Slayer’s Dave Lombardo talks thrash
Words by Bobby S. Gulshan – Photo by Mark Seliger

I was 13 when Slayer released Seasons in the Abyss. At the time of its release, the United States was engaged in a war with Iraq. Around this time, I toyed around with the idea of becoming a writer. Grunge soon exploded on the scene, and the Seattle sound put the last nail in the coffin of glam metal. Meanwhile, seminal thrash metal records, such as Megadeth’s Rust in Peace and Anthrax’s Persistence of Time, fueled a burgeoning and bludgeoning style of metal called thrash.

Indeed, the tapes confirm it. World Painted Blood shows a return to form, while a renewed sense of creative vigor promises to keep fuel on the fire.

You guys are going out with Megadeth and Testament on the first leg of the American Carnage Tour, and will be joined by Anthrax on the second leg. What inspired this group of bands to get together?
A bunch of agents and managers got together and said, “Hey let’s put this together.” I don’t know how these things come up, we just get word, like, “there is a possibility of Slayer and Megadeth and Testament getting together,” and they ask us if we want to do it and we said, “Hey, why not?”

I want to talk a little about the latest record, World Painted Blood. It seems to me that the record picks up in some sense where Seasons in the Abyss left off, sort of a return to form, if you will. Was there something you did differently as a drummer when approaching this record?
I was in a whole different state of mind when I worked on this record. I had a different approach, a wiser approach and more song constructive ideas when it came to the structuring of the drums, so I think it’s just a very mature record.

I was looking at some videos you had done for Modern Drummer magazine and you mentioned a quote from Art Blakey, when he said he heard violins in his cymbals. In talking about World Painted Blood, did other music such as jazz or groovy sorts of things inspire the work?
Yes, definitely. It’s music but also the movement of the music, how its rhythm is composed. It’s so deep, I don’t know. I live and breathe rhythm and music, and it’s hard to pinpoint.

I also noticed you talked about changing the actual configuration and setup of your kit, eliminating some of the toms and coming in with a slightly smaller set. Did that new configuration provide new ideas in terms of what you do physically?
Absolutely, yeah. It had me think and approach the drums in a whole different way.

Maybe giving you some new ideas to do different things that you haven’t tried before?
Exactly. And it’s like the rolls that I do, the way they come out when you take away some of the toms. When you’re improvising like I am–I don’t write things out, whatever comes out at that moment, whatever inspires me at that moment is what gets recorded. When you take these pieces [of the kit] out, it sort of impacts that ability in a different way. And you are forced into performing something totally different than if you have the extra tom.

Gets you out of the box, so to speak.
Yeah, gets you out of that rut.

You said that World Painted Blood was a bit of a wiser record. I read somewhere that you said the record had a special sort of magic to it. What exactly do you think that is?
I don’t know, I can’t pinpoint it. I can only relate that there are these records that you buy and you listen to from beginning to end and enjoy every bit of music on there, and that can be of course mastery of your songwriting or your art. But sometimes you need more, you need chemistry between the musicians that are executing the hits and strumming the strings. And when you get that combination, plus good songwriting, it’s a magical record. They play off each other. They know how to play off each other, having done it so many years on stage and in the studio, you kind of work out this instinct when you’re playing, you know what the other guy is going to do.

A sense of anticipation.
Yeah, definitely.

I understand that this record was a different approach for the band, in general. You guys went into the studio to write, as opposed to having the material all written beforehand. Do you think that made a difference?
Absolutely. Usually we would have everything ready and go in and bang it out. No, we had to write some songs and we had to work on things for a while, which was good because it put us under a constructive pressure. It wasn’t negative or a deadline, just constructive.

And it probably fostered another level of communication between the four of you.
Yeah, because we didn’t have time to fuck around. We had to get the job done and that’s it. Ain’t no time to go whine or whatever because they aren’t using a piece of your music. Instead we thought, “Let’s just throw everything in the fuckin’ pot and make this album the best as we could possibly make it.” That was my approach, and I sensed that from the other musicians as well. The camaraderie during the recording was unlike any other record that we’ve had.

And how did working with Greg Fidelman affect that process?
He’s like a fifth member of the band. It was amazing.

What advice might you give to aspiring musicians out there?
Never give up. And even if you don’t achieve the status you dream of, it’s always fun to keep playing. You don’t ever need to stop playing, whether it’s jamming at your friend’s house or playing at the local bar. As long as I’m playing, that is happiness for me.

After the tour, what’s in the future?
After this we are touring, after that we are going to tour, and then after that a little more touring.

I sense a trend.
And put out another record. Not maybe, definitely put out another record.

The American Carnage Tour featuring Slayer, Megadeth and Testament will hit the ARCO Arena on Sept. 1, 2010. For more info and tickets, go to www.ticketmaster.com and search “American Carnage.”

