Although he is one of its original members, Dave Lombardo dipped in and out of Slayer throughout the band’s career. He first left the band in 1986, but would return the following year; he would then leave Slayer again in 1992 but would return in 2001, only to leave once again in 2013.
In 2018, the band announced their retirement and Slayer kicked off their farewell tours; the band played their last show in 2019. Since then, many in the metal community have wondered if the legendary thrash metal band may ever reunite; Kerry King himself has even expressed that Slayer’s end was “premature,” and this sentiment has some fans latching on for hope of a possible return one day.
But if they were to reunite, would Lombardo join them?
During a recent conversation with Revolver, Lombardo was asked if he would be down to join Slayer for a reunion of some sort.
So, what did the drummer have to say? Well, per Lombardo:
“I don’t even go down that path. I don’t see it ever happening. If they ever do decide to come back, they’re going to piss off a lot of fans because, man, they really hyped that farewell tour.
“They’re going to have to be very careful on how they approach that. But who cares? The fans will be happy regardless. So, I don’t even think about that.”
Would fans really be pissed off though? Perhaps some folks may comment saying “We thought you were retired?” But ultimately, it might be safe to assume that fans would be really happy to have another chance to see Slayer play live (or release new music).
It is surreal that one of the Big Four has retired; each of these bands was formed in the ’80s, and at the time of this writing, Metallica, Megadeth, and Anthrax are still going strong. Do you think Slayer retired too soon?
