Dave Lombardo Says These Punk Bands Inspired Slayer To Become a Thrash Metal Band

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Dave Lombardo photo credit: Ekaterina Gorbacheva
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If it weren’t for punk rock, we may not have Slayer as we know them today. According to Dave Lombardo, he says that punk music was a major component that inspired Slayer to become a thrash metal band.

In a new episode of Amoeba’s “What’s In My Bag?” series, Lombardo talks about two punk records he has picked up – those being the Bad Brains’ self-titled LP, as well as The Germ’s (MIA) The Complete Anthology.

After talking about how much he is amazed by the Bad Brains, Lombardo goes on to talk about The Germs and shares how the late Jeff Hanneman turned him on to several punk bands.

Lombardo shares that punk rock is what “fueled the evolution of Slayer.” Before getting so invested in punk, Lombardo says Slayer was a “typical metal band.” Speaking to the impact that punk had on the band, Lombardo says (as transcribed by The Pit):

Jeff Hanneman from Slayer, Rest In Peace, he turned me onto The Germs, as well as all these other punk bands. Like Dead Kennedys, GBH, Exploited, and Wasted Youth. Those bands, believe it or not, fueled the evolution of Slayer.

“When we first started, before our first album, we were just a typical metal band playing Judas Priest covers and Iron Maiden [covers]. But something happened, and I attribute that to Jeff’s involvement, and this was definitely the soundtrack to those early days [referring to The Germ’s (MIA) The Complete Anthology].

“Slayer quickly changed into a thrash metal band shortly after being influenced by a lot of the punk bands.”

Punk is an amazing genre, and not only has it inspired so many of metal’s most legendary bands, but it’s also continuing to inspire modern metal bands to this day. Look no further than bands like God’s Hate, Zulu, and Turnstile (just to name a few).

When it comes to Hanneman and Lombardo’s passion for punk, the music did more than shape Slayer, it also inspired the musicians to start their own hardcore band called Pap Smear. If you have never heard Pap Smear’s music before, you can check it out for yourself by following the link below.

Listen To Pap Smear, Slayer's Hardcore Punk Side Project

The Poppy Punk Band That Would Go On to Become Heavy Metal Royalty

The Sophomoric Punk Rock Band that Became the Biggest Heavy Metal Band on Earth