I Am Music Tour w/ Lil Wayne, T-Pain, Gym Class Heroes, Keri Hilson

ARCO Arena
Monday, March 30, 2009

It was 7:20 p.m. and already smoky inside ARCO Arena (not from a fog machine) when the stunningly beautiful R&B singer Keri Hilson took the stage wearing a sexy little black outfit. Hilson’s debut album, In a Perfect World, debuted at No. 1 on Billboard’s R&B/hip-hop album chart last week and made its way to No. 4 on the Top Album chart. The smash hit single “Turnin’ Me On” has been on top of the Urban Radio Charts for over six weeks, so it’s no wonder why the crowd was so excited to sing along when she busted into the song at the end of her short but energetic set. After a round of thunderous applause, Hilson scurried backstage to continue partying, saying she was in a “Celebratory mood,” presumably because of her recent success.

Gym Class Heroes took the stage next and completely changed the energy in the building with their full-band set up and non-traditional indie meets hip-hop sound. Two jumbo screens, one on each side of the stage, were turned on, giving those in the nosebleed sections a much clearer view of frontman Travis McCoy doing an incredible job getting the crowd involved. He briefly poked fun at his celebrity ex-girlfriend Katy Perry and got a good laugh from the audience right before going into their hit song “Cupid’s Chokehold.” “Take a look at my girlfriend, ’cause she’s the only one I got.“ Oh, the irony! Before the end of their set McCoy confessed his love for Sacramento claiming that Deftones are one of his “favorite bands ever.” The band closed with the song “Cookie Jar,” a very dance-y, synth-riddled number that got the entire crowd shaking their stuff.

As T-Pain was set to take the stage, it was apparent things were about to get crazy. Everyone was on his or her feet and the props on stage had a very circus-like vibe to them. After all, T-Pain is knows as “The Ringleader,” amongst his peers (take that, Britney Spears). As the first song started, the crowd erupted and two white-masked little people ran out and started doing the “two-step” dance alongside T-Pain and his other back-up dancer. It was quite entertaining and also somewhat creepy. Most of the songs T-Pain performed were shorter versions of the originals, which allowed him to pack countless hit tunes into his allotted set time. At a couple different points throughout the performance T-Pain did his best to prove that he can do more than sing through Auto-Tune by playing other instruments such as an acoustic guitar, keyboard and an electric drum kit. Unfortunately, his drum solo was nothing to brag about. It was too long, off beat and awkward. T-Pain did prove to be an extraordinary hype-man, though, doing everything in his power to make sure the crowd was warmed up for Lil Wayne, aka Lil Weezy, aka Weezy F. Baby, aka Mr. Carter, AKA”¦you get the point. Probably the coolest part about T-Pain’s set was at the very end when he confessed to the crowd, “I do not give a fuck how you get my music! Just get it!” After a few bows, he left the stage and made way for the night’s headliner.

By the time Lil Wayne’s set time rolled around it was so smoky inside the arena that one could hardly see across to the other side. A quick glance toward the stage made it obvious that the layout and lighting set-ups were on a much larger scale. An acoustic drum set, bass, guitars and keys were heard being sound-checked behind a giant white curtain, confirming that Lil Wayne would have a full band behind him and not just backing tracks. Before he came out, his band (which included a very talented female bass player) played a rather heavy rock intro.

When Lil Wayne finally made his entrance, it was in style. He was rocking a black leather jacket, signature sunglasses and as soon as he appeared he jumped up like a kangaroo and upon his landing a huge explosion went off and flames shot into the air from multiple spots on stage. It was quite an epic introduction and the performance didn’t slow down much after that. “Mr. Carter” was the set opener and proved to be a crowd favorite, along with other songs like, “A Milli,” “Mrs. Officer” and “Lollipop.” A couple different points throughout the set Lil Wayne announced, “I ain’t shit without you,” as he pointed out into the crowd. Crowd interaction was a key part of the performance. Like T-Pain, Weezy grabbed a guitar a couple times and basically pretended to play, but he wasn’t really fooling anybody.

After bringing about two-dozen different performers out on stage at different points throughout the set including T-Pain, Keri Hilson and the entire Young Money family, Lil Wayne was ready to wrap up the show. During the encore song he shot huge fireballs out of a flame-thrower that looked like something straight out of a video game. It was indeed a hot ending to a smoldering performance. Some of the last words Lil Wayne’s spoke before he left the stage were, “You all just made history because you witnessed the best rapper in the world.” Hey, at least he’s confident!

Dillon Skinner, a 17-year-old amateur dirt bike rider from Vacaville, Calif. has been ripping it up since the ripe age of 5. “It all started with an electric quad,” remembers Skinner. “And then we had this old school Honda 80cc that my dad had. I learned to ride and I have been moving up ever since.” Indeed he has, as Skinner currently races a 450cc KTM, which is a heck of a lot of bike, especially for a 17-year-old. He seems to handle it well, although he recently re-injured his collarbone during the Fresno stop of the Amateur Arenacross Series. He isn’t letting that stop him from hitting the Sacramento stop, though. “I’m feeling pretty good this week,” Skinner says of his injury. “So it’s off to Arco Arena to fight for my spot in the U.S. Open.”

