Thrash metal legends Slayer called it quits in 2019, and the world of metal was never the same afterwards. Some whispers of a potential reunion have been circulating among the band's devoted fanbase in the last years, somewhat fueled by guitarist Kerry King saying that he thinks the band retired too soon.
However, King and Slayer drummer Paul Bostaph now have their own band – named after King and debuting live next year – Tom Araya's retirement was a long time coming (dude's completely disappeared since then), and ex-Slayer drummer Dave Lombardo is simply not interested in answering questions on it and just moving forward with his life.
In a recent interview on the Mark And Me podcast, Lombardo was asked if he would be hypothetically interested in participating in a Slayer reunion. He politely declined to answer, saying that he doesn't want to take the focus away from his new projects, the likes of Empire State Bastard.
"I really don't wanna answer anything like that because what ends up happening is that the focus right now would be Empire State Bastard and my future, and the future, which is… I think, a big part of my personal success is that I don't look back. I'm always striving to better myself musically in every way possible, so answering a question like that sometimes takes away of what our focus is on right now. So, respectfully, I'm gonna have to decline to answer that question."
Lombardo's stance is consistent with his previous comments on the topic. In a 2023 interview with Revolver Magazine, he said that he doesn't think a reunion is likely and that it would be difficult to live up to the hype of Slayer's farewell tour.
"I don't even go down that path. I don't see it ever happening. If they ever do decide to come back, they're going to piss off a lot of fans because, man, they really hyped that farewell tour. They're going to have to be very careful on how they approach that. But who cares? The fans will be happy regardless. So, I don't even think about that."
While Lombardo may not be interested in a reunion, it's clear that Slayer remains an important part of his life. He reflected on his time with the band, saying that he didn't fully appreciate the band's magnitude until he was older.
"I was caught up in my own personal turmoil. So a lot of it I really didn't see or really sense the magnitude of what the band was doing. But now looking back, I do. But at the time, you really didn't. Yeah, you saw it get bigger and bigger. But there were, at that time, a lot of questions, but then there were times where I just went with the flow. I just didn't care. I just played and just enjoyed the ride."
Even when most of the band's members seem to have moved on to different musical avenues – while Tom Araya disappeared from the musical landscape completely, and lives his live as a happy grandpa – Slayer's legacy remains firmly cemented in the annals of heavy music history, and their impact on the genre continues to resonate with millions of fans worldwide.
