Picture Credit score: Eketarina Gorbacheva
With out query, probably the most progressive metallic drummers stays Dave Lombardo – whose groundbreaking double bass work, fast fireplace fills, and relentless vitality actually left an indelible mark on different timekeepers. A number of a long time into this profession, it’s only now although that he has gotten round to issuing his first-ever solo album, the all-instrumental drum showcase, Rites of Percussion. Which (spoiler alert) is not a metallic smorgasbord, however quite, experimental, avant-garde, and even soundscape-y at instances…but nonetheless shows his distinctive abilities.
First rising to prominence as a member of Slayer, Lombardo performed on the group’s greatest albums, together with the metallic masterpiece Reign in Blood (amongst numerous different titles). Moreover, he has contributed to a wide range of different tasks over time – Fantômas, Lifeless Cross, Mr. Bungle, Misfits, Testomony, Suicidal Tendencies, and lots of others.
Lombardo spoke with AllMusic shortly earlier than the discharge of Rites of Percussion, and mentioned the making of the album, his favourite drum recordings, upcoming tasks, the fashionable state of rock drumming, plus Slayer’s most intense tune.
AllMusic: What made you resolve to launch your first-ever solo album now?
Lombardo: “It has been at the back of my thoughts for years. I’ve at all times needed to do one thing like this. I used to be impressed by drummers like John Bonham – who created a track known as ‘Bonzo’s Montreux,’ that was launched on Led Zeppelin‘s Coda album after he handed.”
“Additionally, Tito Puente – a Latin jazz percussionist. I knew he had created these little drum songs up to now, however I by no means attributed it to a specific album. And Mike Patton – again in ’98 or ’99 – discovered that I used to be into Tito Puente, and mentioned, ‘Oh Dave, you have to take heed to High Percussion.’ I would by no means heard of that album. And he turned me on to it.”
“So, I knew of different drummers who had created one thing like this however by no means a whole physique of labor…nicely, I feel later I heard that Hal Blaine had created one – however nothing to this extent, with this route. It has been some time, and eventually it is right here and I am actually excited.”
AllMusic: Which tracks are you most pleased with?
Lombardo: “One that stands proud is ‘Interfearium’ – the place there was a spontaneous second within the recording studio. Not in my private recording studio the place I recorded the majority of it, however after I went to Studio 606 and recorded the majority of the overdubs, I had only a fleeting thought of opening up the piano, placing a sandbag on the maintain pedal, and reaching within the piano field – not touching the keys – and grabbing some mallets and enjoying the piece that you just hear.”
“It was only a thought – ‘Oh, I am going to do that and see what occurs.’ And I had one of many assistants dim the lights within the room within the studio, I lit a candle, and simply began enjoying. That is how that piece got here up – and that is certainly one of my favourite items.”
AllMusic: How did you go about composing the songs? Did you begin with a beat after which construct on it from there?
Lombardo: “Yeah – that is mainly the way it began. I’d simply begin with a specific drum sample. And generally it is not the drum sample that you just hear start the track. Typically, it will possibly simply be a easy rhythm performed on a desk high with my fingers recorded by my cellphone, after which I’d obtain it into Professional Instruments and develop it from there. After which what you are listening to is a totally completely different rendition of the track – the ultimate piece is completely completely different to the way it began.”
AllMusic: I perceive that your son, David A. Lombardo, blended the album.
Lombardo: “Nicely, I’ve labored with him on a pair different albums up to now. We’re each gearheads…really, each of my sons and I really like music gear. We’ll sit and chat about all of it day lengthy if we had been in a position to. And my oldest son, David, he used to assist me when he was a very little child. I used to inform him, ‘OK. Punch me in when the machine says 0124.’ And he would try this.”
“After which when he was 18, I gave him a Professional Instruments MBOX, and we recorded a few albums collectively. He was recording his brother’s band, demoing their songs, and ultimately obtained a job at a recording studio. And now, he is mixing film trailers for Netflix, United Artists, and Common.”
AllMusic: What are a few of your favourite drum albums of all-time?
Lombardo: “Mickey Hart‘s Planet Drum, Babatunde Olatunji had a few actually cool albums that had been very percussion-based. I actually like Smithsonian Folkways – their compilations of actually deep African drum rhythms. Haitian Vodou drum rhythms. These are all on Smithsonian Folkways, I consider. Hossam Ramzy, a Persian percussionist – he is wonderful. I actually like Milford Graves – a percussionist out of Brooklyn.”
AllMusic: What are your ideas on modern-day laborious rock and heavy metallic drummers, by and enormous?
Lombardo: “By and enormous it is fascinating the way it’s advanced. I get pleasure from plenty of it. They’re gifted and youthful and youthful as we age. Their chops are on level.”
