David Lombardo (born February 16, 1965) is a Cuban-American drummer, best known as a co-founding member of the

thrash metal Thrash metal (or simply thrash) is an Extreme metal, extreme subgenre of heavy metal music characterized by its overall aggression and fast tempo.Kahn-Harris, Keith, ''Extreme Metal: Music and Culture on the Edge'', pp. 2–3, 9. Oxford: Berg, ...

band

Slayer Slayer is an American thrash metal band from Huntington Park, California, formed in 1981 by guitarists Jeff Hanneman and Kerry King, drummer Dave Lombardo and bassist/vocalist Tom Araya. Slayer's fast and aggressive musical style made them ...

. He currently plays drums with

Fantômas Fantômas () is a fictional character created by French writers Marcel Allain (1885–1969) and Pierre Souvestre (1874–1914). One of the most popular characters in the history of French crime fiction, Fantômas was created in 1911 and appeared ...

, Dead Cross, Mr. Bungle, Empire State Bastard, and Misfits. Lombardo previously played drums on nine Slayer albums, including '' Reign in Blood'' (1986) and ''

Christ Illusion ''Christ Illusion'' is the tenth studio album by American thrash metal band Slayer, released on August 8, 2006 by American Recordings. It was the band's first album featuring all four original members in nearly sixteen years. Slayer's drummer, ...

'' (2006). His music career has spanned over 40 years, during which he has been involved in the production of 35 commercial recordings covering a number of genres. He has performed with numerous other bands, including Grip Inc., Philm and Fantômas, in addition to Slayer. Lombardo is widely known as an aggressive heavy metal drummer. His drumming has been praised as "astonishingly innovative". '' Drummerworld'' named him "The Godfather of

Double Bass The double bass (), also known as the upright bass, the acoustic bass, the bull fiddle, or simply the bass, is the largest and lowest-pitched string instrument, chordophone in the modern orchestra, symphony orchestra (excluding rare additions ...

". He has had a significant influence on the metal scene and inspired modern metal drummers, particularly

extreme metal Extreme metal is a loosely defined umbrella term for a number of related heavy metal music subgenres that have developed since the early 1980s. It has been defined as a "cluster of metal subgenres characterized by sonic, verbal, and visual tran ...

drummers.

Biography

Early years

Lombardo was born in

Havana, Cuba Havana (; ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center. He is of Italian descent through his paternal great-grandfather, who relocated to Cuba in the 19th century. Lombardo moved with his family to

South Gate, California South Gate is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States, with . It is located southeast of Downtown Los Angeles. South Gate is part of the Gateway Cities region of southeastern Los Angeles County. The city was incorporated on J ...

, when he was two years old, and still speaks Spanish. He has two older brothers and an older sister; his brothers had previously emigrated to the US via Operation Peter Pan. He is childhood friends with

Cypress Hill Cypress Hill is an American Hip hop music, hip hop group formed in South Gate, California in 1988. One of the first Latin groups to gain mainstream recognition in hip hop, they have sold over 20 million albums worldwide, and have obtained multi ...

rapper Sen Dog, who attended the same high school as him. His musical interests were fueled by his first musical performance when he was eight years old; he played bongos to

Santana Santana may refer to: Transportation * Volkswagen Santana, an automobile * Santana Cycles, manufacturer of tandem bicycles * Santana Motors, a former Spanish automobile manufacturer * Sailboat designs by W. D. Schock Corp ** Santana 20 ** Santan ...

's "Everybody's Everything". Lombardo joined his school's band and played the marching drum. After noticing his son's persistent interest in music, Lombardo's father bought him a five-piece Pearl Maxwin drum set for $350 when Lombardo was ten years old. Lombardo bought his first record, '' Alive!'' by

Kiss A kiss is the touching or pressing of one's lips against another person, animal or object. Cultural connotations of kissing vary widely; depending on the culture and context, a kiss can express sentiments of love, passion, romance, sex ...

, to play along with. He learned to play Kiss' "100,000 Years" by repeatedly listening to the record until he could play the drum solo perfectly. Lombardo asked his parents for drum lessons. Although they agreed, the lessons were short-lived. Lombardo grew bored because the lessons were repetitive and did not challenge him. Lombardo's friends introduced him to

disco Disco is a music genre, genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the late 1960s from the United States' urban nightclub, nightlife, particularly in African Americans, African-American, Italian-Americans, Italian-American, LGBTQ ...

, which appealed to his affinity for

funk Funk is a music genre that originated in African-American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African-Americans in the ...

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

and

soul The soul is the purported Mind–body dualism, immaterial aspect or essence of a Outline of life forms, living being. It is typically believed to be Immortality, immortal and to exist apart from the material world. The three main theories that ...

