Throughout a brand new look on the “Mark And Me” podcast, Dave Lombardo was requested if he was conscious, throughout his time with SLAYER, of how the band was progressing over time or it was “an excessive amount of of a whirlwind” that he was caught up in internally. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): “I used to be caught up in my very own private turmoil. So numerous it I actually did not see or actually sense the magnitude of what the band was doing. However now trying again, I do. However on the time, you actually did not. Yeah, you noticed it get greater and greater. However there have been, at the moment, numerous questions, however then there have been occasions the place I simply went with the circulation. I simply did not care. I simply performed and simply loved the experience.”

Requested if he “could be on board” if SLAYER introduced a reunion tour and wished him to participate in it, Lombardo stated: “I actually do not wanna reply something like that as a result of what finally ends up taking place is that the main target proper now could be [my new project] EMPIRE STATE BASTARD and my future, and the long run, which is… I feel, a giant a part of my private success is that I do not look again. I am at all times striving to higher myself musically in each method doable, so answering a query like that generally takes away of what our focus is on proper now. So, respectfully, I am gonna have to say no [to answer] that query.”

Lombardo beforehand addressed the opportunity of a reunion with SLAYER in a Might 2023 interview with Revolver journal. Pressed about whether or not he would say “sure” to enjoying with SLAYER once more if the band determined to return again, Dave stated: “I do not even go down that path. I do not see it ever taking place. In the event that they ever do determine to return again, they will piss off numerous followers as a result of, man, they actually hyped that farewell tour. They’ll need to be very cautious on how they strategy that. However who cares? The followers will likely be joyful regardless. So, I do not even take into consideration that.”

Lombardo, who has spent many of the latest years between the aforementioned EMPIRE STATE BASTARD, crossover pioneers SUICIDAL TENDENCIES, horror-punk icons MISFITS, hardcore supergroup DEAD CROSS and MR. BUNGLE, was successfully fired from SLAYER after sitting out the group’s Australian tour in February/March 2013 as a consequence of a contract dispute with the opposite bandmembers. He was later changed by Paul Bostaph, who was beforehand SLAYER‘s drummer from 1992 till 2001.

Shortly after his dismissal, Lombardo stated that he found that 90 % of SLAYER‘s tour revenue was being deducted as bills, together with charges to administration, costing the band tens of millions and leaving them with about 10 % to separate 4 methods. Whereas he and Tom Araya employed auditors to determine what had occurred, Lombardo stated he was by no means allowed to see any of the knowledge obtained.

Lombardo launched a press release in February 2013 saying he “was denied entry to detailed info and the mandatory backup paperwork.” He added: “I used to be advised that I might not be paid till I signed a longform contract which gave me no written assurance of how a lot or on what foundation administration would deduct commissions, nor did it present me entry to the monetary budgets or data for evaluate. It additionally forbade me to do interviews or make statements having to do with the band, in impact a gagging order.”

Dave beforehand opened about his departure from SLAYER whereas taking questions from the viewers in March 2014 in Belfast, Northern Eire.

“I did my finest to attempt to preserve it collectively, however I could not go on, man,” Dave stated. “I needed to step out, as a result of you’ll be able to’t be shackled like that; no person can benefit from one other particular person like that anymore. I did it for too a few years, and I held my breath. Crimson flags stored occurring in my books. It is, like, ‘Actually? I am supposed to make more cash? Why am I on the identical wage? I am making the very same factor I have been making the previous two years. And that is again in 2004. So I knew one thing was up. And I attempted my finest to work it out with the blokes. I introduced Tom into the image. I had Tom in a resort room with me speaking to my legal professional, and my legal professional was telling him every little thing their administration firm had been doing to them for the previous 30 freakin’ years. And we had an accountant, a forensic accountant, able to go in there and have a look at the stuff.”

