Drummer Dave Lombardo has weighed in on the possibility of new music from Mr. Bungle, the experimental supergroup that includes Mike Patton, Trevor Dunn, Trey Spruance, and Anthrax guitarist Scott Ian. In a recent interview with Brazil’s A Rádio Rock, Lombardo admitted that while the band is trying to make it happen, a new album is not a guarantee.
“We’re trying. We’re trying. Scott Ian and I really want them to record more, to write more music, and we hope that it does happen eventually. But there’s no guarantee,” Lombardo said (as transcribed by Blabbermouth). His comments suggest that he and Ian are pushing for more creative output from the group, which last released an album in 2020.
That album, The Raging Wrath Of The Easter Bunny Demo, saw the band re-record their 1986 cassette-only demo with the new lineup. The release was met with critical acclaim, with Rolling Stone calling it “a feast of ingenious riffs… and pure manic energy” and Decibel declaring it “one of the best thrash records of the year.”
The band’s origins trace back to 1985 in Humboldt County, California, where Spruance, Patton, and Dunn formed the project. After solidifying their lineup, they signed with Warner Bros. Records and released three studio albums—Mr. Bungle (1991), Disco Volante (1995), and California (1999)—before going on hiatus.
The addition of Lombardo and Ian to the band for the 2020 project was a significant development. Patton told Metal Hammer that the decision was driven by the original members’ desire to go back to their roots. “If we’re going to do this, let’s go to the source. Who inspired us back then? Who were we listening to?” he said. He added that the band was heavily influenced by Slayer and Anthrax in their early days, and it was a huge honor that the two musicians were on board with the idea. “The most amazing thing was that they were into the idea,” Patton added. “We were really flattered, really amazed that they would do something as crazy as we are doing.”
With the band’s core members and its new additions having a busy schedule with other projects, the future of new Mr. Bungle music remains uncertain, but the desire to create more is clearly there.
Photo Credit: Buzz Osborne
