SLAYER has returned to the studio to resume recording its new album for a tentative early 2015 release. The effort will make SLAYER history as it will be released on Nuclear Blast Records through the band's own label imprint, closing out a 28-year relationship with Rick Rubin and American Recordings. It will also be SLAYER's first album without the group's co-founding guitarist Jeff Hanneman, who passed away in May 2013 from alcohol-related cirrhosis of the liver. He is credited for writing many of SLAYER's classic songs, including "Angel Of Death" and "South Of Heaven".
A photo from the latest studio sessions can be seen below.
SLAYER's follow-up to 2009's "World Painted Blood" will include the song "Implode", which was made available as a free download as a "thank you" to the band's fans for their continued support following SLAYER's surprise performance at this past April's Revolver Golden Gods awards in Los Angeles. The track was recorded in April at Henson Studios in Los Angeles and produced by Terry Date and co-produced by Greg Fidelman.
"I never go online and see what people are talking about because people are ten foot tall behind a computer screen, you know?!" SLAYER guitarist Kerry King told ARTE Concert at this month's Wacken Open Air festival in Wacken, Germany. "But, you know, a lot of [the reaction to 'Implode'] was positive, a lot of people said, 'For anybody that was worried about what SLAYER was gonna sound like post-Hanneman, don't worry about it.'"
He continued: "I know people are gonna think that [we can't make another quality album], people are gonna expect us to fail because it's the first record without Jeff; I get it. But I'm also very proud of what of we've done so far towards new material. It's fast, the slow stuff's heavy. I mean, it's… Everything that people liked SLAYER for in the past is on this record."
In the February 2014 issue of U.K.'s Metal Hammer magazine, Kerry was asked if he has found himself tempted to write the kind of songs that Jeff might have contributed to an album, Kerry said: "I think that would be shooting myself in the foot. I can't pretend to be Jeff. We both learned from each other in 30 years of writing together. As far as going out of my way to write something that Jeff might've done? I won't do that. If it happens to end up sounding that way, good for me!"
At the time of the Metal Hammer interview, it was still undecided as to whether any of Hanneman's previously unused ideas would make it to the next SLAYER album. "There was a song we finished on the last record, but I know for a fact [Jeff] wanted to rewrite the lyrics on, so that one got to deconstruct and make better," Kerry said.
"I've said, and I'll continue to say, that if we use any of Jeff's songs, I don't want it to come out just because Jeff wrote it. I want it to come out because it's awesome," he added. "We've just got to put out something that I think Jeff would be proud of."
Regarding what fans can expect from the new SLAYER material, King told Metal Hammer: "I've got a surprising amount of heavy stuff for me. I do tend to lean on the fast side, but I have some exceptionally heavy tunes, Like, 'Wow, man, where did that come from?' I expect my stuff to be angry and fast, but it's all over the map. I'm stoked. We'll have enough so we can pick great stuff whether we use any of Jeff's material or not. It should add up to as good a record as we can hope for with one of our original songwriters being gone."
Joining King and bassist/vocalist Tom Araya during the sessions for SLAYER's new album are returning drummer Paul Bostaph, who replaced Dave Lombardo last year, and guitarist Gary Holt (also of EXODUS), who has been filling in for Hanneman on tour for the past four and a half years.
Asked if Holt will play on the new SLAYER album, Kerry told Canada's Metro in an October 2013 interview: "I've told Gary that I'd like him to play some leads, just to keep it interesting.
"We've always been a two-guitar attack, so if you're looking to have a segment like the 'Angel Of Death' lead trade-off, you can't do that with one guitar.
"As far as Gary being a contributing writer, number one, fans aren't ready for it, and number two, that's like throwing somebody to the wolves.
"I think if there's another record after this one and Gary is still with us at that point, I think that will be a time where I say, ‘Hey dude, feel free to throw any riffs my way if you're interested'."
King told Metal Hammer about SLAYER's current touring lineup: "Not to toot my own horn, but we sound fucking great right now. It's a juggernaut. Paul's a machine. He always has been. Also he's been here before, so that made this transition as easy as it could be as well as for the fans because I think they always felt he was part of the band, even though he wasn't for many years."
Bostaph was SLAYER's drummer from 1992 until 2001 and recorded four albums with the band — the gold-certified "Divine Intervention" (1994), the 1996 punk covers album "Undisputed Attitude", "Diabolus In Musica" (1998), "God Hates Us All" (2001) that received a Grammy nomination for "Best Metal Performance", as well as the DVD "War At The Warfield" (2001), also certified gold. In addition to SLAYER, Bostaph has been a member of FORBIDDEN, EXODUS, SYSTEMATIC and TESTAMENT.
