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LOMBARDO

SEPULTURA’s ANDREAS KISSER: Having DAVE LOMBARDO Guest On New Album Was ‘An Honor’

Manos Spanos
The Rock Pit recently conducted an interview with guitarist Andreas Kisser of Brazilian/American metallers SEPULTURA. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below. The Rock Pit: Ross Robinson produced the new album ["The Mediator Between Head And Hands Must Be The Heart"] and the last time you worked with him was on the "Roots"album. How was it working with him again? Andreas: It was amazing! We love Ross. He's a great guy and a great producer. When we worked on "Roots", it was one of the most important albums in our career, not only forSEPULTURA but also for Ross himself. It was great to see him after so many years and when we had the opportunity to work together again, he understands SEPULTURA so much. He's very spiritual, very organic. He didn't want the album to sound like a machine — no click on the drums, none of the Pro Tools. The concept of the album also warranted it in the recording, just to be sure that the balance that we had without being attached to the technical stuff that we have to be. Even on "Roots", we used all that digital equipment but now he brought his own experience and can add different atmospheres and it keeps the music alive. We always try to bring the SEPULTURA sound that we have on stage live into the studio and I think with Ross, we kind of managed to achieve that finally. The Rock Pit: How much of an influence did he have on the album? Was there some "Roots"thing going or any nostalgia? Andreas: No. I mean, Ross worked with us on the last stage. We wrote the music in the studio here in Sao Paulo; me and Eloy [Casagrande, drums] wrote the music together. The drums and the guitars were really the base of everything and then Derrick [Green, vocals] came in and brought vocal lines and Paulo [Xisto Pinto Jr., bass] with bass lines and then at the last stage, of course, Ross came. We went into the studio in Venice Beach [California] where we recorded the album and we gave the songs to him and then he came with suggestions and he was crucial. He made a big difference especially on finding the sound and the right atmosphere for the songs. It was really a group effort that you hear on the album and there's something that we respect about that; it's amazing. It's a different process when a new person comes in to complete that. The Rock Pit: For the drumming, you had a new guy Eloy Casagrande, which is his first album with you guys and he did a fantastic job. How was it recording with him? Andreas: He's great, man! Like I said, he has lots of experience, he has a great heart and is dedicated and professional; he was ready. Being in SEPULTURA from his side is a dream and it shows. It's great to have somebody who wants to be there more than anything else. His drumming is fantastic; I think he really stepped up. He never did something like that before, that type of music so extreme. Ross was also great to push ourselves to break that music, to really do like we do in live performing. We really had a great time with Ross. He really understood the way we wanted to record, without the drum click and everything. He was amazing; [he] did an amazing job. The Rock Pit: I noticed that Dave Lombardo does a guest spot on "Obsessed", which is another great song on the album. How did his appearance come about? Andreas: Yeah, that was something really cool. It wasn't planned at all. Ross' studio in Venice Beach is a beautiful place and Dave Lombardo was there on Venice Beach having a good time with his kids and dogs, and he called Ross and said, "Hey, I'm around. What's going on?" andRoss invited him to the studio and said, "SEPULTURA is here. Do you wanna jam?" and he says, "Yeah, why not?" and then he was there. We spent a few hours with that and we put together a two-man drumset and Lombardo was thinking, "OK, let's start jamming," and that was inspired by the song that we wanted to have something special there. Dave is such a great guy; he's one of our biggest idols. SLAYER has been such a big influence on SEPULTURAand to have him on the album is an honor and a privilege. The way it happened was even better. It was not like that kind of bureaucracy and all that kind of crap. It happened so naturally that it's even better. Read the entire interview at The Rock Pit.
05 min read

