Former Slayer drummer Dave Lombardo recently came to the aid of Metallica’s Lars Ulrich. Some fans have criticized Ulrich’s technical abilities while others have criticized his timing and consistency during live performances.
In a new interview with U.K.’s Metal Hammer magazine, he was asked whether he feels Ulrich gets unfairly dismissed as a drummer by many metal fans, Lombardo said: “Absolutely. I saw Mario Duplantier [Gojira] 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,” he continued. “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.”
Well this is not the first time he has spoke about Ulrich. Back in 2014, Lombardo was questioned during a clinic in Italy to comment on the fact that Ulrich’s drumming skills are constantly questioned. He replied:
“I think Lars is a good drummer. He’s a good arranger. He arranges… Without Lars, there wouldn’t be a Metallica. So you have to give him credit for what he does for the band.”
Lombardo continued: “It’s very important… When you have a chemistry within a band. There’s four members of the band. When there’s chemistry, like a special interaction between musicians, if you take one musician out, it’s not the same. If you take Lars out of the equation, it won’t be the same.”