. He became a temporary DJ for a mobile disc jockey under the name A Touch of Class. Unimpressed with their son coming home at 4:00 am, Lombardo's parents pressured him into quitting the DJ gig or face military school. Lombardo returned to playing rock music in 1978 and befriended several like-minded musicians around South Gate. Lombardo attended Pius X High School. He performed

Chuck Berry Charles Edward Anderson Berry (October 18, 1926 – March 18, 2017) was an American singer, guitarist and songwriter who pioneered rock and roll. Nicknamed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Father of Rock and Roll", he refined and de ...

's "

Johnny B. Goode "Johnny B. Goode" is a song by American musician Chuck Berry, written and sung by Berry in 1958. Released as a Single (music), single in 1958, it peaked at number two on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, Hot R&B Sides chart and number eight on its pre ...

" with a guitarist named Peter Fashing during the school's talent show. "I'll never forget the roar of the crowd during the drum solo. We brought the house down," said Lombardo, who became known as "David the Drummer" the following day. Lombardo soon formed a band named Escape with two guitarists. Lombardo found a vocalist to join the band after he transferred to South Gate High School in 1979. The band performed at several events under the name Sabotage, but the band was short-lived. Lombardo's parents convinced him to quit the band because he was withdrawing from everything except music. Knowing her son was set on pursuing a life on the stage, Lombardo's mother asked him to at least graduate high school. He honored her wish and graduated from South Gate High School in June 1983. Immediately following, Lombardo was recommended by his technical drafting teacher to Diesel Energy Systems Company. Impressed with his skill, Lombardo was hired on the spot. Around this time, Lombardo's musical career was ready to take off.

Musical career

Slayer

When he was 16, Lombardo's friends told him about a guitar player, Kerry King, who lived a few blocks away. Lombardo dropped by King's house to meet him. Lombardo introduced himself, mentioned he played drums, and shared that he wanted to start a band. King jammed with Lombardo and later showed Lombardo his guitar collection. The two quickly realized they shared some of the same musical interests. After rehearsing in Lombardo's garage several times, King introduced the drummer to another guitarist named

Jeff Hanneman Jeffrey John Hanneman (January 31, 1964 – May 2, 2013) was an American musician, best known as a founding member and co-lead guitarist of the thrash metal band Slayer. Hanneman composed both music and lyrics for every Slayer album until his d ...

. The three rehearsed several times before they decided they needed a singer and bass player. King had previously played with Tom Araya in a band called Quits and decided to introduce Araya to Lombardo and Hanneman. With Slayer's line-up now complete, Lombardo stabbed out the now iconic logo and the band began to develop their groundbreaking sound. Slayer recorded their debut album ''

Show No Mercy ''Show No Mercy'' is the debut studio album by American thrash metal band Slayer, released in December 1983 by Metal Blade Records. Brian Slagel signed the band to the label after watching them perform an Iron Maiden cover. The band self-finance ...

'' soon after. Lombardo enlisted producer

Rick Rubin Frederick Jay Rubin (, ; born March 10, 1963) is an American record producer. He is a co-founder of Def Jam Recordings, founder of American Recordings, and former co-president of Columbia Records. Rubin helped popularize hip hop by produci ...

for their third album '' Reign in Blood'' (1986). Lombardo left the band during their tour to promote ''Reign in Blood'', stating, "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." Tony Scaglione of Whiplash was enlisted to replace Lombardo. Unhappy with the change, Rick Rubin repeatedly called Lombardo asking his return. Lombardo initially refused before eventually returning to the band in 1987. Lombardo recorded drums on the Slayer albums ''

South of Heaven ''South of Heaven'' is the fourth studio album by American thrash metal band Slayer, released on July 5, 1988, by Def Jam Recordings. The album was the band's second collaboration with producer Rick Rubin, whose production skills on their previo ...

'' (1988) and '' Seasons in the Abyss'' (1990). He left the band again in 1992. Lombardo left Slayer because he wanted to be present for his first child's birth. Lombardo told his bandmates at the beginning of the pregnancy, stating he would be unable to tour the last two weeks of September. He got a phone call from Slayer's manager, Rick Sales, stating that they were booking a festival in September. Lombardo, however, was firm in his decision and insisted he would not miss his child's birth. Ten years after leaving Slayer, Lombardo got a phone call from the band in 2001, asking if he would like to perform a few shows. Hanneman was eager for Dave to return, but King was less enthusiastic. King thought Lombardo was not up to snuff, but was "blown away" by Lombardo's performance in rehearsals. King later said, "He's got the feet and he's got the hands, he's not missing a step." Lombardo decided to resume drumming duties. His first show was at Toad's Place in

New Haven, Connecticut New Haven is a city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound. With a population of 135,081 as determined by the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, New Haven is List ...

on January 24, 2002. At the beginning of the band's show at The 7 Flags Event Center near

Des Moines, Iowa Des Moines is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities in Iowa, most populous city in the U.S. state of Iowa. It is the county seat of Polk County, Iowa, Polk County with parts extending into Warren County, Iowa, Wa ...

on February 2, 2002, Araya welcomed Lombardo's return and dedicated the show to Exodus vocalist Paul Baloff, who had died earlier that day. Lombardo toured with Slayer as part of

Ozzfest Ozzfest was an annual music festival tour of the United States and sometimes Europe and later Japan, featuring performances by many heavy metal music, heavy metal and hard rock musical groups. It was founded by Sharon Osbourne and her husband O ...

