked one Morbid Angel album in its “Top 40 greatest death metal albums”, with their 1989 debut Altars of Madness appearing at number 1...
), Adrian Erlandsson
Adrian Erlandsson
Adrian Erlandsson is a prolific Swedish heavy metal drummer, who currently plays in Brujeria, Netherbird, with his wife in Nemhain and in Yorkshire doom metal band Paradise Lost...
(Paradise Lost
Paradise Lost (band)
Paradise Lost are a heavy metal band that formed in 1988 in Halifax, England.-History:Their first three full-length albums are examples of the death/doom style, although the latter two incorporated some melodic and gothic elements...
, Cradle of Filth
Cradle of Filth
Cradle of Filth are an English extreme metal band, formed in Suffolk in 1991. The band's musical style evolved from black metal to a cleaner and more "produced" amalgam of gothic metal, symphonic black metal, and other extreme metal styles, while their lyrical themes and imagery are heavily...
, Brujeria), George Kollias
George Kollias (drummer)
George Kollias is a Greek heavy metal drummer best known for his work with American death metal band Nile. He is the first of their four drummers to perform every song on more than one full length album...
(Nile
Nile (band)
Nile is an American death metal band from Greenville, South Carolina, formed in 1993. Their music and lyrics are inspired by Ancient Egyptian/Near Eastern mysticism, history, religion, and art, as well as stories by H. P. Lovecraft.- History :...
, Nightfall
Nightfall (band)
Nightfall is a Greek heavy metal band from Athens. Formed by vocalist/bassist Efthimis Karadimas in 1991, the group is currently signed to Metal Blade Records.- History :...
), Joey Jordison
Joey Jordison
Joey Jordison , is an American musician, songwriter, and record producer, best known for his work as the drummer for the nu metal band Slipknot. He grew up in Waukee, Iowa with his parents and two sisters, and was given his first drum kit at the age of 8...
(Slipknot
Slipknot (band)
Slipknot is an American heavy metal band from Des Moines, Iowa. Formed in 1995, the group was founded by percussionist Shawn Crahan and bassist Paul Gray...
), Dirk Verbeuren
Dirk Verbeuren
Dirk Verbeuren is a heavy metal drummer for Swedish melodic death metal band, Soilwork, French melodic death metal band, Scarve , French melodic death metal band, Phaze I, Dutch death-thrash metal band, Anatomy of I, and American thrash metal band, Powermad...
(Soilwork
Soilwork
Soilwork is a Swedish melodic death metal band from Helsingborg. They are currently signed to Nuclear Blast. Formed in late 1995 by Björn Strid and Peter Wichers, originally under the name Inferior Breed, the band changed their name in late 1996 to Soilwork .Their sound is a fusion of the classic...
), Derek Roddy
Derek Roddy
Derek Roddy is an American drummer and snake breeder, originally from South Carolina. His ability to record entire drum tracks in one or two takes earned him the nickname "One Take"....
(Aurora Borealis
Aurora Borealis (band)
Aurora Borealis is an American black metal band from Waldorf, Maryland. The band was founded by guitarist Ron Vento and drummer Tony Laureano in 1994...
, Nile
Nile (band)
Nile is an American death metal band from Greenville, South Carolina, formed in 1993. Their music and lyrics are inspired by Ancient Egyptian/Near Eastern mysticism, history, religion, and art, as well as stories by H. P. Lovecraft.- History :...
, Hate Eternal
Hate Eternal
-Biography:Hate Eternal was formed in 1997. The group's original line-up included Erik Rutan - guitars/vocals, bassist and co-vocalist Jared Anderson, drummer Tim Yeung, and guitarist Doug Cerrito of the band Suffocation...
), Mike Portnoy
Mike Portnoy
Michael Stephen "Mike" Portnoy is an American drummer primarily known as the former drummer, backing vocalist, and a co-founder of the progressive metal band Dream Theater, as well as the temporary drummer for the hard rock band Avenged Sevenfold. Known for his drumming prowess and technical...
(Dream Theater
Dream Theater
Dream Theater is an American progressive metal band formed in 1985 under the name Majesty by John Petrucci, John Myung, and Mike Portnoy while they attended Berklee College of Music in Massachusetts. They subsequently dropped out of their studies to further concentrate on the band that would...
