Rites Of Percussion

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 Fantômas, or his work with prestigious composer/saxophonist John Zorn, Lombardo’s passion for, and spiritual connection to, sound transcends all boundaries. His long-awaited solo album Rites of Percussion is instinctual and cinematic. It’s not entirely a drum album, but it’s a drum album, the culmination of Lombardo’s experience, ambition, and tenacity.

Throughout Lombardo’s 40-year career, he’s been foundational to, performed with, and been respected by artists from all walks of musical life. His stretches with Fantômas, 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.

“It’s 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 mind’s-eye reflection artfully crafted into wild rhythms, electrifying vibrations, and mesmeric soundscapes. In a way, it’s humbly of the same lineage as Mickey Hart’s Planet Drum, Tito Puente’s Top Percussion, and childhood favorite “Bonzo’s Montreux” by John Bonham. But it’s 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. They’re verifiably kinetic.