The future “godfather of the double bass” was born in Havana, Cuba, on February 16, 1965. At age 2, Dave Lombardo and his family moved to South Gate, CA. By age 8, he was playing the bongos to Santana, and got his first drum kit at 10. He learned to drum playing “100,000 Years” off Kiss Alive! until he had perfected the drum solo. Lombardo took drum lessons for one week before quitting due to boredom with a pace of progression that couldn’t keep up with his abilities.
In 1981, when Dave was 16, he met up with guitarist Kerry King. Their musical interests and aspirations meshed and King brought in a second guitarist, Jeff Hanneman, and bassist, Tom Araya. The story goes that Lombardo picked up a knife and carved the band’s name into what would become the famous logo for Slayer. The band played clubs and parties in SoCal, mostly covering Judas Priest and Iron Maiden songs and developing the fast, aggressive style that would soon put them in the Big 4 of thrash metal bands (with Metallica, Megadeth and Anthrax). They also cultivated a dark, Satanic image with their clothes, make-up and visuals.
Slayer landed its first record deal (of sorts) in 1983, quickly releasing its self-funded debut album, Show No Mercy. The band toured the US and Europe, released an EP and a second album, Hell Awaits, before catching a huge break when Rick Rubin agreed to produce their next album for Russell Simmons’ new Def Jam Records. Rubin helped Slayer produce shorter, faster songs, played at breakneck speed (up to 220 bpm), but with solid musicianship. The Reign in Blood album was the band’s breakthrough, and Dave Lombardo’s as well. No one was faster or more aggressive than Dave, who was acknowledged to be the best drummer in the genre.
Lombardo played and toured with Slayer until 1992, when he balked at touring during the expected birth of his first child. When the band went ahead with the tour, Lombardo stayed home. He formed Grip Inc., a Slayer sound-alike band, and later joined a fusion side project, Fantomas. Dave also played other side projects, including Testament’s The Gathering album.
In 2001, Slayer called Lombardo back to the band, and he rejoined them in January of 2002. It was like he had never left. Two more studio albums were released, Christ Illusion and World Painted Blood. Dave left the band again for good in 2013, just before the band was to leave for Australia, apparently in a dispute over pay. Since then, Lombardo has been involved in a variety of television and film projects, such as the Season 7 soundtrack for “Californication” and “Insidious: Chapter 3”, and has also produced a collection of graphic art.
Happy Birthday Dave Lombardo!
