According to Eric Peterson, having a new drummer has been good for Testament.
“Well, when Gene [Hoglan] left, the word got out and we had a lot of video tapes come in and I was talking to a couple of different players. [Chris] was my pick,” the guitarist told Radioactive MikeZ about bringing in Chris Dovas after Dave Lombardo’s brief return.
Peterson continued, “And then Lombardo reached out to Chuck [Billy, Testament singer], and then he reached out to me and everybody really wanted to go with that. So I kind of told Chris, like, ‘Let’s keep you on the back and see what happens.’ And, of course, a couple of months later, I’m, like, ‘Hey, Lombardo can’t do this next [run]. And he can only do these selected shows,’ and I was, like, ‘Oh god, here we go again.”
“The other guys were, like, ‘Well, let’s call up [former Testament drummer John] Tempesta or [Paul] Bostaph,’ which we knew wouldn’t be permanent, but maybe they’d come and… I’m, like, ‘Hey, let’s give this kid a try.’ And when he came in, we were just, like, ‘Whoa,’” he recalled.
Eric added, “The energy level, and just making us play faster, but not to where we go, ‘Slow down. We can’t play that fast anymore.’ He almost made it easier, his groove, and he brought some life back. And the new record that we put together, me and him… there’s a good vibe there.”
In April 2023, Lombardo said he wouldn’t join Testament for their 2023 tour because of scheduling conflicts. He also wasn’t sure if he would return to the band later.
The drummer explained, “I don’t know, because everything is starting to snowball with Mr. Bungle and Empire State Bastard and the Misfits. I’ve been with the Misfits since 2016. Testament is a well-oiled machine. They’re always touring and releasing albums. To try to find that space or that time to release something… I don’t know.”
Lombardo was officially replaced by Dovas, the former drummer of Seven Spires. He had filled in for Lombardo at a few U.S. shows the previous fall.