, Adrenaline Mob
Adrenaline Mob
Adrenaline Mob is a heavy metal supergroup featuring Mike Portnoy , Russell Allen , Mike Orlando, Paul DiLeo , and Rich Ward . Adrenaline Mob was formed in early 2011 and performed their first live performance on June 24, 2011 at the Hiro Ballroom in New York City...
), James Sullivan
The Rev
James Owen Sullivan , more commonly known by his stage name The Reverend Tholomew Plague, often shortened to The Rev, was an American musician, best known as the drummer for the American heavy metal band Avenged Sevenfold...
(Avenged Sevenfold
Avenged Sevenfold
Avenged Sevenfold is an American heavy metal band from Huntington Beach, California. Formed in 1999, the group consists of vocalist M. Shadows, lead guitarist Synyster Gates, rhythm guitarist Zacky Vengeance, bassist Johnny Christ....
), Steve Asheim
Steve Asheim
Steve Asheim and is the drummer and primary songwriter for the death metal band Deicide. Asheim is endorsed by Ddrum, and is known to collect guns, which can be seen in Deicide's DVD When London Burns. Asheim also plays guitar which he also played on the album Till Death Do Us Part. On November...
(Deicide
Deicide
Deicide is the killing of a god. The term deicide was coined in the 17th century from medieval Latin *deicidium, from de-us "god" and -cidium "cutting, killing")...
), Michael "Moose" Thomas (Bullet for My Valentine
Bullet for My Valentine
Bullet for My Valentine are a Welsh heavy metal band from Bridgend, formed in 1998. The band is composed of Matt Tuck , Michael Paget , Jason James , and Michael Thomas . They were formed under the name Jeff Killed John and started their music career by covering songs by Metallica and Nirvana...
), Tony Laureano
Tony Laureano
Tony Laureano is a heavy metal drummer originally from Puerto Rico. He has been playing for a number of metal bands including Dimmu Borgir, Nile, Angelcorpse, Malevolent Creation, God Dethroned, Acheron, Aurora Borealis, Belphegor, Nachtmystium, 1349 and Brujeria...
(Dimmu Borgir
Dimmu Borgir
Dimmu Borgir is a Norwegian black metal band from Oslo, Norway, formed in 1993. Dimmu borgir means "dark cities" or "dark castles/fortresses" in Icelandic, Faroese and Old Norse. The name is derived from a volcanic formation in Iceland, Dimmuborgir...
, Nile
Nile (band)
Nile is an American death metal band from Greenville, South Carolina, formed in 1993. Their music and lyrics are inspired by Ancient Egyptian/Near Eastern mysticism, history, religion, and art, as well as stories by H. P. Lovecraft.- History :...
, Angelcorpse
Angelcorpse
Angelcorpse was a blackened death metal band born on the ashes of Pete Helmkamp's previous band, Order from Chaos, originally from Kansas City, Missouri, and relocated to Tampa, Florida. They formed in 1995, with a line-up of Helmkamp, guitarist Gene Palubicki, and drummer John Longstreth, and...
, Malevolent Creation
Malevolent Creation
Malevolent Creation is a death metal band originally hailing from Buffalo, New York. Moving to Florida in 1987, they became a part of the emergent local death metal scene, landing a deal with Roadrunner Records...
), Dave Witte
Dave Witte
Dave Witte is a professional drummer currently living in Virginia. He is known for his work in numerous extreme metal or hardcore punk bands including Municipal Waste, Discordance Axis, Black Army Jacket, Birds of Prey, and Burnt By The Sun among others. He has also played as a session drummer for...
(Municipal Waste
Municipal Waste (band)
Municipal Waste is a thrash metal/crossover thrash band from Richmond, Virginia.They performed at the UK's Download Festival on June 15, 2008, on the tuborg stage....
, Burnt by the Sun
Burnt by the Sun (band)
Burnt by the Sun was a band from New Jersey, USA. Formed in November 1999 by ex-Human Remains drummer Dave Witte and guitarist John Adubato. ex-For the Love of... Vocalist Mike Olender and bassist Ted Patterson joined soon after. A split EP with The Luddite Clone on Ferret Records brought them to...