Original SLAYER drummer Dave Lombardo was effectively fired from SLAYER after sitting out the band's Australian tour in February/March 2013 due to a contract dispute with the other members of the group. Filling in for him was Jon Dette (TESTAMENT, ANTHRAX).
Former SLAYER and current PHILM drummer Dave Lombardo was interviewed on episode 110 of the "Let There Be Talk" podcast with rock and roll comedian Dean Delray. You can now listen to the chat using the SoundCloud widget below. A few exceprt follow below (transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET).
On the musical chemistry of the original SLAYER lineup:
Lombardo: "I appreciate the nucleus of the band. Like [John] Bonham. When Bonham was part of [LED] ZEPPELIN. When his son [Jason] took over, oh my God. C'mon. Really? I have respect for Jason and for what he's done, but when he put a double-bass pedal on a single bass drum, that just blew it for me. It's, like, 'Really, dude? Your dad was about single bass.'
"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. Nobody. That's it. You can't. Yeah, SLAYER's new drummer [Paul Bostaph], yeah, a lot of fans like him. But there's that magic. 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."
On the business disagreements that led to his latest departure from SLAYER:
Lombardo: "It's not just [guitarist] Kerry [King] and it's not [bassist/vocalist] Tom [Araya]. It's who handles all the external business.
"I don't wanna get into it too much… I just wanted things to be fair for not just myself, but for the band. Because I was noticing that the band was getting shafted. And it was bad.
"You see, when I go on stage and I perform, I perform with all my heart. When I go up there, it's like I'm going to war. It's blood, sweat and passion.
"When you do the math, it didn't make sense. You don't need a fucking college degree to do some simple mathematics. And when my attorney and I, we did the math, and we demanded the documents that were necessary to back up what my deal was about, red flags were popping up everywhere.
"I mean, my statement [explaining my side of why I sat out SLAYER's Australian tour in early 2013] on Facebook is clear. 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.
"All that shit, when it's all said and done, I can't go on stage and know that my bandmates, as well as myself, aren't being compensated for the work that we're doing. 'Cause we're out there, we're the ones out there, travelling, we're the ones sweating, peeling off our clothes that are just fucking full of sweat. And it's, like, 'Really? This is it?' So it just didn't make sense. Especially when you see other bands that are as successful as we are, especially during the 'Big Four' [shows that we played with METALLICA, MEGADETH and ANTHRAX]. And to see how SLAYER was travelling and how everyone else was travelling, it was kind of weird. [I was, like] 'What's going on here?'
"It's all good. If they wanna work with that organization, then so be it. But, hey, I'm a punk, and I'll always be a punk and I'll never [be a whipping boy]. Absolutely fucking not. I'm not gonna be that. So that subject, fuck it."
On SLAYER's late guitarist Jeff Hanneman, who passed away in May 2013 from alcohol-related cirrhosis of the liver:
Lombardo: "I have text messages [from Jeff]… The last text was, like, a month before he passed. 'Cause I wanted to get together with him to discuss what was happening with SLAYER. He wasn't happy at all. He'd text and go, 'What the fuck is going on, Dave?'"
On whether Jeff was still getting money while SLAYER was out on the road with Gary Holt (EXODUS) filling in:
Lombardo: "[Laughs] Yeah. Yeah, he was, but who's to tell how much? He didn't know a lot of things that were happening, like the other guys didn't either. And it was a surprise to him.
"I wanted to get together with him to discuss what was happening to me and to fill him in what I had discovered. But we weren't able to get together. And there was a time where we were gonna get together and chat, and he said, 'Dave, I had a medical scare. I can't get together. We had a couple of medical scares.' Whatever it was. I think it was leading up to liver failure.