, H82k2, Summer Tour, and the 2004

Download Festival Download Festival is a rock festival created by Andy Copping, held annually at the Donington Park motorsport circuit in Leicestershire, England (since 2003); in Paris, France (since 2016); at Parramatta Park, Sydney (since 2019); Flemington ...

. While preparing for the Download Festival in England,

Metallica Metallica is an American heavy metal band. It was formed in Los Angeles in 1981 by vocalist and guitarist James Hetfield and drummer Lars Ulrich, and has been based in San Francisco for most of its career. The band's fast tempos, instrume ...

drummer

Lars Ulrich Lars Ulrich (; ; born 26 December 1963) is a Danish musician who is the drummer and a founding member of American heavy metal band Metallica. Along with James Hetfield, Ulrich has songwriting credits on almost all of the band's songs, and the ...

was hospitalized for a mysterious illness. Metallica rhythm guitarist and vocalist

James Hetfield James Alan Hetfield (born August 3, 1963) is an American musician. He is the lead vocalist, rhythm guitarist, co-founder, and a primary songwriter of heavy metal band Metallica. He is mainly known for his raspy voice and intricate rhythm playi ...

searched for volunteers to replace Ulrich; Slipknot drummer

Joey Jordison Nathan Jonas "Joey" Jordison (April 26, 1975 – July 26, 2021) was an American musician. He was the original drummer of the nu metal band Slipknot (band), Slipknot, in which he was designated #1, and the guitarist for the horror punk Supergroup ...

, Flemming Larsen (Ulrich's drum technician) and Lombardo volunteered. Lombardo performed the songs " Battery" and " The Four Horsemen", while Jordison and Larsen performed the rest of the songs. Lombardo recorded drums on Slayer's 2006 release ''

'', promoting the album on The Unholy Alliance tour. King said Lombardo was a major attraction for the fans, and one of the reasons for their surge in popularity. King and other band members preferred Lombardo on drums. 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 with critics praising Lombardo's return. Chris Steffen of ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...

'' wrote, "''Christ Illusion'' is ''

God Hates Us All ''God Hates Us All'' is the ninth studio album by American thrash metal band Slayer, released on September 11, 2001, by American Recordings (US), American Recordings. It was recorded over three months at The Warehouse Studio in Vancouver, and inc ...

'' 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. He 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 recorded another album with Slayer in 2009, titled '' World Painted Blood''. He left the band once again in February 2013 shortly before the band was scheduled to play Australia's Soundwave festival, due to further contract and pay disputes with band members. Slayer's final concert was held on November 30, 2019. Lombardo stated that he had no interest in attending their final performances because he was busy with his own musical projects. In 2022, he listed " Captor of Sin", " Ghosts of War", and " Beauty Through Order" as his favorite Slayer songs.

Grip Inc.

After the birth of his first child in 1993, Lombardo formed Grip Inc. with Voodoocult guitarist Waldemar Sorychta. The pair recruited bassist Jason VieBrooks and vocalist Gus Chambers to complete the line-up. An early five-piece line-up briefly featured former Overkill guitarist Bobby Gustafson who claims to have come up with the name Grip which Lombardo expanded to Grip Inc. after Gustafson's departure in order to avoid a potential lawsuit. Grip Inc.'s debut record was released in 1995. The album, titled Power of Inner Strength, was distributed via California-based label

Metal Blade Records Metal Blade Records (often shortened to Metal Blade) is an American independent record label founded by Brian Slagel in 1982 based in the U.S. state of California. The label primarily focuses on heavy metal. History Metal Blade Records was ...

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

reviewer Vincent Jeffries singled out Lombardo for praise on the album, saying Slayer fans would "enjoy the drummer's double bass work and overall aggression throughout the disc." Sorychta claimed 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 said people complain "now Grip Inc. sound exactly like Slayer." The band released ''

Nemesis In ancient Greek religion and myth, Nemesis (; ) also called Rhamnousia (or Rhamnusia; ), was the goddess who personified retribution for the sin of hubris: arrogance before the gods. Etymology The name ''Nemesis'' is derived from the Greek ...

'' in 1997. Jeffries praised Lombardo's "crushing drum work" which takes center stage on the album. Bassist VieBrooks left the band in 1999; he was replaced by Stuart Carruthers. The band released '' Solidify'' later that year. The album was described as a step towards "progressive and exotic rhythms,

structures A structure is an arrangement and organization of interrelated elements in a material object or system, or the object or system so organized. Material structures include man-made objects such as buildings and machines and natural objects such as ...