He continued: “Tom received purchased out. Administration flipped him over a few hundred grand — who is aware of how a lot? — and Kerry as nicely, to maintain quiet and go towards Lombardo. In order that they turned their backs on me. And on the final day, after I’m at rehearsal with them — and I saved all of it the way in which till the top — I stated, ‘Guys, we’d like a brand new marketing strategy. You guys have been on the identical marketing strategy after 30 years. Now I am an revenue participant. In different phrases, I ‘m a proportion holder.’ So in the event you’re a proportion holder, you will have the precise, and also you’re contracted, as a proportion holder, you will have the precise to see the place all of the bills are going. As a result of right here you might be getting paid off of web, after which out of 4.4 million {dollars}, the band will get 400 thousand {dollars}. The place’s the 4 million? And that is simply 2011. [The rest of the money went to] legal professionals, accountant and the supervisor.

“For the previous 30 years, they have been doing that to the blokes. They usually took my info… I am going to always remember the day…. I simply stated, ‘Guys, have a look at this. This got here out of your accountant.’ And it confirmed all the cash. It wasn’t displaying the place the cash was going, it was simply displaying ‘gross,’ ‘bills,’ ‘web.’ And out of that web, I made, on tour, in 2011, 67 thousand {dollars}. Kerry and Tom, that was about 114 thousand {dollars} they made on tour. So in the event you did about 60 exhibits, divide that up between 60 exhibits… Anyone have a calculator? No, not 60… For instance about 90 exhibits per 12 months: 30 within the spring, 30 in the summertime and 30 exhibits within the winter, within the fall. So that you break that up per present… Actually? It is disgusting. I bust my ass up there enjoying drums. I imply, I’m simply sweating, I am beat. And for the man within the Hollywood Hills, for his facials, his manicures… No, I am not gonna play for that. No.”

In a November 2013 interview with Minneapolis Metropolis Pages, Araya acknowledged about Lombardo: “Dave left the band initially in ’91 or ’92, After that, we introduced in Jon Dette for 2 years after which we attached with Paul [Bostaph], who did 4 actually nice albums with us. Then he determined to maneuver on. Our supervisor hooked us up with Dave once more and once we have been placing collectively [2006’s] ‘Christ Phantasm’, Dave provided to assist out. We wished to make issues truthful for him, so we provided him a contract with the band. Most not too long ago, we have been provided to tour Australia. Once we have been rehearsing, he appeared to do a 180 and stated some issues that type of upset me and Kerry. Kerry simply checked out him and stated, ‘If you happen to really feel that method, then why are we even rehearsing for this tour?’ So we wrote him a letter and stated, ‘Pay attention, we have to know if you are going to do the exhibits in Australia. If you happen to’re not, we have to do one thing about that.’ We did not get a reply. We have been put ready the place we needed to do one thing, so we received Jon Dette to play with us once more. After what occurred with the Australia tour, we made the choice to maneuver ahead and make him conscious that we not wanted his providers. He was actually upset about that. He wrote a rant on Fb. He stated some issues that he should not have. It actually upset us. And it upset me. I used to be fuming. I could not consider that he would throw that out within the courtroom of public opinion. After that, Jeff [Hanneman, deceased SLAYER guitarist], me and Kerry all received on the cellphone and talked about it. And Paul‘s identify got here up. It was a positive factor with Paul. He’d been within the band for over 12 years. So we gave him a name to see if he was and he was very happy to. It was a no brainer. He is a tremendous drummer.”

A couple of years in the past, King stated that “when Dave was in [SLAYER] this final time, I figured I would be on the stage with him till one in all us fell off the stage, useless. Issues change. He received some dangerous recommendation and listened to some dangerous recommendation, gave us an ultimatum ten days earlier than we went to Australia [to do the Soundwave festival tour]. And I stated, ‘I am unable to have this over my head.’ And I really feel dangerous for Dave to at the present time; I actually really feel dangerous for him as a result of he shot himself within the foot. Perhaps he thought he had the higher hand, however you ain’t gonna get me.”

SLAYER performed its last-ever present in November 2019 at The Discussion board in Los Angeles.