In a recent interview, current Philm and former Slayer drummer Dave Lombardo praised Metallica's Lars Ulrich for going up against Napster all those years ago. Now Lombardo is saying more positive things about his fellow drummer.

At a Nov. 22 drum clinic in Sardinia, Italy, Lombardo answered fan questions. He was asked about his feelings about Lars Ulrich and Metallica.

"I love the band," Lombardo said. "They're great guys. James [Hetfield], Lars and Kirk [Hammett] and Robert [Trujillo]… very nice people. I had a really good experience. I've had many great times… very crazy stories… but I can't talk about those."

Lombardo, who filled in for Ulrich during Metallica's 2004 Download Festival performance addressed the criticism Ulrich sometimes receives regarding his skills behind the kit: "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."

As Blabbermouth points out, Lombardo once took a little shot at Ulrich in a 2009 interview with Rhythm magazine, saying, "No disrespect to Lars, because Lars is great and he's a very nice guy, but he needs to spend a week at my house and we need to sit down and play."

Lombardo had an acrimonious exit from Slayer last year. His band Philm released the EP 'Fire From the Evening Sun' this summer. He also worked on a new Amen album. In addition, he's branching out into art, just releasing a 13 work art collection titled 'I'm Not There.' Check it out here.

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