SLAYER FRONTMAN TOM ARAYA EXPLAINS THAT FORMER DRUMMER DAVE LOMABRDO VIOLATED A PRIVACY AGREEMENT

Slayer frontman Tom Araya has revealed why he thinks drummer Dave Lombardo left the band earlier this year.

Araya told Steppin’ Out Magazine, “Th[e] 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. 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,” he continues. “Kerry, Jeff 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 was replaced by Paul Bostaph, who has previously played with the band.

“Even though Dave is not here, I’m honoring him,” says Paul. “I was the drummer in this band for ten years, and Dave came back. And now Dave’s not here and I am. It’s one of those things. I respect him and I respect his playing. He’s part of this legacy; he helped build it. So did Jeff. And in turn, I understand what the fans are saying about that — well, some of them anyway — but the other side of things… If that was me, from a fan’s perspective — and I’ve been a fan of this band — I wouldn’t wanna not hear Raining Blood [one more] time, you know what I mean?! You can get your cover bands play it for the rest of your life. I don’t feel good about that.”

A new Slayer album is due for next year.

additional source: metalhammer.co.uk