"We saw it coming. The years leading up to the spider bite, the drinking was getting heavy — very, very heavy. Including, I mean, Kerry as well. I mean, there was one show in Holland, [Kerry] said his equilibrium or something with his hearing, but I think it was that tall glass of vodka that he poured himself before getting on a ferry in London, and he splashed it with Coke. So here we have a large, 32-ounce fucking… a full bottle of vodka with a splash of soda. You're gonna wake up the next day and you're gonna tell me it was, 'Oh, my hearing. Something with my hearing. I couldn't stand up straight.' No, you were fucked up, man. [Laughs]"
On playing two songs with METALL
When SLAYER, SUICIDAL TENDENCIES and EXODUS played a handful of dates together this past May, every date was sold out and fans experienced a night of some of the best metal on the planet. With reviews like "the best show in years that I've been blessed to witness," "a metalhead's dream come true," and "...an onslaught of heart-pounding tunes during an evening full of awesome head banging action," how could this trinity of thrash legends not join up again for a full-on road trip? So, with Scion proudly presenting, SLAYER with special guests SUICIDAL TENDENCIES and EXODUS, will hit the road this fall, kicking off November 12 in Oakland, California, playing through to December 5 in Detroit, Michigan. The confirmed itinerary is below.
Said SLAYER's Tom Araya, "We are way fucking excited about hitting the road again with SUICIDAL and EXODUS. Fucking intense. See you in the fall."
Added Mike Muir, SUICIDAL TENDENCIES' vocalist, "SLAYER, SUICIDAL TENDENCIES and EXODUS, for only six shows? They were a blast, but everyone knew that wouldn't be enough. Now's your chance to see what everyone else was screaming about. ST definitely can't wait 'til November to do it all again!"
"This monumental tour is a heavy metal collision of epic proportions," added EXODUS vocalist Steve "Zetro" Souza, who has just rejoined the band. "For my first tour back with EXODUS, I'm beyond excited to be on the road with my brothers in true thrash metal! I'm also looking forward to meeting and hanging out with all of the fans on this heavy as hell tour."
Confirmed dates are as follows:
Nov. 12 - Fox Theatre, Oakland, CA
Nov. 14 - The Forum, Los Angeles, CA
Nov. 15 - Comercia Theatre, Phoenix, AZ
Nov. 17 - Bricktown Events Center, Oklahoma City, OK
Nov. 18 - ACL Live, Austin, TX
Nov. 19 - Verizon Theatre, Dallas, TX
Nov. 21 - Hard Rock Live, Orlando, FL
Nov. 22 - The Tabernacle, Atlanta, GA
Nov. 23 - The Fillmore, Charlotte, NC
Nov. 25 - The Armory, Albany, NY
Nov. 26 - Sands Events Center, Bethlehem, PA
Nov. 28 - The Palladium, Worcester, MA
Nov. 29 - Wellmont Theatre, Montclair, NJ
Nov. 30 - Tower Theatre, Philadelphia, PA
Dec. 02 - Agora Theatre, Cleveland, OH
Dec. 04 - Egyptian Room, Indianapolis, IN
Dec. 05 - The Fillmore, Detroit, MI
Former SLAYER and current PHILM drummer Dave Lombardo was interviewed on the March 16 edition of the "Radio Screamer" show. You can now watch the chat below. A couple of excerpts follow (transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET).
On what it is that keeps him coming back to SLAYER:
Lombardo: "Oh, well, I don't think that's ever gonna happen again. Well, the reason why… I mean, time passed. It was ten years. When I returned in 2001, it had been already ten years that I was out of the band, and it felt like it was the right time. It was water under the bridge, we didn't have any grudges, but apparently that really wasn't the case, because later I find out that, 'Oh, well, he left in '92, so just get him out again.'"
On the importance of learning the ins and outs of the music business while pursuing a career as a musician:
Lombardo: "It's something that you learn as you go along. And it's a tough road, especially when you're told that everything's taken care of, you're well taken care of, and you trust these people and you don't think twice. But then, of course, like AC/DC says, the rock star, and the businessman gets rich.
"We need to make, I think, drummers aware of their position in the band and spread the word that musicians need to educate themselves not only in their music and their chops and their style and whatever, but they need to really learn the business, because it turns out that a band ends up being a business and each member becomes a quarter shareholder, or a COO [chief operating officer] of the band. So it's very important."
On his most recent split with SLAYER:
Lombardo: "I really don't wanna get into the details, but I take this departure like any other change in life. You just go with it. I, luckily, had a band that I had put back together before this whole thing went down with SLAYER. And you just move forward; you don't look back."
On late SLAYER guitarist Jeff Hanneman:
Lombardo: "The arm, basically, they fixed it and they did everything they could do to help him [after he contracted necrotizing fasciitis, also known as flesh-eating disease, from a spider bite in his backyard in January 2011]. But I think the motor skill to play guitar just wasn't there. You know, we gave him a chance and maybe we could have put him a little low in the mix, but still, it just wasn't working right. 'Cause you have to have a certain ability to play this style of music. And it just wasn't there. It's unfortunate.