TOM ARAYA: Why DAVE LOMBARDO Is No Longer In SLAYER

Manos Spanos
During a brand new interview with Brian Aberback of New Jersey's Steppin' Out magazine,SLAYER bassist/vocalist Tom Araya was asked about the band's decision to part ways with drummer Dave Lombardo bring back Paul Bostaph. "That whole issue came down to this: Dave had been jamming with us for a while, as a working member of the band, but he wasn't a partner," Tom began. "Like all things like that, you have to have agreements, so nobody feels cheated. We had ongoing issues and finally he put us in a position where we had to find someone to replace him. He wasn't happy, so he decided to have his Facebook rant and told the world about a lot of issues going on within the band that are legally binding and private. I thought that was wrong and it was upsetting. A lot of the claims he made were untrue. Part of the agreement is you don't do that. Kerry [King, SLAYERguitarist], Jeff [Hanneman, then-SLAYER guitarist] and I got on the phone and made a collective decision and we let Dave go and gave Paul a call. Paul said he'd be happy to come back. He has brought some life back into our live performances. He's in hyper drive and kicking ass, which makes us play faster. People have commented on how energetic we've been lately. We're playing faster than we would have. It's good injection of adrenaline." Lombardo sat out SLAYER's Australian tour in February/March due to a contract dispute with the other members of the group. Filling in for him was Jon Dette (TESTAMENT, ANTHRAX). During an interview with the KZRADIO.NET alternative radio station in Israel conducted on May 1 — just one day before the tragic passing of SLAYER guitarist Jeff Hanneman — Lombardostated about his the circumstances that led to him being absent from SLAYER's current trek: "Basically, I had to renegotiate my contract two and a half years ago and I got an attorney because it was too complicated for me to do it myself. And my attorney was asking questions. And the answers she got from her questions, they weren't correct; they weren't the right answers. So we worked on it for two and a half years. And 2013 came around and SLAYER had to go on tour, and I said, 'Guys, I can't go on tour unless we resolve this, I've been advised.'" He continued: "What I need is clarity — clarity and transparency. "You go and make money for somebody, and if somebody is gonna pay you a percentage, you need to know where all this goes. They say I don't deserve to know, but I think if you're gonna pay somebody a percentage, they deserve to know. Because how are you gonna know what you got paid when you don't know everything else? "It's a little complicated, and there's more to it as well. "They feel that because I left in 1992 and I left for 10 years, they feel I don't deserve [to know all the details of their business]. "I mean, I love the guys — they're like my brothers — and I wish this didn't happen. But now there's like this wall between us." Regarding some fans' criticism that money should not get in the way of the members ofSLAYER making music together, Lombardo said: "What people don't understand is that, being a musician, you have to be a part businessman. There's contracts… If you're a musician and you don't have a contract and you don't follow up on your business, people are gonna take from you and they're gonna steal from you.
04 min read

SLAYER’s TOM ARAYA: Having Drummer PAUL BOSTAPH Back In The Band ‘Is Awesome’

Manos Spanos
On October 9, Peter Atkinson of Metal-Rules.com conducted an interview with SLAYER bassist/vocalist Tom Araya. A few excerpts from the chat follow below. Metal-Rules.com: Are you interested in seeing people's reactions here to the new SLAYER, the new old SLAYER, or whatever people think it is? Tom: [laughs] I don't know. They've experienced SLAYER with Gary [Holt, guitar], and everybody's experienced SLAYER with Paul [Bostaph, drums] because Paul was part of the band for quite a few years, so it'll be time for everybody to get reacquainted with Paul and acclimated to this lineup. Gary has been playing with us for two years now, if you can believe that. People have seen the various pieces, just not all together. Paul's always been a friend. When he left, it was on his terms, and it was no bad feelings at all. Paul felt he needed to move on and it wasn't on bad terms and to have him back and playing in the band is awesome. It's like we're taking up where we left off with Paul and he's amazing. He's full of energy, he's excited to be back and he's excited to be part of SLAYER again. So it makes for very energetic shows and very exciting times. This is gonna be good. Like I said, everybody is going to be reacquainted with Paul and everybody knows Gary has been filling in, now it's just a whole different circumstance knowing that Jeff [Hanneman, guitar] has passed. I'm sure everyone will enjoy it. Paul is very energetic and excited, which makes everybody else excited. It'll be good and it will allow closure for everybody. Metal-Rules.com: How is Gary dealing with all this. He's in odd position — plus there's still EXODUS and I wonder if he's itching to get back to that, since it's his baby?
05 min read