, Black Army Jacket
Black Army Jacket
Black Army Jacket was an American grindcore / power violence band. They released one full length album and many 7" EPs, splits and compilation appearances...
) and Max Kolesne
Max Kolesne
Max Kolesne is a death metal drummer and plays in the Brazilian death metal band Krisiun. His drumming style is noted to be pure death metal in which he incorporates blast beats followed by the regular high speed doublebass patterns.-External links:**...
(Krisiun
Krisiun
Krisiun is a Brazilian death metal band, founded by Alex Camargo , Moyses Kolesne , and Max Kolesne . Since its formation, in 1990, the group recorded two demos, Evil Age in 1991, and Curse of the Evil One in 1992, and self-released an extended play titled Unmerciful Order in 1993...
). Patrick Grün of Caliban
Caliban (band)
Caliban are a five-piece metalcore band from Germany. They have released seven studio albums to-date, and two split albums with the band Heaven Shall Burn.-History:...
and Demonic GG Allin was inspired to play drums by Lombardo, while Jason Bittner
Jason Bittner
Jason Bittner is the drummer for the American metal band Shadows Fall. He has won numerous awards including Modern Drummer Readers poll for #1 Up and Coming Drummer of 2004, and in 2005, #1 Best Recorded Performance for the Shadows Fall album The War Within, #1 Metal drummer #2 Clinician DRUM!...
of Shadows Fall
Shadows Fall
Shadows Fall is an American heavy metal band from Springfield, Massachusetts, formed in 1995. They are one of the few contemporary metal bands who take their lyrical influence from Eastern philosophy and some references to the Rastafari culture...
was particularly inspired by Lombardo's double bass, utilizing double bass when starting his own music career.
Discography
Slayer- 1983: Show No Mercy
- 1984: Haunting the ChapelHaunting the ChapelHaunting the Chapel is an EP released by the thrash metal band Slayer in 1984 through Metal Blade and Enigma Records. Slayer's debut album Show No Mercy became Metal Blade's highest selling, leading to producer Brian Slagel wanting to release an EP...
- 1984: Live UndeadLive UndeadBonus tracksThe album has also been re-released with only "Chemical Warfare" as bonus.Bonus tracks This album has been re-released with the entire Haunting the Chapel EP.-Personnel:...
- 1985: Hell AwaitsHell AwaitsHell Awaits is the second studio album by the American thrash metal band Slayer, released through Metal Blade Records in 1985. The band's previous release, Show No Mercy, became Metal Blade Records' highest selling release; as a result, producer Brian Slagel desired to release a second Slayer album...
- 1986: Reign in BloodReign in BloodReign in Blood is the third studio album and the major label debut by the American thrash metal band Slayer. It was released on October 7, 1986 through Def Jam Recordings. The album was the band's first collaboration with record producer Rick Rubin, whose input helped the band's sound evolve...
- 1988: South of HeavenSouth of HeavenSouth of Heaven is the fourth studio album by American thrash metal band Slayer. Released on July 5, 1988, the album was the band's second collaboration with record producer Rick Rubin, whose production skills on Slayer's previous album Reign in Blood had helped the band's sound evolve.South of...
- 1990: Seasons in the AbyssSeasons in the AbyssSeasons in the Abyss is the fifth studio album by the thrash metal band Slayer. It was released on October 9, 1990 through Def American Records, and later through American Recordings after the company changed its name. The album's recording sessions began in January 1990...
- 1991: Decade of AggressionDecade of AggressionDecade of Aggression is a double live album by Slayer, released on October 22, 1991 through Def American Records . It was produced by Rick Rubin and executive produced by Richard Kimball. The album was recorded in three separate places on three separate dates. Its working title was Decade of...
- 2006: Christ IllusionChrist IllusionChrist Illusion is the tenth studio album by the American thrash metal band Slayer. Released on August 8, 2006, the album received generally favorable critical reviews, and it entered the Billboard 200 at number 5—the band's highest U.S. chart position to date...
- 2009: World Painted BloodWorld Painted BloodWorld Painted Blood is the eleventh studio album by American thrash metal band Slayer. It was released through American Recordings and Sony Music on November 3, 2009 and was produced by Greg Fidelman and executively produced by Rick Rubin. It is the band's only album produced by Greg Fidelman...
