DAVE LOMBARDO Reflects On Making Of SLAYER's Classic Song 'Raining Blood': JEFF HANNEMAN's Demo 'Blew Us Away'

During a recent episode of the “100 Songs That Define Heavy Metal” podcast, Metal Blade Records CEO Brian Slagel discussed SLAYER‘s “Raining Blood”, from 1986’s “Reign In Blood” album, with the man who played drums on that track, Dave Lombardo. Asked where the song’s iconic intro came from — a burst of thunder, three drumbeats and lightning-strike guitars — Lombardo said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): “[Late SLAYER guitarist] Jeff [Hanneman]. Jeff recorded the demo. He recorded the drums and the guitar and presented that to us at rehearsal. And we thought it was a little odd. It was, like, ‘What? You just want it to start this way?’ And I don’t know where the idea, where the rain came in. But the song was practically done, and it was on cassette. And we thought it was great, at least once the riff kicked in. That blew us away.”

Regarding his drumming approach in “Raining Blood”, Lombardo said: “I think — well, especially with that song… I had an idea of what I was doing in the first three records that we did, three, four records, from learning by listening to other drummers. At that time, obviously, it was IRON MAIDEN, MOTÖRHEAD, JUDAS PRIEST. So the drummers at that time laid the groundwork for me. And learning those songs and playing those songs with SLAYER really helped me hone in my ability to contribute drums to music that was presented to me. But then later, [when we recorded] ‘Reign In Blood’, [the album’s producer] Rick Rubin really kind of honed my creativity and he helped me apply the creativity in very special places that impacted the next part of the song. So let’s say when the vocals — let’s say in the verse. You keep that space open. You can add little, tiny nuances, but you don’t wanna overplay, because then you’re taking away from the vocals. And then when the chorus comes in, or the bridge or whatever, he helped me hone in my creativity and add, let’s say, a creative drum roll to lead into the next section. So I think that’s where you’re hearing, as a listener, the drums being played in a more melodic form as it’s part of the song instead of, ‘I’m playing drums and I need to show you how good I am at these chops that I’ve developed through the years.’ It wasn’t about that. It’s about the song and making it as special and giving it the right amount of drumming.”

According to Lombardo, another thing that “helped immensely” in elevating SLAYER‘s musicianship “was the amount of touring that we were doing. That’s where you really develop your chops, your stamina, and you start hearing things a little differently from the stage perspective,” he explained. “And I think, at least in my experience, that’s where I started hearing music in a different way, in a more performance way, rather than just creative. It’s, like, you know the power that certain rhythms have when they’re performed live, so you try to record those rhythms as authentically as possible. It just comes with experience, and I believe the touring really helped us in developing not only our sound, but our style.”

“Reign In Blood” was released on October 7, 1986 through Def Jam Recordings. The album was the band’s first collaboration with record producer Rick Rubin, whose input helped the band’s sound evolve. Kerrang! magazine described the record as “the heaviest album of all time,” and a breakthrough in thrash metal and speed metal.

“Reign In Blood”‘s release was delayed because of concerns regarding its graphic artwork and lyrical subject matter. The opening track, “Angel Of Death”, which refers to Josef Mengele and describes acts such as human experimentation that Mengele committed at the Auschwitz concentration camp, provoked allegations of Nazism. However, the bandmembers stated numerous times they do not condone Nazism, and are merely interested in the subject.

On the topic the controversy surrounding “Reign In Blood”‘s lyrical content, Hanneman previously said, “‘Angel Of Death’ was a big problem. I remember getting a phone call after the album was done: Sony wasn’t going to release it. I remember being at home, pissed, throwing things. What the fuck? I didn’t think anything was wrong with ‘Angel Of Death’ or anything else we did, it’s a documentary! There’s no ‘Heil Hitler’ or ‘white people rule,’ it’s a documentary; grow up, people. It took months before they picked it up again. Finally, we got signed by a distributor.”

“Reign In Blood” was SLAYER‘s first album to enter The Billboard 200 chart (at No. 94). The LP was certified gold by the RIAA (Recording Industry Association Of America) on November 20, 1992 for sales in excess of 500,000 copies.

In a 2009 interview with Filter magazine, SLAYER frontman Tom Araya stated about “Reign In Blood”, “On that first album [together], Rubin made sure that he recorded. He wanted to duplicate what he was hearing.” Guitarist Kerry King added, “It was the first time you actually heard SLAYER in its pure ferocity, and it made a big difference. One funny thing about that album is if it came out today, no one would give a shit. They’d say, ‘That’s cool.’ But at the time it came out it made such a difference. People still reflect on that as a poignant time, where shit changed.”

Back in October 2021, Lombardo told Metal Injection about “Reign In Blood”: “I look at that album as a masterpiece. And it’s one of those albums that will stand the test of time. It’s brilliant. The fire, the energy that that album has. I don’t hear that in other records. I don’t know if it’s because I’m listening to a band that I was part of that I have this perspective that’s objective. But you know, it’s brilliant and I’m very appreciative … I think that album will forever be like the epitome of thrash music and part of a historic time in music history… SLAYER had a certain energy that’s unlike anything else. And so that definitely is for me one of the greatest metal records ever made.”

Lombardo, who splits most of his time between crossover pioneers 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 has since been replaced by Paul Bostaph, who was previously SLAYER‘s drummer from 1992 until 2001.

Shortly after his dismissal, Lombardo said that he discovered that 90 percent of SLAYER‘s tour income was being deducted as expenses, including fees to management, costing the band millions and leaving them with about 10 percent to split four ways. While he and Araya hired auditors to figure out what had happened, Lombardo said he was never allowed to see any of the information obtained.

A few years ago, King said that “when Dave was in [SLAYER] this last time, I figured I’d be on the stage with him until one of us fell off the stage, dead. Things change. He got some bad advice and listened to some bad advice, gave us an ultimatum ten days before we went to Australia [to do the Soundwave festival tour]. And I said, ‘I can’t have this over my head.’ And I feel bad for Dave to this day; I really feel bad for him because he shot himself in the foot. Maybe he thought he had the upper hand, but you ain’t gonna get me.”

Photo credit: Ekaterina Gorbacheva