Slayer ex Dave Lombardo: Tom Araya has wanted to retire since I was in the band

Slayer in 2002
Slayer in 2002: Dave Lombardo, Jeff Hanneman, Tom Araya and Kerry King (Image credit: Larry Marano/Getty Images)

Former Slayer drummer Dave Lombardo says the band’s Tom Araya has wanted to retire for years due to issues with his neck.

Lombardo parted ways with the thrash giants in early 2013 – and with Slayer set to bring the curtain down on their career with a pair of shows at The Forum in Los Angeles on November 29 and 30, Lombardo was asked by Dean Delray on the Let There Be Talk show if he thought this would really be the end for the band.

Confirming he’s had “no communication” with his former bandmates, Lombardo said: “Tom’s been wanting to retire when I was in the band. He wanted to stop.

“He had the neck issues. He’s been wanting to retire for a long time now. So now that he’s got it, I'm happy for him and I hope he gets what he wants out of life and his future.”

Since leaving Slayer, Lombardo has been busy behind the drum kit for Suicidal Tendencies, Misfits and Dead Cross, and will hook up with Mike Patton, Trevor Dunn, Trey Spruance and Anthrax guitarist Scott Ian for three Mr Bungle shows in the US in early 2020.

They’ll play the 1986 demo The Raging Wrath Of The Easter Bunny in its entirely at all three concerts which will take place in Los Angeles, San Francisco and New York in February.

Slayer, meanwhile, will release The Relentless Killogy motion picture on November 8 in conjunction with Nuclear Blast Records and Prime Zero Productions, while the soundtrack from the show will also be available the same day on 2CD, 2LP and streaming platforms.

Slayer: The Repentless Killogy

Slayer: The Repentless Killogy
As Slayer prepare to bring the curtain down on their legendary career, they'll bow out with this new release. Combing live footage with a short film, this is not to be missed.

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Scott has spent 35 years in newspapers, magazines and online as an editor, production editor, sub-editor, designer, writer and reviewer. Scott joined our news desk in the summer of 2014 before moving into e-commerce in 2020. Scott keeps Louder’s buyer’s guides up to date, writes about the best deals for music fans, keeps on top of the latest tech releases and reviews headphones, speakers, earplugs and more for Louder. Over the last 10 years, Scott has written more than 11,000 articles across Louder, Classic Rock, Metal Hammer and Prog. He's previously written for publications including IGN, Sunday Mirror, Daily Record and The Herald, covering everything from daily news and weekly features, to tech reviews, video games, travel and whisky. Scott's favourite bands are Fields Of The Nephilim, The Cure, New Model Army, All About Eve, The Mission, Cocteau Twins, Drab Majesty, The Tragically Hip, Marillion and Rush.