, and instrumentation, while never compromising intensity". 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. Lombardo recorded his final album with Grip Inc., '' Incorporated'', in 2004. He said the band is on the "back burner" because of time taken up touring with Slayer.

Philm

In 1997, Lombardo began collaborating with vocalist/guitarist Gerry Nestler and bassist Juan Perez after the demise of their former band, Civil Defiance. Initially called Letter Bomb, the experimental trio later changed the name to Philm. The group played shows in the LA area and worked on material at Lombardo's home studio until Lombardo returned to Slayer in 2001. Nestler and Perez kept going with new drummer George Hernandez, releasing the ''M'' album under the name Kkleq Muzzil in 2002. Lombardo and Nestler both guested on

DJ Spooky Paul Dennis Miller (born September 6, 1970), known professionally as DJ Spooky, That Subliminal Kid, is an American Electronic music, electronic and experimental hip hop musician whose work is often called by critics "illbient" or "trip hop". ...

's 2005 album, '' Drums of Death'', and eventually reformed Philm in early 2010 after a jam at the famous Rainbow Bar and Grill in West Hollywood, CA, recruiting

War War is an armed conflict between the armed forces of states, or between governmental forces and armed groups that are organized under a certain command structure and have the capacity to sustain military operations, or between such organi ...

's Francisco 'Pancho' Tomaselli on bass. The band initially recorded a three-song demo with producer Piers Baron; The first release came in August 2010 in the form of a 7" single, a cover of the

Black Sabbath Black Sabbath are an English rock band formed in Birmingham in 1968 by guitarist Tony Iommi, drummer Bill Ward (musician), Bill Ward, bassist Geezer Butler, and vocalist Ozzy Osbourne. After adopting the Black Sabbath name in 1969 (the band ...

classic '' Symptom of the Universe''. It was issued by Volcom Entertainment as part of the Volcom Vinyl Club in translucent blue vinyl, limited to 500 copies. Philm would play a run of U.S. dates as openers for Halford in late 2010 and signed with

Mike Patton Michael Allan Patton (born January 27, 1968) is an American singer, songwriter, producer, and voice actor, best known as the lead vocalist of the rock bands Faith No More and Mr. Bungle. He has also fronted and/or played with Tomahawk, The ...

Ipecac Syrup of ipecac (), or simply ipecac, is a drug that was once widely used as an expectorant (in low doses) and a rapid-acting emetic (in higher doses). It is obtained from the dried rhizome and roots of the ipecacuanha plant ('' Carapichea ipe ...

label for the release of their 2012 debut album, 'Harmonic', which included updated versions of the songs "Amoniac", "Dome" and "Meditation", written by the original Philm line-up and first released by Kkleq Muzzil on the ''M'' album. In October 2013, Lombardo, Nestler and stand-in bass player Dan Lutz performed the world live premier of composer

Christopher Young Christopher Young (born April 28, 1958) is an American composer of Film score, film and television scores. Many of his compositions are for horror and thriller films, including ''Hellraiser'', ''Species (film), Species'', ''Urban Legend (film) ...

's Suite from '' Ghost Rider'' with the Golden State Pops Orchestra at the Warner Grand Theatre in Los Angeles, CA as part of an evening of horror movie scores performed with a 75-piece orchestra. In July 2014, Philm announced a new partnership with German-based company UDR Records for the release of the group's sophomore effort, 'Fire From the Evening Sun'. The album was supported with a European tour in late 2014. In a September 2015 interview, Lombardo talked about plans for the next Philm release, a 19-song double album recorded in New York City. "It's called 'Philm Noir', and that's piano, bass and drums. Gerry (Paul Nestler, guitar/vocals) plays piano really, really, really well, and Pancho (Francisco Tomaselli), obviously, on bass and myself. I tone it down and play with brushes. So, I would say 'Fire From the Evening Sun' is the extreme side of Philm, but then we also have a very avant-garde, jazz and ambient side of Philm, which is 'Philm Noir'." Lombardo left the group a couple of months later and proclaimed its demise in early 2016. However, Nestler and Tomaselli carried on with a new drummer and released a third album, ''Time Burner'', in early 2021.

Fantômas

In 1998, Lombardo joined a side project called

with

Faith No More Faith No More is an American Rock music, rock band from San Francisco, California, formed in 1979. Before September 1983, the band performed under the names Sharp Young Men and later Faith No Man. Bassist Billy Gould, keyboardist/rhythm guitarist ...

vocalist

and

Melvins Melvins (sometimes the Melvins) are an American rock band formed in 1983 in Montesano, Washington. Their early work was key to the development of both grunge and sludge metal. Primarily a trio, they have also performed as a quartet, with eith ...