“There’s plenty of nice drummers – certainly one of which is Daru Jones, who performs with Jack White. Very distinctive. Ian Chang who performs with Son Lux – he is additionally a tremendous drummer. New, upcoming avantgarde drummers that work with plenty of my mates in New York Metropolis – Kenny Grohowski, who performs in a band known as Imperial Triumphant. He is wonderful. Additionally, Ches Smith from Trevor Dunn’s Trio-Convulsant.”
“There’s numerous – it is only a matter of discovering and sifting the mass quantities of drummers which can be on the market and selling their work on-line.”
AllMusic: Planning on enjoying dwell exhibits in help of Rites of Percussion?
Lombardo: “No. That is merely a bit of artwork. It will take a lot work and bringing in the appropriate musicians, and I’d actually have to consider orchestration. It isn’t unimaginable, however I am undecided if I need to sort out that – at the least proper now. It would change, you by no means know – if the appropriate provide comes alongside that may change my thoughts.”
AllMusic: Any discuss of recording a brand new studio album with Mr. Bungle?
Lombardo: “No, that hasn’t been mentioned but. We have not exhausted this album that we simply launched, The Raging Wrath of the Easter Bunny. However it may very well be attainable – I would not doubt it.”
AllMusic: How is Mike Patton doing? I learn some time again that he was coping with psychological well being points.
Lombardo: “He’s a lot better. He is doing so nicely – I am actually pleased with him, the steps that he is taken. We did a South American tour final December and he kicked ass. He was in nice spirits, he was on level, he was in his conventional ‘Mike Patton type.’ I am so pleased for him and I am wanting ahead to this upcoming tour.”
AllMusic: Talking of Mike Patton, Rites of Percussion was issued through his label, Ipecac Information. What made you resolve to go along with Ipecac?
Lombardo: “Mike Patton’s love and help from day one. I couldn’t – wouldn’t – give it to anybody else. There isn’t a different file firm that might perceive one thing like this and the way essential a physique of labor like that is than Ipecac.”
“Mike Patton, the primary file he put out on Ipecac was the primary Fantômas album – that I used to be part of. That firm and his help has been an integral a part of my drive to finish this physique of labor. I keep in mind telling Patton, ‘Hey man, I am nearly executed!’ And after I despatched him the file with all of the songs, he got here again, ‘Lastly! In any case these years!’ I simply needed to discover the appropriate time and I needed to be in the appropriate headspace mentally. And we had been in a position to seize it.”
AllMusic: Which different tasks do you could have developing?
Lombardo: “Nicely, I simply launched a single from Empire State Bastard, a brand new band I am working with from England [which also includes Biffy Clyro members Simon Neil and Mike Vennart]. They’re massive followers of hardcore music and so they put some music collectively and offered it to me with a demo again in 2020 – across the identical time I used to be recording my drum file. I did not need to take some other tasks on – I used to be simply actually centered on Satanic Planet [another band Lombardo plays in], on my drum file, I feel I would recorded ‘Colours’ for Physique Rely, and there have been different tasks.”
“And after I heard Empire State Bastard, I used to be like, ‘OK. I’ve to do that. This simply has my title written throughout it. I can get behind this.’ So, that [a full-length album] goes to be launched hopefully on the finish of the yr. We launched a brand new single known as ‘Harvest’ and we performed a couple of showcase exhibits in London, Manchester, and Glasgow. I feel we is likely to be doing one thing within the States – touring.”
“I am within the strategy of modifying a video for a really gradual, down tempo love ballad venture [Venamoris] I put along with my spouse Paula. She sings and writes plenty of the music. We’re going be releasing a video quickly – I do not know precisely when, inside in all probability the subsequent month – for the final track on the file, known as ‘So Good.’ And I’ve some excursions developing – Mr. Bungle, Misfits, and Empire State Bastard.”
AllMusic: How would you describe the music of Venamoris, the venture along with your spouse, Paula?
Lombardo: “We simply launched an album and a number of other movies. No touring – it is only a singer-songwriter duo, creating some darkish…they name it ‘journey hop.’ It is nearly like Portishead, a bit little bit of Halsey in there. However it’s probably the most left flip I may have taken, musically. I play brushes, I play with rimshot, I play the slowest tempos you can ever hear from me. And her voice is beautiful – her voice is beautiful, it is wonderful. Stunning harmonies. Nice songwriting. It is one thing hooked up to the Lombardo title that you could play on your mother and father or your grandmother. It is one thing very, very chill.”
AllMusic: Lastly, do you agree that Slayer’s “Angel of Demise” stays probably the most intense metallic track of all-time – each musically and lyrically?
Lombardo: “Sure. That track is intense. If there is a image or a track to associate with that description, yeah, that might be the track. I may see that. I can not disagree on one thing that I am so pleased with – that might be sacrilegious. It is some nice stuff proper there.”
See what Lombardo is at the moment as much as through his Twitter web page.