Drummer Dave Lombardo Names His Favorite ‘Big 4’ Thrash Band

One of the most important ongoing disputes in metallic is which of the “Big 4” of thrash – Metallica, Megadeth, Anthrax and Slayer – is really on the high of the checklist? Well, former Slayer drummer Dave Lombardo has weighed in, and unsurprisingly, he feels that he performed with the very best of the bunch.

In the most recent situation of Metal Hammer, Lombardo shares his transient however ample causes for why Slayer was essentially the most excessive ­and commendable of the quartet. “Ha ha ha! Who else could I pick?! We were brutal man, we were on top of our game, and if you watch the videos we were on fire. We really showed everyone else how it should be done – we tore everyone a new one,” he boasts.

Elaborating on the band’s ambitions and accomplishments within the face of different thrash – and loss of life metallic – acts, Lombardo continues [via Metal Hammer]:

We’d watch numerous these bands from side-stage anyway. I bear in mind whispering to [Slayer guitarist Jeff] Hanneman, “We’re better”, or “We’re faster”, ha ha! It wasn’t essentially conceited, but it surely was inspiring if we watched a band that couldn’t ship the ferocity we have been as a result of it made us really feel superb, like, “Oops, failure!” It was a youthful strategy – you need to be higher than the man earlier than you, you need to blow everybody away, and that was our mantra.

That mentioned, he additionally admits that whereas Slayer was undoubtedly “competing” with the opposite three within the “Big 4” – along with nearly each different in-your-face ensemble on the time – it was by no means “in a negative way.” He explains [via Metal Hammer]: “We wanted to be the best, we wanted to be the heaviest, the fastest. So our rivals were any band that’d open up for us – we’d be like, ‘Let’s blow ’em out the water!’ I can’t think of a single band we had a real negative relationship with.”

READ MORE: The ‘Big 4’ Bands of 27 Rock + Metal Subgenres

To his credit score, he’s supplied loads of reward to his style siblings over time. This previous August, as an example, he overtly condemned individuals who disrespect his “very good friend” Lars Ulrich:

I noticed Mario Duplantier just lately speaking about Lars, saying some form phrases. I really feel Lars is a necessary a part of [Metallica] – anyone else and it simply gained’t sound the identical. I admonish the individuals who speak shit about him, I don’t like that. You should embrace who Lars is, and his contribution to Metallica’s sound. They’re such an inspirational band, and everyone desires to be as huge as they’re, and you may solely do this by taking dangers.

Last week (Oct. 16), Lombardo took to X (previously Twitter) to assist fire up Grammys consideration for his first solo album, 2023’s Rites of Percussion, and for Dead Cross’ 2022 LP, II. You can see these posts under:

So, do you agree with Lombardo’s evaluation of Slayer? Let us know!