' guitarist

Buzz Osborne Roger "Buzz" Osborne (born March 25, 1964), also known as King Buzzo, is an American guitarist, vocalist, songwriter and golfer. He is a founding member of the rock band Melvins, as well as Fantômas (band), Fantômas and Venomous Concept. Biog ...

. The band formed when Lombardo was approached by Patton at a Faith No More concert; Patton asked Lombardo about his "fusion" project (Grip Inc.). Patton called Lombardo several months after Faith No More broke up and asked if Lombardo wanted to join Patton's fusion project. Lombardo enthusiastically agreed, "Fuck yeah!" Lombardo later described

as the hardest music he has played: "Slayer doesn't even come close. Slayer was hard in a physical way, this is physically demanding and requires 'feeling'. (The kind of connectedness that demands) no clicking of sticks." The drummer described Fantômas' sound by stating "

Picasso Pablo Diego José Francisco de Paula Juan Nepomuceno María de los Remedios Cipriano de la Santísima Trinidad Ruiz y Picasso (25 October 1881 – 8 April 1973) was a Spanish painter, sculptor, printmaker, Ceramic art, ceramicist, and Scenic ...

was a musician, this would be his music." Lombardo recorded four albums with the band.

Dead Cross

Lombardo revealed the formation of yet another new musical project, Dead Cross, in November 2015. With ruthless, hardcore punk music, ''

'' described the band as a "vicious statement of renewed intent from Lombardo, the most influential drummer of the past 30 years." Dead Cross announced on December 12, 2016, that

would front the band. Produced by Ross Robinson and Dead Cross, the band released their eponymous debut album in August 2017.

Suicidal Tendencies

Lombardo joined

crossover thrash Crossover thrash (often abbreviated to crossover) is a fusion genre of thrash metal and hardcore punk. The genre emerged in the mid-1980s, when hardcore punk bands, such as Suicidal Tendencies, Cryptic Slaughter, Corrosion of Conformity and Dir ...

band

Suicidal Tendencies Suicidal Tendencies is an American crossover thrash band formed in 1980 in Venice, California, by vocalist Mike Muir. The band has undergone various lineup changes, with Muir as the only remaining original member. Their current lineup includes ...

in February 2016 and toured with the band for their spring tour with

Megadeth Megadeth is an American thrash metal band formed in Los Angeles in 1983 by vocalist and guitarist Dave Mustaine. Known for their technically complex guitar work and musicianship, Megadeth is one of the "big four" of American thrash metal—alo ...

and summer European dates. Fans speculated Lombardo was only playing with the band as a fill-in drummer. Those rumors were dispelled, however, when the band posted a video to their

Instagram Instagram is an American photo sharing, photo and Short-form content, short-form video sharing social networking service owned by Meta Platforms. It allows users to upload media that can be edited with Social media camera filter, filters, be ...

account on May 15, 2016. The video showed Lombardo recording drums for a new album, '' World Gone Mad.'' The album was released on September 30, 2016. He left Suicidal Tendencies in 2021.

Misfits

In August 2016, the Misfits announced Lombardo as their drummer for their reunion shows. Due to the success of the shows, the Misfits announced in August 2017 that they would do two more. Lombardo would again be on drums. Lombardo performed two shows - one on December 28, 2017, at MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas and December 30, 2017, at the Forum, Los Angeles, California, in which all 16,000 tickets for the show were sold out in less than one minute. Lombardo has continued to drum for them and has played at every reunion show from 2016 to the present year.

Mr. Bungle

In 2019, Lombardo was announced as the drummer for the seven upcoming Mr. Bungle reunion shows in 2020 in which the band performed their 1986 demo ''The Raging Wrath of The Easter Bunny''. In 2020, the band rerecorded the demo, with Lombardo on drums. It was released on October 30, 2020.

Testament

In 1999, Lombardo performed drum work on the

Testament A testament is a document that the author has sworn to be true. In law it usually means last will and testament. Testament or The Testament can also refer to: Books * ''Testament'' (comic book), a 2005 comic book * ''Testament'', a thriller no ...

album '' The Gathering'', rounding off a veritable "supergroup" with

Steve Di Giorgio Steve Di Giorgio (born November 7, 1967) is an American bass guitarist. He is known for his work with numerous heavy metal bands such as Sadus (of which he was a co-founder), Death, Testament, Megadeth, Sebastian Bach, Iced Earth, Autopsy, Ob ...

and James Murphy. However, he left the band right before the album's world tour in 1999-2000. On March 1, 2022, it was announced that Lombardo had rejoined Testament as the replacement of

Gene Hoglan Eugene Victor Hoglan II (born August 31, 1967) is an American drummer, acclaimed for his creativity in drum arrangements, including use of abstract devices for percussion effects and his trademark lengthy double-kick drum rhythms. Though his pla ...

, who had left the band nearly two months earlier. His return to Testament occurred just one month before the start of his first major tour with the band, and they also plan to record a new album with him. Lombardo expressed uncertainty that he would return to Testament after announcing that he would be sitting out of the band's 2023 tour dates.