Fantômas
- 1999: FantômasFantômas (album)Fantômas is the debut album by Mike Patton's supergroup by the same name, and the first album released on Ipecac Recordings. The cover depicts the Spanish poster for the 1965 French movie Fantômas se déchaîne, translated in Spanish as Fantômas amenaza al mundo...
- 2001: The Director's CutThe Director's CutThe Director's Cut is an album by Mike Patton's supergroup Fantômas. All the songs are more or less recognizable cover versions of popular movie themes. This album has many more occasions of Patton using traditional vocals than Fantomas's other albums....
- 2004: Delìrium CòrdiaDelìrium CòrdiaDelìrium Còrdia is the third full-length album by Fantômas. It was released on Ipecac Recordings in 2004.-Music:The music, which was composed solely by Patton, could be described as the score to a horror movie and/or concept album centering on the theme of surgery without anesthesia...
- 2005: Suspended AnimationSuspended Animation (Fantômas album)Suspended Animation is an album by Mike Patton's supergroup Fantômas. It is a concept album that incorporates a dual theme of cartoon sounds/music as well as paying tribute to obscure and dubious holidays throughout the month of April. The limited edition disc is a spiral bound April 2005 mini...
- 2005: Fantômas / Melt-BananaFantômas / Melt-BananaAnimali In Calore Surriscaldati Con Ipertermia Genitale/Cat in Red is the name of the split record Fantômas and Melt-Banana released in 2005 through Italian record label, Unhip Records. It was released both on 5" vinyl and 3" CD. It is now presumably out of print and difficult to find...
Grip Inc.
- 1995: Power of Inner StrengthPower of Inner Strength- Track listing :# "Toque de Muerto" – 1:22# "Savage Seas " – 3:11# "Hostage to Heaven" – 3:57# "Monster Among Us" – 4:22# "Guilty of Innocence" – 3:37# "Innate Affliction" – 3:34# "Colors of Death" – 3:04# "Ostracized" – 3:08...
- 1997: Nemesis
- 1999: Solidify
- 2004: Incorporated
Testament
- 1999: The Gathering
Other works
- 1994: Jesus Killing MachineJesus Killing MachineJesus Killing Machine was the debut album by German thrash metal band Voodoocult, released in 1994.Lyrics written by Phillip Boa, music by Waldemar Sorychta , Dave Ball , Dave Lombardo , Phillip Boa , Mille Petrozza -Track listing:# "Killer Patrol" - 3:57# "Metallized Kids" - 4:26# "Jesus Killing...
— VoodoocultVoodoocultVoodoocult was an international thrash metal band formed in 1994 by Phillip Boa, vocalist of the alternative band Phillip Boa & The Voodooclub. The project was especially notable for the reputation of the participating musicians, such as Chuck Schuldiner , Slayer drummer Dave Lombardo, and Mille... - 1999: Vivaldi The Meeting — Lorenzo Arruga, DAVE LOMBARDO & Friends
- 1999: Taboo & ExileTaboo & ExileTaboo & Exile is an album by John Zorn which synthetizes exotica, hardcore punk, classical, jazz, surf and world narration into a new prodigious genre...
— John ZornJohn ZornJohn Zorn is an American avant-garde composer, arranger, record producer, saxophonist and multi-instrumentalist. Zorn is a prolific artist: he has hundreds of album credits as performer, composer, or producer... - 2000: Xu FengXu FengXu Feng: John Zorn's Game Pieces Volume 1 is an album by American composer and saxophonist/multi-instrumentalist John Zorn consisting of game pieces...
— John ZornJohn ZornJohn Zorn is an American avant-garde composer, arranger, record producer, saxophonist and multi-instrumentalist. Zorn is a prolific artist: he has hundreds of album credits as performer, composer, or producer... - 2003: ReflectionsReflections (Apocalyptica album)Reflections is the fourth studio album of Finnish metal band Apocalyptica, released in 2003 with a special-edition entitled Reflections Revised released in the later part of 2003 containing a DVD as well as the original album with five bonus tracks. It is the first album from the band to include...
