Ritual Divination (studio album) by Here Lies Man

How do they get away with this kind of derivative tat? If you want to be a Deep Purple/Zeppelin covers band, do that, don't pretend that you're doing something original.

From Mercury 01/25/2021 19:18

80 to 90/100 (Brilliant mix of Afrobeat, stoner metal and psych rock that grabs hold and rocks your world for the full 60 minutes and doesn't let go. Just an absolutely badass and unique hard rock album.)

Afrobeat meets stoner rock. What a cool concept. I had heard that description and I of course was quite intrigued. And as I started listening I was initially a bit underwhelmed. The riffs sounded cool and heavy and had a certain Sabbath swagger, the rhythms were active and groovy, but I hadn't yet clicked into the sound. As I progressed either the grooves and the amalgamation of the elements just got better or, more likely, I just became more settled into what the band was doing and the atmosphere they were creating. By the end of the album I was bobbing my head and in near-awe of the coolness of the interplay between the rhythms and the riffs and the chanting, reverb heavy vocals and the Keyboards, etc.

On second listen I was fully onboard and I will say this album is subtly engaging. I mean the riffs are solid as hell, as are the rhythmic loops and the other instrumental details, but these are all on their own just very good. When added together and played off each other there is a great chemistry. What seemed like a bit of a cool gimmick at first blossomed into a really great sound and album experience.

Some highlights that really hit hardest and seem to be absolutely brilliant: "Disappointed" with its towering riffs and its psychedelic keyboard swells and the rhythms that just seem to always be shifting about underfoot - and the way the whole song drops out and morphs into this ominous trudging epic is killer. Or how about "Run Away Children" with that absolutely godly rhythm guitar and the way the vocals sound so eerie and reverb-heavy. Or "Night Comes" with its almost upbeat keyboard melody and spacey effects mixed with an air tight tour-de-force of guitars and drums playing off each other almost in a little friendly competition to see who can be more badass. Etc, there are many fucking dope as hell songs and bits here.

I can't quite pin this album down fully. It is a metal album but there are enough alterations to the aesthetics of metal or stoner rock that it doesn't fit easily into that category. Its not a psych rock or afrobeat album either, too heavy and riffy for that. Its instead a kind of shifting, lively, creative mix of different worlds of music, so expertly done and all elements so brilliantly integrated it becomes its own beast. And this album is a beast. So many incredible moments to sink your teeth into throughout. I don't know if I'm doing a great job describing what makes this brand of rock so intoxicating and fun. But I assure you that I friggin love it and highly recommend.