SEPULTURA Guitarist Talks Upcoming Album, Recording With DAVE LOMBARDO, Covering DEATH

Manos Spanos
JacksonGuitars.com recently conducted an interview with guitaristAndreas Kisser of Brazilian/American thrashers SEPULTURA. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below. JacksonGuitars.com: What can you tell us about working with producerRoss Robinson? Kisser: We're working with Ross again after doing the album "Roots" with him in 1995, and since then, we hadn't had the chance to work with each other. We finally got the opportunity because we're signed with Nuclear Blast after Roadrunner went away. Many of those people that were withRoadrunner are now with Nuclear Blast. So, old friends that used to work with SEPULTURA are now working with the band again, and that's very exciting. Ross is one of the best producers around for this style of music. We know each other so well, and the stuff we are doing right now is really mind-blowing. I'm really happy with it so far. JacksonGuitars.com: We heard you've been working with SLAYERdrummer Dave Lombardo. How did that happen? Kisser: Dave was with his dog and two kids walking around the beach, and he's good friends with Ross. He was in the neighborhood, and Rosssaid, "Why don't you come by and play on the SEPULTURA album?" He said, "Why not?" It was amazing, man. Two drummers, no cymbals. With just the drums themselves, it sounded very heavy. He's one of our biggest idols, and it's such an honor to have him with us on this album. And the way it happened was so natural, like friends just coming together.
03 min read

Former SLAYER Drummer DAVE LOMBARDO To Guest On New SEPULTURA Album

Manos Spanos
Brazilian/American thrashers SEPULTURA have reunited with producer Ross Robinson (KORN, LIMP BIZKIT, SLIPKNOT) to record the band's next album, tentatively due in October via Nuclear Blast Records. The CD is currently being tracked at Robinson's studio in Venice, California and is being co-produced by Steve Evetts, who previously worked withSEPULTURA on the "Nation" (2001), "Revolusongs" (2002) and"Roorback" (2003) albums, in addition to having collaborated with Ross on a number of other projects in the past. In the latest entry in the ongoing studio diary on the web site of the Brazilian newspaper Diario de Pernambuco, SEPULTURA guitarist Andreas Kisser writes: "Around noon of the 11th, Ross, Mike and myself started putting together all the guitar stuff. Before they dismantled the drums,Eloy took a photo shoot with our friend from Indonesia Pheren, a great photographer that lives in LA that we met at our last tour in Asia, great stuff. Drums out, guitar amps in.
05 min read

SLAYER Drummer DAVE LOMBARDO: The Power And The Aggression Of Heavy Metal Attracted Me

Manos Spanos
Arutz Sheva conducted an interview with SLAYER drummer Dave Lombardo prior to his May 1 drum clinic at the Barby Club in Tel Aviv, Israel. A couple of excerpts fom the chat follow below. Arutz Sheva: You were born in Havana and grew up in a Cuban family. Did you grown up in a traditional religious Cuban family? Lombardo: Yes, very traditional. My dad never even learned English. He just went to work, found a job, worked for a family, bought a house, and then retired. He lived the American dream without speaking a word of English. It still amazes me. My mom can speak some English, but not too much. So the home was fully Cuban. I heard Spanish all the time. When I stepped outside the house, I was in America and when I came home, it was Cuban music, Cuban food, and television in Spanish.
04 min read

LOMBARDO Interviewed One Day Before HANNEMAN’s Passing: ‘Can You Imagine If One Of Us Was Dead?

Manos Spanos
On May 1 — just one day before the tragic passing of SLAYER guitarist Jeff Hanneman — the band's estranged drummer Dave Lombardo was interviewed live at the studios of KZRADIO.NET (web site, Facebook page), which is the most popular alternative radio station in Israel. The chat, which was conducted by KZRADIO.NET co-manager Quami and special guests Lior and Niv Peleg (a.k.a. The Peleg Brothers) of the "Met Al Metal" radio show, can be streamed using the audio player below.
05 min read