Side projects

In 1999, Lombardo collaborated with Italian classical musician ''Lorenzo Arruga'' to record ''

Vivaldi Antonio Lucio Vivaldi (4 March 1678 – 28 July 1741) was an Italian composer, virtuoso violinist, impresario of Baroque music and Roman Catholic priest. Regarded as one of the greatest Baroque composers, Vivaldi's influence during his lif ...

– The Meeting''. The seven-track album had drum improvisations on Vivaldi's work including two pieces from '' The Four Seasons'' 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. He has appeared on two albums by

John Zorn John Zorn (born September 2, 1953) is an American composer, conducting, conductor, saxophonist, arrangement, arranger and record producer, producer who "deliberately resists category". His Avant-garde music, avant-garde and experimental music, ex ...

: ''Taboo and Exile'' (1999) and '' Xu Feng'' (2000) performing with Zorn,

Bill Laswell William Otis Laswell (born February 12, 1955) is an American bass guitarist, record producer, and record label owner. He has been involved in thousands of recordings with many collaborators from all over the world. His music draws from funk, wo ...

Fred Frith Jeremy Webster "Fred" Frith (born 17 February 1949) is an English multi-instrumentalist, composer, and improviser. Probably best known for his guitar work, Frith first came to attention as a founding member of the English avant-rock group Henry ...

, William Winant and others. He also played in Paris with Zorn, Laswell and Frith in an improvisatonal quartet project called Blade Runner. 1999 also saw the release of avant-garde sculptor/filmmaker

Matthew Barney Matthew Barney (born March 25, 1967) is an American contemporary artist and film director who works in the fields of sculpture, film, photography and drawing. His works explore connections among geography, biology, geology and mythology as well ...

's "Cremaster 2", inspired by the life of Gary Gilmore. Lombardo played an epic drum solo accompanied by a swarm of angry bees on the track "The Man in Black". In 2005, Lombardo recorded '' Drums of Death'' with

. 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, sometimes referred to as scrubbing, is a DJ and Turntablism, turntablist technique of moving a vinyl record back and forth on a phonograph, turntable to produce percussive or rhythmic sounds. A crossfader on a DJ mixer may be used to ...

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 is a Finnish symphonic metal band from Helsinki, formed in 1993. The band is currently composed of three classically trained cellists Eicca Toppinen, Paavo Lötjönen, and Perttu Kivilaakso. Originally a Classical music, classical- ...

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 the recording tapes of ''Reflections'' to his home 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 ''

'' 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 Ian Fraser Kilmister (24 December 1945 – 28 December 2015), better known as Lemmy Kilmister or simply Lemmy, was a British musician. He was the founder, lead vocalist, bassist and primary songwriter of the metal band Motörhead, of which he ...

on vocals and bass, and produced by DJ and producer

Baron Baron is a rank of nobility or title of honour, often Hereditary title, hereditary, in various European countries, either current or historical. The female equivalent is baroness. Typically, the title denotes an aristocrat who ranks higher than ...

. The song was made for legendary pro skateboarder Geoff Rowley. Lombardo has contributed to television and film scores including '' Dawn of the Dead'', '' Insidious: Chapter 3'', and the seventh season of the Showtime series ''

Californication Californication may refer to: *Californication (word), an expression that refers to the influx of Californians into various western states in the U.S. *Californication (album), ''Californication'' (album), a 1999 album by the Red Hot Chili Peppers ...

''. On March 1, 2023, Dave Lombardo was announced as touring drummer for a short run of UK shows by Empire State Bastard, the side project of

Biffy Clyro Biffy Clyro are a Scottish Rock music, rock band that formed in Kilmarnock, composed of Simon Neil (lead vocals, guitar) and twin brothers James Johnston (Scottish musician), James (bass, backing vocals) and Ben Johnston (Scottish musician), Be ...

frontman

Simon Neil Simon Alexander Neil (born 31 August 1979) is a Scottish musician, best known as the lead vocalist and guitarist for rock band Biffy Clyro. In 2003, Neil formed the side project Marmaduke Duke with Sucioperro, JP Reid, releasing two studio albu ...

, and touring guitarist Mike Vennart.

Style and legacy

Lombardo named Bill Ward, Mitch Mitchell,

John Bonham John Henry Bonham (31 May 1948 – 25 September 1980) was an English musician who was the drummer of the rock band Led Zeppelin. Noted for his speed, power, fast single-footed kick drumming, distinctive sound, and feel for groove, John Bonh ...

