Sunday Interviews

Slayer

Double-bass-drum behemoth Dave Lombardo has an update on founding Slayer guitarist Jeff Hanneman, who went down last year on the World Painted Blood tour with necrotizing fasciitis, a rare bacterial virus that attacks body tissue.

"He's been rehearsing with us," reveals Lombardo. "He's doing better, but he still has to go through a lot of rehabilitation. He needs to work on his arm more. But he's practicing with us. There's still a good possibility he may be at the show."

Meanwhile, at 46, thrash metal's preeminent drummer is in the shape of his life. Ever wondered what's happening to a beatmaster like Lombardo 90 minutes into a live sundering?

"There's definitely a lot of euphoria happening at different sections of the set. Yeah, you're tired, but then there's a part of the song that kicks in where it just kicks your ass, and you're like: 'Yeah! This feels good.'

"There's times when I'm doing rolls, these drums rolls, and I'm lost in this whirlwind of music. I lose my consciousness almost. Not to faint. I'm so in the music that I get into the zone that I don't know where I go. All I know is that the song ends, and I wake up going: 'Whoa! What the hell was that?'"