DAVE LOMBARDO – Rites Of Percussion – CD

CD – Digipack. The first ever solo album from the legendary drummer. An experimental journey into rhythm and sound, out on 5th May 2023 on Ipecac Recordings.

Dave Lombardo needs no introduction. His reputation as a drum innovator and musical bellwether is unsurpassed. Whether it was his decades-long tenure with thrash metal titans Slayer, his four-album stint with influential experimentalists Fantmas, or his work with prestigious composer/saxophonist John Zorn, Lombardos passion for, and spiritual connection to, sound transcends all boundaries. His long-awaited solo album Rites of Percussion is instinctual and cinematic. Its not entirely a drum album, but its a drum album, the culmination of Lombardos experience, ambition, and tenacity.

Throughout Lombardos 40-year career, hes been foundational to, performed with, and been respected by artists from all walks of musical life. His stretches with Fantmas, Suicidal Tendencies, Testament, The Misfits, Grip Inc., Mr. Bungle, Dead Cross, and recently Venamoris (with his wife Paula) have earned him accolades. Certainly, the Recording Academy has also recognized Lombardo, awarding him two GRAMMY Award wins and four nominations. Finally, Lombardo has Rites of Percussion, an expression entirely of his own vision and design.

Its a combination of improvisational and composed music, he says. My ideas start freeform and as I develop them, they seemingly take on a life of their own. During the writing process for Rites of Percussion, everything developed slowly with layered instrumentation until I had a song that, in essence, spoke to me.

The album is a 13-song, 35-minute minds-eye reflection artfully crafted into wild rhythms, electrifying vibrations, and mesmeric soundscapes. In a way, its humbly of the same lineage as Mickey Harts Planet Drum, Tito Puentes Top Percussion, and childhood favorite Bonzos Montreux by John Bonham. But its all distinctly Lombardo. Songs like Initiatory Madness, Inner Sanctum, Maunder in Liminality, and Omiero have a suspenseful air yet are always rife with expressive possibility. Theyre verifiably kinetic.

Tracklist:

1. Initiatory Madness
2. Separation from the Sacred
3. Inner Sanctum
4. Journey of the Host
5. Maunder in Liminality
6. Despojo
7. Interfearium
8. Blood Let
9. Warpath
10. Guerrero
11. Vicissitude
12. Omiero
13. Animismo