Former Slayer drummer Dave Lombardo's dismissal from the band was fairly swift and abrupt, and the rocker now reveals he has had only one instance of contact with the band since he was let go in early 2013.

During a recent press conference in Sao Paulo with reporters promoting his Brazilian drum clinic tour, Lombardo revealed that he actually heard from the band when Jeff Hanneman passed away in May 2013.

He explains, "We lost communication ever since February 2013. The only text message I received was [in May 2013] from Tom [Araya], and he said, 'Dave, Jeff died.' And that's when I was … I had just landed I went to Israel and I did a drum clinic and I landed in Los Angeles and I receive that text from Tom. And that's been the last communication I've had."

Lombardo fell out with his Slayer bandmates when he began to question the financial division of the band's money. At the time, the group made the quick decision not to take Lombardo on their tour, asking Jon Dette to fill in for their immediate dates. Eventually, they reunited with onetime Slayer drummer Paul Bostaph, who has been with the group on tour over the past year-plus.

As for Lombardo, he's still got his band Philm and recently recorded and will tour with Amen for their next album. During the press conference, the drummer revealed that not only does Philm have a new album coming up on Sept. 12, but he has a six-song EP that he plans to release six-to-nine months after the Philm disc arrives.

"Right now, we're mixing the six songs and we're gonna release it maybe February or March of next year," says Lombardo about the EP.

To hear Lombardo's full press conference, including his comments on Slayer, check out the player at the top of this post. [via Patricia Laroca, Rock na Mochila]

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