"Shortly after he died, I spent the afternoon with his wife and I just hung out with her. We went out to dinner. It's rough. But, unfortunately, it was a downward spiral for him. Obviously, it was depressing for him to have this situation happen to his arm, and him not being able to play, he resorted to drinking more than he was already doing. And, like I said, it was a downward spiral."
On how the surviving members of SLAYER have dealt with the loss of their childhood friend:
Lombardo: "I don't know how Kerry [King, guitar] and Tom [Araya, bass/vocals] responded. By how they responded at the memorial, it was pretty shallow. It was rough for me, because Jeff and I spent a lot of time on the tour bus. We'd get picked up at the hotel and show up at the venue by 4:30 and we would stay chilling on the bus until showtime. So there was a lot of interaction, there was a lot of chatting, a lot of talking, we'd watch TV, we'd listen to music. He loved my iPod, 'cause I had so many different styles of music. He'd say, 'Dude, throw your iPod on.' We'd laugh and joke around and sometimes I'd surprise him with some music that he'd never heard of before. So there was lot of memorable times that Jeff and I had. And it sucks, dude. It's terrible when a bandmate dies, because that magic is forever lost. That band had a certain chemistry when all four of us were on stage. And not taking anything away from Gary Holt [of EXODUS] — he took Jeff's place and he's done an amazing job — but still there's something [that is missing that simply cannot be replaced]."
Mark Dean of Myglobalmind webzine recently conducted an interview with former SLAYER and current PHILM drummer Dave Lombardo. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.
Myglobalmind: Looking back over your extensive musical career, what have been the particular high and low points?
Dave: Well, it fluctuates; up and down, you know. A low point was probably January of last year whenever [the most recent split] went down, you know, with SLAYER. It was leading up to that, you know, unfortunately. Well, not really leading up to it, because my bags were ready and packed to go [with the band to Australia for the Soundwave festival].
Myglobalmind: It still must be difficult for you on a personal level? As they were your friends, and people that you had grown up with.
Dave: Yeah, it's strange. It's unfortunate as well, because I realize now that they weren't really my friends. They were just business partners. I lived and hung out with them, as if they were friends. "Wow, these guys are watching out for me," and it didn't quite turn out that way.
Myglobalmind: How do you feel one year on? Has your attitude to the situation mellowed, or…?
Dave: Yeah, I have, I am more, like, "Oh, well, shit happens." Move on, you know.
Myglobalmind: Are you generally a modest person about your personal musical talent and ability? How do you deal, for example, with compliments. I read, for example, that Bill Ward [BLACK SABBATH] called you “one of the best drummers in metal"?
Dave: Yeah, I am honored. First of all, I am honored to have Bill Ward as my friend. This is a guy that I looked at these albums and listened to this music, and played along to these albums as a child and a little kid. For me to know Bill, it is surreal, and it feels very odd, but it is awesome.
Myglobalmind: How do you find being a working and touring musician in the Internet age? Is it more difficult to make a living?
Dave: Well, it is.
Myglobalmind: You can't do this full time? I have talked to other guys who have established careers and still have to take other jobs because life is difficult, and can't sustain a living solely from music.
Dave: Well, the thing is you have to find other ways and get creative and find other ways to market your music and to recreate yourself. It's, like, once the Internet and the worldwide web came into the picture, everyone scrambled, and the first was the music industry, because everyone was downloading music, so they started scrambling ways to make a living. So you just have to get creative. Yeah, it is difficult. It's a little different. The royalties aren't the same from the physical CDs, but there are other avenues of income that you just need to sign up online and you will start receiving royalties on the songs that you have recorded. I never knew this until recently, about six months ago, and it was, like, "Woah, I got a nice check in the mail." All I did was just go online and register my name all the music that I did in my life that I have recorded.
Myglobalmind: That you weren't aware of, that type of royalties thing?
Dave: I was never aware of. Nobody told me, thank you fucking very much.
Myglobalmind: What about your health over the years? Playing drums at the velocity and energy levels that you exhibit regularly on stage, has that had any adverse health effects?
Dave: Nothing. Absolutely nothing. Thank God. I've been healthy. The only things that have been wrong was I broke my leg and I had to stop for only about three weeks 'cause I got straight on the drums again. They said, "No, you gotta stay off the leg. No, no." I worked it up.
