In a completely-not-surprising new interview, former Slayer drummer Dave Lombardo discussed the Big Four and the thrash trailblazers' role within the group. Specifically, Metal Hammer asked Lombardo which of the four bands is best. Lombardo gave the obvious answer: his band.
"Slayer," he declared. "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."
Though Lombardo emphasized that he believes Slayer is the best band out of the Big Four, he's not really here to talk trash on the other bands. In an interview earlier this year, he defended Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich from the usual criticisms that are lobbed toward him.
"Absolutely! I saw Mario Duplantier recently talking about Lars, saying some kind words. I feel Lars is an essential part of that band – anybody else and it just won't sound the same. I admonish the people who talk shit about him, I don't like that. You have to embrace who Lars is, and his contribution to Metallica's sound.
"They're such an inspirational band, and everybody wants to be as big as they are, and you can only do that by taking risks. They shocked people when they cut their hair or whatever, but it was part of their evolution and they clearly knew what they were doing. I love that they're still out there, kicking ass."
Metallica are still out there kicking ass and Lombardo is busy doing his own post-Slayer thing, so everybody wins, really.
