It's Official: MISFITS Recruit Ex-SLAYER Drummer DAVE LOMBARDO For Upcoming Shows

As first reported by BLABBERMOUTH.NET on July 21, it has now been confirmed that the classic-era lineup of the horror punk outfit MISFITS has recruited Dave Lombardo (pictured; SLAYER, SUICIDAL TENDENCIES) to play drums for the band for their upcoming shows at the end of the summer.

Glenn Danzig, Jerry Only and Doyle Wolfgang Von Frankenstein will reunite for first time since 1983 to headline this year's Riot Fest.

The reunion, billed as "The Original Misfits," will take place at the Riot Fest in Denver and Chicago. The first show is scheduled for September 2-4 at Denver's Riot Fest And Rodeo, while the second will happen at Riot Fest And Carnival, set for September 16-18 in Chicago.

"The MISFITS created the horror punk attitude and had a massive influence on modern rock, punk and metal," Lombardo told Rolling Stone. "It was an easy decision for me to join them for these monumental shows. I was honored to be asked, and am very excited to be playing with the band."

"I first met Dave back in 1988 when DANZIG did four shows with SLAYER in the U.S., before the first DANZIG album was released," Danzig said. "Dave is one of the best drummers around, and I can't wait for everyone to see him pounding MISFITS songs live for these special shows."

Only added: "With the immensity of the two shows we're planning together, the biggest decision we had was who is going to keep time and power this monster machine on drums? When Dave Lombardo's name was thrown into the ring, Glenn and I were immediately on the same page from the very start; a good sign of things to come. I think the darker side of punk we created with the MISFITS spawned the growth and evolution of punk into thrash, and sired bands like METALLICA and SLAYER, just as we inspired countless others in the punk revolution."

According to Only, the reunion came about after a meeting he had with Danzig in January. The pair had gotten together with the MISFITS management in order to discuss the rights to the band's name and merchandising with a view towards avoiding any further litigation between the parties.

Glenn didn't rule out more dates after the Riot Fest shows, saying: "We'll see how it goes. It may lead to some other work, but who knows how it's going to turn out? I mean, I don't think it's going to be a disaster; I think it's going to be incredible."

Regarding what fans can expect to see at the upcoming MISFITS concerts, Danzig said: "I'm just going to do what I normally do, which is to go out there and try and have a great time myself and make sure everybody has a fantastic fucking time. I want them to be so blown away they don't know what the fuck just hit them."

The original MISFITS band broke up in 1983, and bassist Jerry Only brought forth a new version of the MISFITS in 1995. Various members have come and gone, but Only, along with BLACK FLAG's Dez Cadena, has kept some form of the MISFITS in the recording studio and on the road for most of the last two decades.

After the original MISFITS disbanded, vocalist Glenn Danzig went on to form SAMHAIN and then the eponymous DANZIG. Several albums of reissued and previously unreleased material were issued after the group's dissolution, and their music became influential to punk rock, heavy metal, and alternative rock music of the late 1990s and early 2000s.