Gene Hoglan, Testament's longest serving drummer, recently chatted with the Talk Toomey podcast about his new replacement in the band, former Slayer drummer Dave Lombardo, himself a former Testament member.
Hoglan, the Dark Angel and ex-Dethklok member who propelled Testament for the past decade, parted ways with the act in January. Two months later, the influential California thrash metal band that last released Titans of Creation in 2020 welcomed Lombardo back to the fold. This week on Talk Toomey, Hoglan discussed the circumstances that led to the swap.
Listen to the podcast near the bottom of this post.
Hoglan tells host Joshua Toomey (as transcribed by Loudwire.com), "It was really just scheduling, that was really it. It was a very amicable split, and nobody wanted it to happen."
He continues, "But I know Testament, they've gotta keep going. And during the pandemic, I took time to start curating a lot of my projects — a lot of the things going on. So when I was laying things down on the calendar, they were just starting to conflict with some of Testament's plans, and that's understandable."
Hoglan explains, "When it came down to like, Man, we all have to do something here, it all came together pretty easy, pretty quickly for Testament. When I was like, 'Guys, I don't know if I can make all that you need. I know you guys need somebody there slamming for you the whole round.' And bringing in a guy for a few days here and there while I take off and do some one-off kinda things, or while I've had album projects planned for coming up in summer, for '22…"
The drummer adds, "It just became a situation where [they] need to keep moving forward, and I need to keep moving forward myself. You never know about the future, but at least for right now, we'll get you guys somebody else."
"And look who they ended up with?" Hoglan gushes. "The mighty Mr. Dave Lombardo! Win, win, all over the place. Testament fans are super happy."
Indeed, the move's a dream for thrash metal fans, especially since Lombardo's first stint with Testament elicited the impactful drumming heard on 1999's The Gathering, a record many hold in high regard inTestament's catalog. (Hoglan first contributed to Testament's 1997 album, Demonic; he then left the band until 2011.)
It also means Lombardo is back with bassist Steve DiGiorgio, who also plays on The Gathering. And it's the first time Lombardo — who also currently drums for Suicidal Tendencies, Misfits, Dead Cross and more — will be in Testament with guitarist Alex Skolnick, who left in 1992, briefly returned in 2001 and has remained since 2005.
Gene Hoglan Talks to Talk Toomey - June 9, 2022
