Written, recorded and produced by Lustmord & Lombardo
Lustmord: Sonics, Mixing, Mastering
Lombardo: Drums, Percussion, Synthesizers, Editing
The Pulse of Atoms should come with a warning: PLAY LOUD OR NOT AT ALL. It’s a note that dark ambient/industrial titan Lustmord nearly added to the liner notes of his new collaboration with drum legend Dave Lombardo (Slayer, Dead Cross, Fantômas). On their first collaboration, they plumb the depths of original industrial and dark ambient, mapping out something larger than just music.
“One thing about an album like this is that you can’t really point it out as being part of any specific genre or hopefully any specific period,” Lustmord explains. “Is it from last year? Is it from 10 years ago, is it from 20 years ago, is it from 5 years in the future? It’s trying to create something that has its own sound, not tapping into whatever musical language or history you’re familiar with. It goes way, way further back. This is the sound of planets dying or of stars being born. It’s about a bigger picture. It’s the sound of the birth of the universe and the death of the universe; it’s not rock and roll.”
The two musicians met backstage at a Fantômas show, introduced by mutual friend Buzz Osborne, around the time that Lustmord and Melvins released their collaborative album. Nearly two decades later, Lombardo and Lustmord convened as Lustmord Lombardo and began to work on their own collaboration. A record that is as cold and distant as it is frantic and engaging, The Pulse of Atoms showcases an unheard side of Lombardo and brings Lustmord back to his industrial roots.
The duo didn’t write music so much as they created it, with Lustmord building walls and vortices of sound that left room for Lombardo to add percussion and various synthesizer parts. Once the editing and arrangement was complete, Lustmord mixed and mastered the record, which was a balancing act between the two players’ large, loud musical presences.
“I’m very proud of this collaboration because it’s so different from anything else that I’ve done,” Lombardo beams. “And to create this body of work with Brian—this guy is legendary! Lustmord rattles the plaster off of venues.”
Describing The Pulse of Atoms in traditional musical terms is an exercise in futility. Individual tracks fade into one another, separated more by a song’s rising and falling pulse rather than traditional markers.
“This style of music moves me in ways that are different to metal and punk and anything in between,” Lombardo adds. “As I’m musically maturing and evolving, I’m able to adapt to these different genres and, hopefully as I continue to venture in this world, effortlessly. It’s a challenge and that’s very gratifying. I really enjoy working in this spacious and atmospheric style of music.”
Lustmord, an early pioneer of industrial and atmospheric electronic music, likens The Pulse of Atoms to industrial music of the late ‘70s in the sense of “anything goes” experimentation and exploration but is hesitant to explain too much of the record. It’s an album to be felt rather than explained or put into words.
“It’s meant to be immersed in,” Lustmord concludes. “Play loud or not at all.”
Dave Lombardo is one of heavy metal’s most prolific and energizing drummers, playing with Slayer, Misfits, Mr. Bungle, Suicidal Tendencies, Testament and many others over a career that stretches more than 40 years.
Lustmord is a pioneer of industrial and digital music. He has released over 20 studio albums under that name and frequently collaborates with other artists. His work has had a direct and lasting influence on the dark ambient scene.
