God Hates Us All - Bostaph's Departure

Bostaph's Departure

Prior to Christmas 2001, Bostaph sustained a chronic elbow injury which hindered his ability to drum, resulting in his decision to leave the band. His third-to-last performance with Slayer was recorded on War at the Warfield. To date, Bostaph has not viewed the footage; he has likened the experience to "breaking up with a girlfriend," and wants to move on with his life. Bostaph does not regret his time spent with the band, and describes the period as a high point in his career. Without a drummer the band were unable to finish their God Hates Us All tour. King contacted original drummer Dave Lombardo almost ten years after his departure, and asked him if he would be willing to play for the remainder of the tour. Lombardo accepted the offer, and played for the remaining 21 shows; however, he did not take on a permanent position with the band.

Following the tour, the band continued their search for a permanent drummer, and sought solicitation via demo tape and snail mail. Interested fans sent video recordings of renditions of the songs "Disciple," "God Send Death," "Stain of Mind," "Angel of Death", "Postmortem/Raining Blood," "South of Heaven," "War Ensemble," and "Seasons in the Abyss"; complete with résumés. The band listened to hundreds of demo tapes, and created a "good pile" and "ungood pile," though the "ungood" was much larger. Those whose performances the band were pleased with were offered an audition in Dallas, San Francisco or Peoria, Illinois; many applicants, however, were unable to attend due to flight costs. The band auditioned roughly two to three drummers a day, and their top choice was one of Lombardo's recommendations. However, the band ultimately returned to Lombardo after deciding that they could not find a drummer who suited the job; Lombardo re-joined Slayer and attended music festivals worldwide to promote God Hates Us All and record drums on the 2006 album Christ Illusion.