Hollywood: if you can make it there, you probably have a high tolerance for uppers and a talent for explaining to artists why they don’t deserve a living wage. For metalheads, working in show business is a mixed bag — on the one hand, there’s big money in writing a catchy theme song for a big-budget movie or ridiculous TV about models who bang; on the other, there’s rarely a chance to incorporate your jazz-inspired gore metal riffs into something that’s meant to appeal to Johnny Polo Shirt and Karen Mocha Latte. Which makes us wonder: what’s it like as a metal musician working on a big film score?
Thankfully, on this week’s episode of our heavy metal talk show Last Words, hosts Doc Coyle (Bad Wolves/Ex Man Podcast) and Zeena Koda (Everything’s Political Podcast) speak to Dave Lombardo (ex-Slayer, Suicidal Tendencies, Dead Cross, Mr. Bungle) and composer Fil Eisler about their work on Netflix’s superhero movie Thunder Force. Speaking about becoming part of the film composition world, Lombardo makes it clear that one has to approach film work the same way one has to approach making metal: balls out.
“How’s the transition been for you…how does one who is a legend in their own right get into that world?” asks Zeena.
“I mean, by showing fearlessness, and not caring about what anybody else says about what you do,” says Dave. “You just go at it with your heart, and what you want. Nothing’s gonna hold me back from something that I’ve always dreamed of doing…It started in 2004 with our mutual friend Tyler Bates, who called me in and had me record some drums for Dawn of the Dead. And every since that, that’s just sparked an interest.”
Check out the full episode below:
And if that doesn’t have you out there trying to be the next John Williams, listen to our uncensored podcast version of the episode below:
***
Words by Chris Krovatin