Submerge recently caught up with Skinner just before he left for the Sacramento races and chatted about some of his favorite (and least favorite) things in life.

Favorite professional riders:
1. Donnie Cantaloupi
2. Josh Hill
3. Ricky Carmichael

Least favorite professional riders:
1. Chad Reed
2. Bubba Stewart
3. Jason Lawrence

Favorite tracks/cities to race:
1. E-Street, Marysville, Calif.
2. Glen Helen, San Bernadino, Calif.
3. Hangtown, Folsom, Calif.

Least favorite tracks/cities to race:
1. Club Moto, Livermore, Calif.
2. Hanford, Hanford, Calif.
3. Honey Lake, Susanville, Calif.

Favorite conditions to ride in:
1. A little wet and tacky
2. Sand
3. Mud

Least favorite conditions to ride in:
1. Slick
2. Dry hard-packed
3. Smelly mud

Favorite moto-x movies:
1. Nitro Circus
2. Crusty Demons
3. 50 Nuts

Least favorite moto-x movies:
1. SX Exposed
2. MX Exposed
3. Chad Reed training video

Favorite styles of music:
1. Country
2. Reggae
3. Good old rock ‘n’ roll

Favorite bands:
1. Beastie Boys
2. AC/DC
3. Rise Against

Least favorite bands:
1. Staind
2. N’Sync
3. Rush

Favorite bands from this region:
1. Andre Nickatina
2. Papa Roach
3. Living Legends

Favorite movies:
1. Fast Times at
Ridgemont High
2. Happy Gilmore
3. Blue Streak

Least favorite movies:
Not sure, too many to choose from!

Favorite TV show:
1. South Park

Favorite local food spots:
1. Mr. Pickles, especially since “Pickles” is one of my nicknames, along with “Sunshine.”
2. Madfish Sushi
3. Burger City

Favorite things to do in or around Sacramento:
1. Old Sacramento
2. Going to the American River
3. Skateboarding in Downtown Sac.

Monday March 10, 2008 – Arco Arena, Sacramento

I’m usually not one to attend rock shows in the arena setting because the sound quality usually blows and beers are like twelve bucks, but when the opportunity presented itself to see one of the largest tours of the year thus far, I couldn’t resist. When rumors first surfaced in late ‘07 that Linkin Park would be touring alongside Coheed & Cambria and Chidos, my initial reaction was that of complete confusion. It was indeed an odd grouping of bands but certainly set the stage for a very successful tour beginning on February 12 in Omaha, Nebraska and ending Monday night at Arco Arena in Sacramento.

Unfortunately, we missed the opening act Chiodos. Sometimes things just don’t work out as planned when you are on the guess list for a show of this magnitude. While we patiently waited in the security booth area for our passes I could hear the Michigan based post-hardcore sextet, and see them on a tiny little TV screen, so that was better than nothing I suppose. I cannot comment on whether or not they put on a good show, but from my past experiences seeing them live, I think it is safe to say that they did.

When I entered the actual arena I was immediately heartbroken. There was one beer garden and the line stretched half way around the building. On top of that they were only selling one drink per person so my plan of convincing someone at the front of the line to buy me one was out of the question. It was a bummer, but at least we had legit seats because Coheed & Cambria played so well it surely would have floored me. Armed with two female back up singers and an arsenal of songs from their four rock-opera albums, Coheed seemed at home on such an immense stage. Although the majority of the crowd was obviously there to see Linkin Park, they proved worthy of the coveted main support slot when songs like “The Running Free,” and “Welcome Home” got the crowd both excited and involved. After a lengthy and impressive set the band announced their thanks to LP for bringing them out on the road, and headed back to their bus for the final time on this tour.

It was during the set change before Linkin Park that I noticed a strange phenomenon occurring. People’s eyes seemed to be glued to a couple very large screens on the sides of the stage that were displaying text messages being sent by crowd members to a number posted on the screen. What could be so interesting about that you ask? I can’t personally tell you but the many thousands of people in attendance seemed addicted to it. The messages varied from, “Scream if you support the troops,” to, “Scream if you are tired of screaming,” which was my favorite. When the giant text message screens stopped functioning the crowd was furious, but they were soon rewarded as Linkin Park rose onto stage from a number of elevators. It was without question a grand entrance to an overwhelming applause. Although they are not my favorite band in the world with their nu-metal/rap-rock fusion, Linkin Park sure knows how to satisfy a nearly sold out arena. Everyone in attendance rose to their feet and sang back the words of co-front men Chester Bennington and Mike Shinoda. Playing songs off of all three of their albums including last years Minutes to Midnight, Linkin Park proved they are among the top few rock acts in the world.