Former Drummer Says Slayer Is Missing Its “Magic”

Former Slayer drummer and founding member Dave Lombardo has said the current band lineup is missing its original “magic”.

Lombardo was dismissed from drumming duties on Slayer’s Australian tour in 2013, following a financial dispute.

Speaking on the Let There Be Talk radio show, the drummer revealed his thoughts on the current Slayer lineup which includes Paul Bostaph in his place. “There is a certain magic — just like with Slayer, just like with AC/DC with Bon Scott — there’s a certain magic when you have those musicians and nobody could replace that,” Lombardo said. “Nobody. That’s it. You can’t.”

“Slayer’s new drummer, yeah, a lot of fans like him. But there’s that magic,” he continues. “It’s chemistry. It’s like when you meet a girl and you two get along really well, and it’s like a chemistry. It’s something special. Same thing with the band, you get these four guys, [and] they may hate each other, but on stage, there’s magic. And that’s what’s missing, I personally believe.”

In early 2013, just before the band kicked off their Australian tour, Lombardo announced he had been ejected from the group in a lengthy Facebook post apologising directly to Australian fans.

“So that you all know the truth, as of the end of the business day on February 14th, I was notified that I would not be drumming for the tour in Australia. I’m saddened, and to be honest I am shocked by the situation,” he wrote at the time.

Lombardo went on to describe the various business disagreements he had with the rest of the band that culminated in a discussion with his fellow band members, who informed him that if he wasn’t happy with the current set up, he could easily be replaced.

“I don’t wanna get into it too much…I just wanted things to be fair for not just myself, but for the band,” Lombardo said on Let There Be Talk. “Because I was noticing that the band was getting shafted. And it was bad.”

“I mean, my statement on Facebook is clear,” he added. “And it’s still there, because if it wasn’t true, I’d probably be sued for defamation of character. So, no. It’s true and it’s backed up by fact, and it’s why it’s still up there.”

Dave Lombardo’s current band Philm is due to release their second full-length, Fire From the Evening Sun in September. He also recently contributed to hardcore punk outfit Amen‘s latest record.