Ian Paice Ian Anderson Paice (born 29 June 1948) is an English musician who is the drummer and last remaining original member of the rock band Deep Purple. He remains the only member of Deep Purple who has served in every line-up since the band's incep ...

and

Ginger Baker Peter Edward "Ginger" Baker (19 August 1939 – 6 October 2019) was an English drummer. His work in the 1960s and 1970s earned him the reputation of "rock's first superstar drummer", for a style that melded jazz and Music of Africa, Africa ...

as main influences at early age. Some of his later inspirations include

Clive Burr Clive Ronald Burr (8 March 1956 – 12 March 2013) was an English musician. He was the drummer of the heavy metal band Iron Maiden from 1979 to 1982. Together with fellow Iron Maiden member Dennis Stratton, he joined Praying Mantis for the r ...

, Phil Taylor, D.H. Peligro, and

Dale Crover Dale Crover (born October 23, 1967) is an American rock musician. Crover is best known as the drummer for Melvins and has also been the drummer for Men of Porn, Shrinebuilder, Crystal Fairy and, for a brief time, Nirvana. He is also guitar ...

. He is known for his fast, aggressive style of play utilizing the double bass drum 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." In an interview with Guitar Center in the spring of 2012 he said: "I don't like a double pedal because when the beater hits, I immediately come back with the other pedal. And that head is resonating, which creates a momentum that isn't helpful. It throws me off balance. With two bass drums, I don't have any problems. It's just a feel thing." 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 Enemy Arch Enemy is a Swedish melodic death metal band, originally a Supergroup (music), supergroup from Halmstad, formed in 1995. Its members were in bands such as Carcass (band), Carcass, Armageddon (Swedish band), Armageddon, Carnage (band), Carna ...

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 anneman, guitaristhave been warming up for like an hour." In an interview with ''

Modern Drummer ''Modern Drummer'' is a monthly publication targeting the interests of drummers and percussionists. The magazine features interviews, equipment reviews, columns offering advice on technique, and information for the general public. ''Modern Dru ...

'', Lombardo has stated that when he plays drum beats on the bass drums, he always begins with his left foot. German newspaper ''

Die Zeit (, ) is a German national weekly newspaper published in Hamburg in Germany. The newspaper is generally considered to be among the German newspapers of record and is known for its long and extensive articles. History The first edition of was ...

'' named Slayer's '' Reign in Blood'' #79 on their list of 100 Classics of Modern Music, with critic Matthias Schönebäumer writing: 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 Alternative metal (also known as alt-metal) is a genre of heavy metal music that combines heavy metal with influences from alternative rock and other genres not normally associated with metal. Alternative metal bands are often characterized by ...

band

Evanescence Evanescence is an American Rock music, rock band founded in 1994 by singer and keyboardist Amy Lee and guitarist Ben Moody in Little Rock, Arkansas. After releasing independent extended play, EPs and a Origin (Evanescence demo album), demo ...

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 Death is the end of life; the irreversible cessation of all biological functions that sustain a living organism. Death eventually and inevitably occurs in all organisms. The remains of a former organism normally begin to decompose sh ...

was "blown away" by Lombardo's performance and double bass on the album '' Reign in Blood'', as was

Cannibal Corpse Cannibal Corpse is an American death metal band formed in Buffalo, New York, in 1988, now based in Tampa, Florida. The band has released sixteen studio albums, two box sets, four video albums, and two live albums. The band has had little radio ...

drummer Paul Mazurkiewicz. Raymond Herrera of the band

Fear Factory Fear Factory is an American industrial metal band formed in Los Angeles in 1989. Throughout the band's career, they have released ten full-length albums and have evolved through a succession of sounds, all in their main style of industrial met ...

cites Lombardo as one of his major influences, as do Pete Sandoval (

Morbid Angel Morbid Angel is an American death metal band based in Tampa, Florida, formed in 1983 by guitarist, primary composer and sole remaining original member Trey Azagthoth, vocalist and bassist Dallas Ward, and drummer Mike Browning. Widely considere ...

, Terrorizer),

Igor Cavalera Igor Graziano Cavalera (born 4 September 1970) is a Brazilian musician, best known as the former drummer for the heavy metal band Sepultura, which he co-founded with his brother Max in 1984. Max left the band in 1997, and Igor himself would ...

(

Sepultura Sepultura (, "grave")Barcinski & Gomes 1999, page 17. is a Brazilian heavy metal band formed in Belo Horizonte in 1984 by brothers Max and Igor Cavalera.Barcinski & Gomes 1999, page 16. They were a major force in the groove metal, thrash met ...

