Ask former Slayer drummer Dave Lombardo about the inspiration behind his debut solo album, and he’ll give you an impressive list. The short version is that he got the idea to make a drum album when his Fantômas and Dead Cross bandmate Mike Patton turned him on to Tito Puente’s 1958 Latin-jazz milestone, Top Percussion. But really, Lombardo’s influences go back to when he was a kid listening to Deep Purple’s Ian Paice, Black Sabbath’s Bill Ward, and Led Zeppelin’s John Bonham (especially “Bonzo’s Montreux” and “Moby Dick”). “That was a time when drum solos were a big part of the live experience of a band,” he tells Apple Music. “But Tito Puente and Mike Patton for sure: Puente for my roots in Afro Caribbean music—conga players, timbales players—and Patton for teaching me to color outside the box, to expand and be fearless.” Recorded mostly in Lombardo’s home studio during lockdown, Rites of Percussion retains glimpses of the drummer’s fleet-footed intensity with Slayer, but also conjures some of his more experimental work with the likes of John Zorn and Fantômas—not to mention his Cuban roots (Lombardo was born in Havana but moved to California with his family as a child). “Since these songs have no lyrics, I had to give them direction through the titles,” he says. “The title Rites of Percussion obviously has inclinations towards a religious aspect, and drums very early on in history were a big part of religious ceremonies—and in some cultures still are.” Below, he comments on each track. “Initiatory Madness” “This is the first door that you open into this world of mine, and it’s basically the madness that goes on in my mind on a daily basis. Rhythmically, this is part of my daily breath. There are moments when something will trigger a rhythm or a pattern, and it will inspire me to play that pattern or perform in one way or another—or if I’m on tour, some music will inspire a certain performance that evening. With this song, I’m welcoming you to my own insanity.” “Separation From the Sacred” “To find oneself, sometimes you need to separate yourself from everything you’ve been taught. You need to step outside of that and find the true you. Not the you that was molded by your upbringing or by manipulating humans who try to tell you what to do, what to say, how to feel, or how to be. Separating yourself from the sacred—which would be religion—and finding your true self is the first step to finding your purpose in life and, I think, real happiness.” “Inner Sanctum” “Inner Sanctum is my little studio, my place where I can let go and be free and not have anything other than my own mind influencing me in my creative journeys. It’s my place, my sanctum—it’s where I find harmony and peace within myself and my own mind. It’s my place of silence. As much as I love noise, I love silence. When you’re in your inner sanctum, you can shut everything out and be at one with yourself, and that’s one of the most important things you can do to find growth.” “Journey of the Host” “It’s basically my journey. I’m the host in this musical or drumming journey, and what you’re doing is basically taking a ride with me in my own mind. We’re all hosts in one way or another to these experiences, whether it’s musicians or film directors or writers and authors. They’re the hosts of these journeys that they take you on, and this is basically mine.” “Maunder in Liminality” “There’s a time where you need to make a change in life, and you know it—but you’re confused whether you want to move forward or not. You’re waiting for something to happen to help you push through this next period in your life. It’s almost like you’re in a stupor, but all the power is in your hands. You’re the one that’s able to make this change that is usually for the better, and it’s almost like you’re in this moment of questioning yourself. But you should stop maundering and move forward.” “Despojo” “‘Despojo’ is a Spanish word meaning to dispel, to let go. Despojo in Afro Caribbean religion and culture usually means that if shit is going terribly wrong, you need to do something to dispel the negative. It’s almost like a cleansing. If you’re in a haunted house, they’ll tell you to burn some sage. Despojo is similar to that, but more of a bathing ritual where you maybe have river water and add certain herbs or flowers that you bathe in to help dispel any negative or evil vibes you might have.” “Interfearium” “I created that word. It’s like putting your fear in a box and putting it away. ‘Inter’ is basically like a burial or a coffin, and fear, obviously, is something that we all experience. I experienced it during the process of making this record. I had fears of what people are going to think. What is the public going to say? What are drummers going to think? I had to put those fears in a box and place it somewhere inaccessible so it would not rear its head during the creative process.” “Blood Let” “Bloodletting is something that has been part of ancient cultures, whether it’s for sacrifice or for cures. Doctors at one time thought that bloodletting or removing a certain amount of blood from the body would cure people from their ailments. But on the contrary, it would make them weaker and eventually kill them. It’s also something that the Mayans and Aztecs did, in using human sacrifices for their gods and their crops.” “Warpath” “This song just felt like a warpath, like the adrenaline kicks in and whatever you’re fighting for—your people, land, to express your talent—defines you. In a way, life is like a warpath because you’re always defending yourself. You’re always fighting for life. There’s a Cuban phrase, ‘Luchando por la vida,’ which means you’re boxing with life. That’s what it felt like during the pandemic, when I couldn’t tour or perform onstage. I had to fight against the desperation that made me feel.” “Guerrero” “The title means ‘warrior.’ We’re all warriors in one way or another. I feel I’m a drum warrior, and following ‘Warpath,’ I felt that there needed to be a focus on the actual human, the warrior, the one that fights for the chance to express themselves. The warrior is really important because they open the path to other warriors, other musicians, and other drummers.” “Vicissitude” “Like dealing with your fears in ‘Interfearium,’ there are also changes in life that we’re always presented with. One of the major ones that we all experienced was the pandemic, but there are also personal ones that we’ve experienced, like the loss of family members. Sometimes you have to make major changes in life to help you through those difficult moments.” “Omiero” “Omiero is the liquid used for a despojo. It’s the concoction that the witch doctor or the shaman puts together for you to dispel evil and purify with. It’s part of certain rites and tribal experiences. Omiero is also used in Afro Caribbean religions to purify drums, so I felt that was a proper name to give this particular song because it just had that vibe.” “Animismo” “Some people believe that certain plants or objects have animismo, or spirit. Although it’s not breathing, it has some kind of energy. For me, drums have animismo. They have this spirit when you play it. When I go to a shop that specializes in indigenous drums, I’ll hold the drum and listen to it and hear its resonance, and it’ll inspire me to perform a certain way. Certain instruments possess a feeling, a spiritual essence. It doesn’t mean that there’s necessarily a spirit living in it, just that it gives you a particular feeling.”