Grip Inc.

Being in Slayer Dave Lombardo wrote metal history. But being out of Slayer never stopped him from making great music either. I remember a show at Dynamo Open Air in Eindhoven '95 where he introduced the public to his new project: Grip Inc. It was the best double bass drums ever to be heard on a stage. There are drummers who are faster but the groove of Lombardo is something else. His drums write an epic story and by working with everyone from Mike Patton (see Fantomas) to avant-garde saxophonist-composer John Zorn he is one of those characters in rock and metal that are always interesting to follow.

With Grip Inc. he made four records. Each of them gems of metal. They made their last record in 2004. Singer Gus Chambers died in 2008 so that might just be the end for the future of Grip Inc. (although I would be more than happy to be wrong on that). In the vault of classic heavy metal songs lies "Hostage to Heaven" that is kind of a Slayer-offspring but the drums from Lombardo are just killing. This used to be my favorite driving-home-from-work-song while I was working nightshifts at a newspaper in the 90s.

Hostage to Heaven / Power of Inner Strenght