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TESTAMENT singer Chuck Billy mentioned the return of drummer Dave Lombardo to the group’s ranks in a brand new interview with Brian Aberback of The Aquarian Weekly.
An unique member of thrash metallic legends SLAYER, Lombardo was the visitor drummer on TESTAMENT‘s 1999 studio album “The Gathering”, which additionally marked the primary time the band labored with then-up-and-coming British producer/engineer Andy Sneap.
Requested about the opportunity of Lombardo being concerned within the writing and recording of TESTAMENT‘s subsequent studio album, Chuck mentioned: “Yeah, we have talked about that. We’re not planning, so let’s simply see what occurs. We’re having fun with jamming and hanging out and going out on the street and having some enjoyable. Eric [Peterson, TESTAMENT guitarist] does simply occur to have a bunch of riffs so perhaps someday on tour they may jam and see what occurs.
“In ’99 once we wrote ‘The Gathering’, as much as that time Eric did a whole lot of songwriting with a drum machine and handed the components to the drummers and mentioned right here you go, make them your personal now. When Dave got here into ‘The Gathering’ classes, Eric did not have to do this. Dave was, like, ‘Let’s simply jam, simply play,’ so that is what they did, and began enjoying and created this nice report. So I am hoping that is the power that comes backs once more and revisits that little magic that he created for ‘The Gathering’.
“Dave brings a special power than [former TESTAMENT drummer] Gene [Hoglan]. Gene is a very meticulous, precision drummer. Dave‘s a bit of extra unfastened, a bit of extra natural. He is at all times been like that. It is a completely completely different model, and he hits actually onerous and tunes his drums a bit of decrease. It makes for this larger sound which I feel brings some extra energy to the underside finish of the band.”
Final month, Billy advised the WSOU 89.5 FM radio station that he did not count on Lombardo to focus solely on TESTAMENT within the coming months. “I am not holding my breath that Dave simply is in TESTAMENT solely however we’re gonna should type of maneuver round what occurs,” he mentioned. “However then once more, that is the start of the connection. We is perhaps busy sufficient and he would possibly simply be pleased sufficient simply working with us and it really works out. So we’re simply type of taking it someday at a time, one tour at a time. We all know he is gonna be with us for the following three excursions — we all know that for positive — so we’ll see what occurs after that.”
In early March, Lombardo advised SiriusXM‘s Liquid Steel that he reached out to the TESTAMENT camp the identical day that the band introduced it was splitting with Hoglan.
“I used to be nonetheless asleep, and my spouse, she simply mentioned, ‘Hey, Gene simply left TESTAMENT,'” Dave recalled. “And she or he’s been at all times telling me, ‘Man, I can not look ahead to you guys to get collectively for that ‘Gathering’ reunion.’ ‘Trigger we had been speaking about this two and a half, three years in the past — earlier than the pandemic. And so I instantly — I did not even get my different eye open and I used to be texting Chuck. I mentioned, ‘Hey, man, what is going on on?’ I do not know precisely what I discussed in my textual content, nevertheless it was quite simple, ‘Hey, what’s occurring?’ And he instantly referred to as me again. And I bear in mind Tiffany [Chuck‘s wife] was on the telephone; Chuck was on the telephone. We have been, like, ‘Hey.’ It was a terrific come-together second, like, ‘Hey, right here we go. That is the second we have been ready for.'”
Dave went on to say that the timing was proper for his return to TESTAMENT.
“‘The Gathering’ reunion did not should occur placing Gene out, separating Gene and saying, ‘Gene, we’re gonna go together with Dave for some time now.’ Nothing like that occurred,” he mentioned. “This occurred organically. And it occurred at a time the place my different bands, two of the bands that I’ve, MR. BUNGLE and DEAD CROSS, [Mike] Patton sings in them and he is attempting to get wholesome and is taking a bit of hiatus. And SUICIDAL TENDENCIES hasn’t been touring a lot recently. In order that leaves me with a whole lot of little odd tasks right here and there that I work on in my free time. So it simply felt like the suitable second.
“I do know it may be deceiving as a result of I am in so many various bands, however there’s 24 hours in a day and I solely sleep eight hours, or seven to eight hours, in order that leaves me 16 different hours,” he defined. “And I do not take Saturdays and Sundays off. So it was a no brainer.”
Chuck mentioned that he was stunned to listen to from Dave so rapidly after TESTAMENT made the information of its break up with Gene public.
“Proper when it occurred, it was inside minutes after the announcement,” Billy recalled. “And Dave would not bear in mind, however [his text message to me was] merely ‘Lombardo?’ That was the textual content. I am, like, ‘You are shitting me. Tiffany, Lombardo simply wrote me, ‘Lombardo?” I referred to as him straight away. I mentioned, ‘Hey, dude, what’s occurring?’ He was, like, ‘Dude, I heard the information.’ I am, like, ‘Dude, I’d have referred to as you straight away, however I simply thought it was type of far-fetched so that you can type of jam as a result of I do know you are in all probability fairly busy with all the opposite tasks occurring.’ And he was, like, ‘No. I’ve obtained an enormous opening and I might like to get again.’ And we talked about ‘The Gathering’, doing that once more. And right here we’re — it could possibly be a actuality to get to play ‘The Gathering’ like we spoke of.”
“The Gathering” was extensively thought of to be an enchancment over 1997’s “Demonic”, an album that noticed Billy make use of a extra guttural model of vocals and was launched at a time when thrash acts as TESTAMENT had fallen out of favor.
Hoglan initially performed drums on “Demonic”, however did not stick round lengthy sufficient to do any touring with the band. He formally joined TESTAMENT in 2011 and performed on the group’s final three albums: 2012’s “Darkish Roots Of Earth”, 2016’s “Brotherhood Of The Snake” and 2020’s “Titans Of Creation”.
TESTAMENT, EXODUS and DEATH ANGEL kicked off the 2022 version of “The Bay Strikes Again Tour” on April 9 on the Fremont Theater in San Luis Obispo, California.
Picture credit score: Stephanie Cabral