Myglobalmind: It's in the blood, is it?
Dave: Yeah, I just kept going and it was great. I wrote a song and it's on the new album, the new PHILM album, with a broken leg, so… But other than that, no. I drink a lot of water. I try to stay off the booze, although I like it, but there's limits. I try to eat right and I try to walk a lot. You could really become… You could grow stagnant. You could get very lazy if you don't stay active.
Myglobalmind: Playing that type of music obviously is going to have that chance of health issues…
Dave: I started PHILM, you know, when I noticed that [SLAYER], in a way, health-wise, was crumbling, not only with Jeff [Hanneman, guitar], but with Tom [Araya, bass/vocals] and Kerry [King, guitar] doesn't take care of himself. He should be careful. Well, I'm not going to tell him that…
Myglobalmind: Nobody would tell him that.
Dave: Nobody. And I'm not either.
Myglobalmind: He's quite an imposing character, shall we say.
Dave: Yeah, of course. He has a lot of insecurities.
Read the
Owais "Vitek" Wani of Metal Wani recently conducted an interview with former SLAYER and current PHILM drummer Dave Lombardo. You can now listen to the chat in the YouTube clip below. A couple of excerpts follow.
On the status of the second PHILM album:
Lombardo: "The second album was being written as we were mixing the first album. So at this point, we already have the second album written, recorded and we're just waiting for a record company. Mike Patton [FAITH NO MORE singer and owner of Ipecac Recordings, which released the first PHILM album, 'Harmonic'], from the record company Ipecac, he's only putting out three albums this year, and it's unfortunate that this one isn't one of them. He just had to scale back. Of course, the music industry isn't what it was anymore, so he had to scale back his [release schedule]. Which is all good; I totally understand. So right now I'm just shopping the record to several other companies and we'll see what happens. Hopefully it can be released as soon as possible. I'm getting really anxious to put this album out, because it's uniquely different than the other one. It's not as experimental as the first one. This particular album, the new one, the songs are a little more concise and straightforward, so there's not a lot of improvisation or a lot of places where the band decides to take off musically and improvise. So we kept it together this time on this record. And right now, as I speak, this album's done and we already have, like, five songs for the [third] record. I've got some really talented musicians, and we could come up with music fairly easy. So I'm excited about this new group."
On BLACK SABBATH drummer Bill Ward's recent kind words about Lombardo's playing:
Lombardo: "It made me feel really, really good. Bill Ward and I, we've established a very nice relationship. We keep tabs on each other. I always ask him how he's doing, and he's in communication with me as well. So we have a nice little thing going on. He's just a nice friend, and I'm very happy to have met him recently. The first time that I met him was in 2004 on a BLACK SABBATH reunion, JUDAS PRIEST reunion… I think that was the first time… It was, like, a festival that SLAYER played. I met him way back then; it was very brief. And then we re-met about a year ago."
On whether he has listened to the new BLACK SABBATH album, "13", and what his thoughts are on it:
Lombardo: "No, I haven't. I heard, like, one song. I don't know… I just can't listen to BLACK SABBATH unless it's with Bill… It's one of those things that you wanna hear it, you wanna get into it, but ahhh… it would have been soooo much better if Bill Ward was there. I mean, it's not the first time — I think there was an album Carmine Appice… no, not Carmine… that Vinny Appice played on — and that's a fantastic record, but that hit me at a different time. I was more open to the possible changes within bands. Right now, just knowing a little bit of the SABBATH situation, I just really didn't have the interest to listen to that album. But I will one day, eventually. It's gonna cross my path. I just haven't purchased it."
On late SLAYER guitarist Jeff Hanneman being excluded from the list of faces and names showcased during Grammy Awards' "In Memoriam" segment this year:
Lombardo: "Yeah, that was disappointing. But they're notorious for that. That organization is predominantly rap- and country-driven. And they don't wanna hear rock; they don't care about rock and metal. Metal, I think, is music for misfits, and it's played by misfits. And what do they wanna do with this kind of music? We wanna get recognized? They're not gonna do it. Let it be. Let it be. We don't need a doorstop. Metal doesn't need a doorstop or an organization to recognize who we are. We have our fans. Let the voice of the fans show how big metal is."
On the most important lesson he has learned in his three decades as a professional musician:
Lombardo: "There is absolutely no friends when it comes to money. That's the number one lesson I've learned."
