Back in January, thrash titans Testament revealed that their longtime drummer Gene Hoglan would be leaving the band. Though there was no beef between the two — in fact, guitarist Alex Skolnick took a moment to compliment Hoglan’s wang (man, did THAT joke piss off Instagram for some reason) — many wondered who in metal could possibly replace Gene Hoglan. Probably just Dave Lombardo, right? The founding drummer of Slayer? OH WAIT, THAT’S WHO IT IS.
Testament broke the news today, announcing that Dave mawfucking Lombardo will join the band for their upcoming ‘The Bay Strikes Back’ tour and for the foreseeable future. Many might remember that Lombardo played with the band on 1999’s The Gathering, which in many ways was the first Testament album of the band’s current second wave of renown.
According to frontman Chuck Billy:
“I’ll state the obvious, We are more than overwhelmed to welcome back Dave Lombardo to play drums with Testament. We are so excited to share the stage again with Lombardo. Dave added immense power when he joined the band for The Gathering (release), and we are ecstatic to see what new flavor he will bring back to Testament.”
And in Dave’s words:
“This is a long-awaited reunion that was bound to happen. Once upon a time, we created a thrash masterpiece. I have no doubt that our musical chemistry will pick up exactly where we left off. I love the Testament family and am very excited to be joining them once again. Pure brutality awaits.”
What can we say, other than that this is fucking cool and that Testament are in good hands?
Catch Testament, featuring Dave goddamn Lombardo, with Exodus and Death Angel at one of the following dates:
4/9/2022 – San Luis Obispo, CA – Fremont Theater
4/10/2022 – Anaheim, CA – House of Blues
4/12/2022 – San Diego, CA – House of Blues
4/13/2022 – Las Vegas, NV – House of Blues
4/15/2022 – Tucson, AZ – Rialto Theatre
4/16/2022 – Albuquerque, NM – Sunshine Theater
4/19/2022 – Oklahoma City, OK – Diamond Ballroom
4/20/2022 – Houston, TX – White Oak Music Hall
4/21/2022 – Austin, TX – Emo’s
4/22/2022 – Dallas, TX -Amplified Live
4/23/2022 – New Orleans, LA – House of Blues
4/26/2022 – Atlanta, GA – The Masquerade
4/27/2022 – Raleigh, NC – The Ritz
4/30/2022 – Sayreville, NJ -Starland Ballroom
5/1/2022 – Baltimore, MD – Soundstage
5/2/2022 – Boston, MA – House of Blues
5/3/2022 – Philadelphia, PA – Theater of Living Arts
5/5/2022 – Huntington, NY – The Paramount
5/6/2022 – Buffalo, NY – Town Ballroom
5/7/2022 – Cincinnati, OH – Madison Theater
5/9/2022 – Pittsburgh, PA – Stage AE
5/10/2022 – Cleveland, OH – The Agora
5/11/2022 – Columbus, OH – Newport Music Hall
5/12/2022 – Detroit, MI – The Majestic Theatre
5/14/2022 – Joliet, IL – The Forge
5/15/2022 – Joliet, IL – The Forge
5/17/2022 – Minneapolis, MN – Skyway Theatre
5/19/2022 – Denver, CO – Summit
5/20/2022 – Salt Lake City, UT – The Depot
