From the mind of the godfather of double-kick. The man who revolutionized the metal scene in the 80s. With the destructive, chaotic drumming in Slayer, tearing through Mike Patton projects like Dead Cross, Mr. Bungle, and Fantomas. The man who single-handedly made the Misfits even heavier comes a solo record. One that not only showcases the boundless talent of a man but also further cements his legacy as one of popular music’s greatest drummers ever. This is Dave Lombardo Rites of Percussion.
Throw out your preconceived notions of Lombardo’s music. Rites of Percussion is no heaven for thrash fans or another record lost in metal madness.
Instead, it beholds a vast array of percussion utilized to make sinister, eerie, and virtuosic music. The instrumental drum record is an intense musical experience, taking listeners into the mind of a revolutionary percussionist and creating an unforgettable soundtrack to his talent.
It’s easy to think of Lombardo as a thrash metal drummer. He changed the game. But a looking into his life and the rest of his career shows everything has been leading to this moment. Beyond his thrash metal contributions, Lombardo was on two albums with John Zorn. Growing up, his fascination for Tito Puente and Led Zeppelin helped birth a creative mind that bore Rites of Percussion. Lombardo has been sitting with this record for years. According to him, Mike Patton gave him the idea in 1998 when he introduced him to Tito Puente’s 1958 album Top Percussion. Once the pandemic hit, Lombardo used his free time to be as creative as possible.
Each track on Rites of Percussion showcases unique talent and over 20 types of percussion instruments. Including but not limited to a single and double bass drum kit, djembes, and Native American drums.
The opening track “Initiatory Madness” is the perfect title for such a maddening start to the album. Opening with an ominous array of drums and drone-like sounds, the track explores almost every drum imaginable. It’s as if every rudiment is being played, constantly keeping the listener guessing which direction the song will take. What begins as a rhythmic boom to a short-yet-kickass groove turns into sweet chaos. The song is what the title suggests: madness!
A lot of the album is ominous, almost threatening. Rites of Percussion can easily be mistaken for a film score. Fans of Junkie XL’s score for Mad Max: Fury Road or Hans Zimmer’s score for Dune will be pleased. Droning doom and mega booms foreshadow the madness that each song brings. However, the record doesn’t rely solely on drums. As if things weren’t already dark, a haunting grand piano is utilized on “Interfearium.” It brings a new sound to this already anarchic journey.
While most of the album is sinister and bizarre, there are surprising breaks in the tension that bring about moments where the listener can simply groove.
“Journey of the Host” comes after three songs of drumming mania, where the music sounds almost improvisational. Track four brings a groovy, yet hypnotic beat that reels you in with a clean beat, then brings out all kinds of mesmerizing, almost alien, sounds and a ride cymbal with enough reverb to make you feel as if you were floating through space by just listening.
Other track standouts include “Warpath,” the perfect song to make the listener feel they’re going to battle. The rhythmic drums and vibrant shakers make for quite a heavy experience. While this is not a metal album, there is plenty of heaviness to be found in this music. There are plenty of traces of Lombardo’s thrash metal expertise throughout the album. On the album closer “Animismo,” Lombardo’s drum fills almost hearken back to his Slayer days.
Rites of Percussion is a map into Dave Lombardo’s mind and talent showcasing who he was, who he is, and how he will be remembered.
Lombardo himself said about this album, “I write from wherever my mind travels. I write how I think. I want the songs to conjure emotion. There are no lyrics, but there are many levels of intensity.” Every listener will have a different experience listening to this album and will have a different interpretation of each song. With Lombardo’s mix of composed and improvisational music on this record, there can’t possibly be any two same experiences listening to this album. Lombardo has cemented his legacy as an all-time great percussionist, not just a drummer. This album is an amazing listen for anyone willing to get lost in the mind of a genius and come out the other side in shock and awe.
Rites of Percussion is available from Ipecac Recordings.