DAVE LOMBARDO Believes There Are 'A Lot Of Advantages' In Today's Music Industry: 'We Should Embrace Those'

In a new interview with the RRBG podcast, legendary extreme metal drummer Dave Lombardo (SLAYER, FANTÔMAS, TESTAMENT, MR. BUNGLE, MISFITS, DEAD CROSS) spoke about how the music industry has undergone a dramatic transformation with the advent of digital technology and social media platforms. He said in part (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): “We all know the negative part of it — obviously, the change we’ve had to witness But, hey, that’s evolution. That’s life. We’re gonna be viejitos [little old men] if we start complaining about it. It’s, like, ‘Oh, you know, back in my day,’ this and that. It’s, like, no — you have to go with the flow.

“I think there’s a lot of advantages in today’s industry,” he continued. “One, you could put music out — anybody could put music out and anybody could record it at home. And there are just so many advantages. The research that you can do online to clear up any questions, if you have an idea, if you have a problem. All those are brilliant advantages. And I think we should embrace those and use them to our benefit. I think also if we sit around and complain about things, you’re really missing the point. You’ve been given all these great tools, and I think it’s just better for us all around. Yes, I can go down the path and complain and nitpick all these little things, but, man, I don’t view life that way. If something’s holding it back, if you fall, get up, brush yourself off, keep moving forward. If something happens, ‘Fuck. That hurt. Well, let’s go. Come on. So that’s just my personality.”

Lombardo also weighed in on a debate about people using an A.I. (artificial intelligence) music generator as a tool to create melodies, harmonies and rhymes based on artificial intelligence algorithms and machine learning (M.L.) models. He said: “Actually, I’d like to see A.I. perform it live. The human element, the feeling of having a Marshall stack being played in front of you and some subwoofer and low end from a drummer on a real drum set, there’s nothing like that. It could be possible that people will forget, something will come in and take its place and people will forget what that feels like, but hopefully not. That aspect, live music, I think people need that, people need to get out and see and experience that, a live performance, so I don’t see that going away. And A.I. definitely can’t replace that.”

Dave‘s VENAMORIS project, in which he is joined by his wife Paula, released its sophomore album, “To Cross Or To Burn”, on February 28 via Ipecac Recordings.

While Dave drafted the blueprint that would define thrash metal drumming, he’s also applied his finesse to solo percussion (2023’s “Rites Of Percussion”),hip-hop and classical music, as well as boundary-pushing recordings and performances with everyone from John Zorn‘s ensembles to punk icons MISFITS and MR. BUNGLE.

Lombardo, who has spent most of the recent years between EMPIRE STATE BASTARD, crossover pioneers SUICIDAL TENDENCIES, horror-punk icons MISFITS, hardcore supergroup DEAD CROSS and MR. BUNGLE, was effectively fired from SLAYER after sitting out the group’s Australian tour in February/March 2013 due to a contract dispute with the other bandmembers. He was later replaced by Paul Bostaph, who was previously SLAYER‘s drummer from 1992 until 2001.

Photo credit: Hannah Verbeuren