, Cavalera Conspiracy), Chris Pennie (The Dillinger Escape Plan), Adrian Erlandsson (Paradise Lost (band), Paradise Lost, Cradle of Filth, Brujeria (band), Brujeria), George Kollias (drummer), George Kollias (Nile (band), Nile, Nightfall (band), Nightfall),

( Slipknot), Dirk Verbeuren (Soilwork,

), Derek Roddy (Aurora Borealis (band), Aurora Borealis, Nile (band), Nile, Hate Eternal), Mike Portnoy (Dream Theater, Adrenaline Mob), The Rev, James Sullivan (Avenged Sevenfold), Steve Asheim (Deicide (band), Deicide), Michael Thomas (drummer), Michael "Moose" Thomas (Bullet for My Valentine), Tony Laureano (Dimmu Borgir, Nile (band), Nile, Angelcorpse, Malevolent Creation), Dave Witte (Municipal Waste (band), Municipal Waste, Burnt by the Sun (band), Burnt by the Sun, Black Army Jacket), Max Kolesne (Krisiun), Patrick Grün (Caliban (band), Caliban), Nick Barker (drummer), Nick Barker (Cradle of Filth (band), Cradle of Filth, Dimmu Borgir), and Jason Bittner (Shadows Fall). Lombardo endorses and uses Tama Drums, Promark Drumsticks, Paiste Cymbals and Remo Drumheads. Lombardo is left handed, but drums right handed and plays a right handed kit.

Art

Lombardo began the creation of his first art collection, "Rhythm Mysterium" in early 2014. To execute the project, Lombardo worked with art team Scene Four in Los Angeles, California. The art collection is titled "RHYTHM MYSTERIUM". Containing 13 works, the collection is built from the new medium of rhythm-on-canvas. In 2015, Lombardo released ''LOMBARDO'', a book-and-vinyl set. The book is a comprehensive look at Dave Lombardo's artwork built from rhythm, and the vinyl contains Lombardo's improvised drum interpretations for each art piece within the book.

Discography

;Solo *2023: ''Rites of Percussion'' ;Slayer *1983: ''

'' *1984: ''Haunting the Chapel'' (EP) *1984: ''Live Undead'' (Live album) *1985: ''Hell Awaits'' *1986: '' Reign in Blood'' *1988: ''

'' *1990: '' Seasons in the Abyss'' *1991: ''Decade of Aggression'' (Live album) *2006: ''

'' *2009: '' World Painted Blood'' *2010: ''The Big 4 Live from Sofia, Bulgaria'' (Live DVD) ;Grip Inc. *1995: '' Power of Inner Strength'' *1997: ''

'' *1999: '' Solidify'' *2004: '' Incorporated'' *2015: ''Hostage to Heaven'' (EP) ;Fantômas *1999: ''Fantômas (Fantômas album), Fantômas'' *2001: ''The Director's Cut'' *2002: ''Millennium Monsterwork 2000'' *2004: ''Delìrium Còrdia'' *2005: ''Suspended Animation (Fantômas album), Suspended Animation'' *2005: ''Fantômas / Melt-Banana'' ;Testament *1999: '' The Gathering'' ;Philm *2012: ''Harmonic'' *2014: ''Fire from the Evening Sun'' ;Suicidal Tendencies *2016: '' World Gone Mad'' *2018: ''Get Your Fight On!'' (EP) *2018: ''Still Cyco Punk After All These Years'' ;Dead Cross *2017: ''Dead Cross (album), Dead Cross'' *2018: ''Dead Cross'' (EP) *2022: ''II'' ;Mr Bungle *2020 ''The Raging Wrath of the Easter Bunny Demo'' ;Annihilator *2022: ''Metal II'' ;Venamoris *2023: ''Drown in Emotion'' *2025: ''To Cross or to Burn'' ;Empire State Bastard *2023: ''Rivers of Heresy'' ;Other works *1994: ''Jesus Killing Machine'' – Voodoocult *1999: ''Cremaster 2'' *1999: ''Vivaldi The Meeting – Lorenzo Arruga, DAVE LOMBARDO & Friends'' *1999: ''Taboo & Exile'' –

*2000: '' Xu Feng'' –

*2003: '' Reflections'' –

*2004: '' Dawn of the Dead'' *2005: ''

'' –

("Betrayal/Forgiveness") *2005: '' Drums of Death'' – with:

*2007: '' Worlds Collide'' –

("Last Hope") *2009: ''Flip Skateboards#Extremely Sorry, Extremely Sorry'' – "Stand by Me (Ben E. King song), Stand By Me", with

and

Kilmister *2010: '' 7th Symphony'' –

("2010") *2013: ''The Mediator Between Head and Hands Must Be the Heart'' –

("Obsessed") *2013: ''Californication (season 7), Californication'' *2014: ''The Monkey King (2014 film), The Monkey King'' *2015: '' Insidious: Chapter 3'' *2016: ''I.T. (film), I.T.'' *2016: ''The Belko Experiment''

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lombardo, Dave 1965 births Living people American musicians of Cuban descent American heavy metal drummers Cuban emigrants to the United States Hispanic and Latino American musicians Cuban people of Italian descent Musicians from Havana Slayer members Cuban musicians Dead Cross members 20th-century American drummers American male drummers Voodoocult members Suicidal Tendencies members Misfits (band) members Grip Inc. members Fantômas (band) members Testament (band) members American people of Italian descent Thirsty Ear Recordings artists People from South Gate, California Thrash metal musicians Drummers from California