— ApocalypticaApocalypticaApocalyptica is a band from Helsinki, Finland, formed in 1993. The band is composed of classically trained cellists Eicca Toppinen, Paavo Lötjönen, and Perttu Kivilaakso and drummer Mikko Sirén... - 2005: ApocalypticaApocalyptica (album)Apocalyptica is the self-titled fifth studio album by Apocalyptica.-Track listing:#"Life Burns!" – 3:06#"Quutamo" – 3:28#"Distraction" – 3:56#"Bittersweet" – 4:26#"Misconstruction" – 3:56...
— ApocalypticaApocalypticaApocalyptica is a band from Helsinki, Finland, formed in 1993. The band is composed of classically trained cellists Eicca Toppinen, Paavo Lötjönen, and Perttu Kivilaakso and drummer Mikko Sirén...
("Betrayal/Forgiveness") - 2005: Drums of DeathDrums of Death (album)Drums of Death is an album recorded by DJ Spooky and Slayer drummer Dave Lombardo. The album is primarily instrumental, although some tracks include rap vocals. Guest artists on the album include Public Enemy's Chuck D who does reworkings of several Public Enemy tracks, Dälek, and Living Colour...
— with: DJ SpookyDJ SpookyPaul D. Miller , known by his stage name DJ Spooky, That Subliminal Kid, is a Washington DC-born electronic and experimental hip hop musician whose work is often called by critics or his fans as "illbient" or "trip hop". He is a turntablist, a producer, a philosopher, and an author... - 2006: (ONe)(ONe)' was the debut and sole album released by the supergroup The Panic Channel, who formed in 2004, released via Capitol Records on August 15, 2006...
— The Panic ChannelThe Panic ChannelThe Panic Channel was an alternative rock band formed in Los Angeles, California in 2004, following the third break-up of Jane's Addiction. The band consisted of former Jane's Addiction members, Dave Navarro , Stephen Perkins , and Chris Chaney , alongside Steve Isaacs... - 2007: Worlds CollideWorlds CollideWorlds Collide is the sixth studio album from Finnish metal band Apocalyptica, released on September 14, 2007. It includes special guests Till Lindemann, Corey Taylor, Adam Gontier, Dave Lombardo, Tomoyasu Hotei, and Cristina Scabbia...
— ApocalypticaApocalypticaApocalyptica is a band from Helsinki, Finland, formed in 1993. The band is composed of classically trained cellists Eicca Toppinen, Paavo Lötjönen, and Perttu Kivilaakso and drummer Mikko Sirén...
("Last Hope") - 2009: Extremely Sorry - "Stand By MeStand by Me (song)"Stand by Me" is the title of a song originally performed by Ben E. King and written by King, Jerry Leiber, and Mike Stoller, based on the spiritual "Lord Stand by Me,", plus two lines rooted in Psalms 46:2-3...
", with BaronBaron (musician)Baron is the artist name of Piers Baron, an award winning record producer and musician whose work includes film scores, Song Writing and DJing...
and Lemmy Kilmister - 2010: 7th Symphony7th Symphony (album)-Digital download:Digital download versions include the standard 10 track edition and the limited 12 track edition of the album, with additional bonus tracks "Spiral Architect" or "Return Game"...
— ApocalypticaApocalypticaApocalyptica is a band from Helsinki, Finland, formed in 1993. The band is composed of classically trained cellists Eicca Toppinen, Paavo Lötjönen, and Perttu Kivilaakso and drummer Mikko Sirén...
("2010") - 2010: Touring (album not released) - Philm
Equipment
- Ludwig Drums
- TAMA Iron Cobra Bass Pedals (x2)
- 24x16 Bass Drum (x2)
- 14x6 Hand Hammered Snare Drum
- 10x10 tom
- 12x11 tom
- 13x12 tom
- 14x13 tom
- 18x16 floor tom
- 20x16 floor tom
- Evans Heads
- Pro-Mark Sticks (signature)
- Paiste Cymbals
- 13" Signature Mega Cup Chime
- 18" RUDE Novo China
- 15" RUDE Custom Sound Edge Hi-Hat
- 17" RUDE Wild Crash
- 18" RUDE Wild Crash
- 20" RUDE Thin Crash
- 22" 2002 Power Ride
- 20" RUDE Novo China
- 16" 2002 China