Dave Lombardo Needed More Than Slayer: “I Was Just Doing the Same Old Thing”

He’s Slayer’s thunderous backbone. The guy behind Reign in Blood’s breakneck fills. Dave Lombardo’s name is truly etched into metal’s DNA.

But as he tells it, there came a point where just being the Slayer drummer wasn’t enough.

Speaking with Fistful of Metal, Lombardo opened up about the burnout that started creeping in as far back as 1989. “After touring month after month with Slayer, I was feeling a little frustrated doing the same old thing day after day,” he said. “It became so repetitive, and I really had an overwhelming urge to do something different.”

That “something different” ended up shaping a second act most metal lifers would kill for — projects with Testament, Fantômas, Mr. Bungle, even jazz-metal visionary John Zorn. “I felt like a chameleon,” Lombardo said. “Fantômas really challenged me. I had to adapt quickly to changes in tempo and arrangement. That’s exactly what I was hungry for back when I felt stuck.”

Collaborating with Mike Patton didn’t just stretch Lombardo’s range — it also rewired how he approached his own voice as an artist. “Mike always told me to follow my instincts. That had a huge impact on my confidence when it came to doing solo stuff,” Lombardo said. “Now I don’t care what people think. That punk attitude kicks in and I just do it.”

His latest project, Venamoris also might be his most personal yet. It’s a homegrown effort with his wife, Paula Lombardo handling all the lyrics. “We created it at home. No deadlines. No producer breathing down my neck. It’s fully on our terms,” he said. “These are Paula’s lyrics — they’re raw, honest, sometimes scary. That’s what makes it real.”

For a drummer who helped define metal’s precision and fury, Lombardo’s current direction is more about instinct and feel and less about keeping time for someone else’s chaos.

“Back then, I needed out,” he said. “Now, I just want to create something honest — no rules, no pressure.”