To Cross or To Burn Venamoris

The second release of soulful dark pop from legendary drummer Dave Lombardo and singer-songwriter Paula Lombardo

The courtship of Dave and Paula Lombardo is the kind of thing that would make for an inspired romantic comedy. Picture it: The man who raised the bar for heavy metal drumming rendezvous with a beautiful woman whose musical background included backing up legacy acts in Las Vegas and trying to break into Nashville as a singer/songwriter. Fortunately for the world, their musical union has manifested as Venamoris, whose Ipecac debut To Cross Or To Burn (out February 28) goes far to explode preconceived notions while constructing captivating new possibilities.

Obviously, the indefatigable Dave Lombardo’s bonafides as a world-class drummer are well-known. But while he drafted the blueprint that would define thrash-metal drumming, he’s also applied his finesse to solo percussion (2023’s Rites Of Percussion, also on Ipecac), hip hop and classical music, as well as boundary-pushing recordings and performances with everyone from John Zorn’s ensembles to punk icons Misfits and Mr. Bungle. To Cross… is another milestone in his storied career, where he’s added guitar, bass and considerable production techniques to his sonic skill-set. “The only thing that rivals how many drums we have [at home] is how many guitars Dave has,” says Paula, laughing. “So he plays guitar quite a bit on this album.”

Paula is truly a dynamic musical force powered with impressive vocal prowess, a deftness on piano and synthesizers and a great instinct for alluring lyrics, melodies and arrangements. At 18 years old, she was a backing singer as part of Las Vegas entertainer Wayne Newton’s enclave, which taught her grace under pressure when you’re performing multiple shows in an evening and perfection was demanded every day. She left Vegas to head to Nashville to continue her career in music, but by her own words, “It just wasn’t the right fit.”

Taking their name from the Latin vena amoris (“the vein of love,” purported to run from the left-hand ring finger to the heart), Venamoris’ first public recording was “The Gift,” a Christmas song the Lombardos posted to Bandcamp. Not long afterward, their 2023 debut album, Drown In Emotion, was released. Paula’s singer-songwriter vibe felt like it was plucked from the FM dial in 1975 between deep cuts from Carole King’s Tapestry and Heart’s Dog And Butterfly.