Anfang Mai erscheint das lang erwartete Soloalbum des kubanischstämmigen Drummers Dave Lombardo, der v.a. für seine langjährige Mitgliedschaft bei Slayer bekannt ist, aber auch durch Arbeiten mit Mike Patton, John Zorn, Suicidal Tendencies, DJ Spooky u.v.a. von sich reden gemacht hat. “Rites of Percussion” basiert auf dem Spiel unterschiedlicher Perkussionsinstrumente wie Congas, Djembes, Becken, Bongos, Gongs, Shakers und modernen Drumkits, ein gelegentlich zum Einsatz kommendes Piano fügt sich in die weitgehend rhythmische Struktur und das Klangbild ein.

“The songs on this album invoke imagery,” sagt Lombardo. “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. In a way, I think I’ve found a hidden talent. That is, taking mental images and putting those images to music. [...] 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. [Mike] Patton originally gave me the idea as far back as 1998. He introduced me to Tito Puente’s Top Percussion album. I was already familiar with Tito and was a bit shocked that Patton was so musically diverse, and that he surrounded himself with musicians of the same mindset. That inspired me. I have had ideas that I’ve recorded on cassette over the years, but Patton kept insisting that I had to do a ‘drum album.’ So, the idea behind the album is years in the making. I just had to find the right time—for me—to do it.” Das Album erscheint am 5. Mai in den gängigen Formaten bei Ipecac Records