There is something to say for bands that manage to incorporate a lot of sounds into their mix and still pull it off without sounding hackneyed or try-hard. After all, what has been imagined of modern rock and metal has gone off in some wild directions, from jazz to noise and everything in between. It is a beautiful thing, really. Also terrifying at times. In sticking with that idea of many things is Lotus Thrones here with their latest EP Hibernal.
Lotus Thrones is the brainchild of Heath Rave, whom some of you might know better as the past drummer of Wolvhammer. Lotus Thrones is a project he began in 2019 in an effort to combine heaviness and melody while keeping things very experimental. As such, the project already has two EPs, a single, and a full-length to its credit. Evoking the likes of post-punk, industrial, blast beats, doom metal, goth, shoegaze, trip-hop, and noir jazz, the breadth of the project’s sound is incredibly expansive. All the while exploring melancholy and depression. Here, Hibernal is the second in a series of seasonal EPs.
Off the bat here, the scope of this album’s sound is about what was written in the above paragraph and perhaps even more. Reading about this record is one thing, experiencing it is quite another. Textures of aggression mark the first seconds of the opener “The Stag Beetle” as this record comes in like a damn grindcore record. Full steam, blast beating like a riot. But it gives way to a very industrial/post-punk vibe with clean vocals and then shifts into a hybrid hardcore/punk drive. That is about one minute of music. One minute right there. There is a lot going on in the confides of this EP. And by the time the second track, “Codependent Arsonry”, kicks on one would swear Boy Harsher just got a guest spot on this record.
The excitement of this project and EP is not how many genres can get crammed in, but how they fit in. There are times when the soundscapes sound like an old Nine Inch Nails track, at others Killing Joke, sometimes Neurosis, or even Author & Punisher. It is a lot to unpack but the important thing is none of it sounds forced. When the album is heavy, such as “Miasthmatic”, it is very, very heavy. But the track is also very dark and noir sounding with its drone and the jazzy saxophone.
On the EP Heath Rave had this to say:
"Hibernal is the second in my seasonal EP series, a celebration of the bleakness of winter when its teeth sink deep in your bones. Being trapped inside staying warm in the stagnant climate controlled air seems to create a mirror to things we loathe the most about ourselves. There's no solace outside, it's all grey and everything is dead and as humans we forget that soon again it will be reborn. There's a beauty in it and a little bit of hope, but mostly just hopeless. From burning yourself alive with the one you love, to wallowing in a resentment factory of a dead relationship and even reimagining the story of Christmas with Joseph as an abusive alcoholic stepfather, there is a wintertime story here for everyone."
Hibernal is an adventurous, gloomy record from an adventurous, gloomy project. It is heavy and exciting in its melodies and misery, and genuinely unpredictable. But every time the sound gets switched up it is interesting to see where it is going in its stark tread. Winter is still deep in our veins and its icy breath still exhales down our necks. Hibernal is a great way to continue the snowy trek through these chilly, dark days.
You can also check out the music video for "Codependent Arsonry" here.
Order here.
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