Lo! are a band that don’t easily lend themselves to being categorised, and if I refer to other bands in this review it’s only as points of reference, because Lo! very much have a style all of their own. There’s always a risk in combining so many styles that you might become a jack of all trades and a master of none, but Lo! are masters across all that they do on The Gleaners. The track Salting the Earth rips along driven by a breakneck d-beat reminiscent of US crust legends Tragedy, before slowing down into a bludgeoning second half breakdown worthy of the heaviest of hardcore bands. Overall, the bands draws influence across the metal and punk spectra, and you’ll hear elements of black metal, crust, hardcore, sludge and post-metal. But beyond the genre definitions, this is an absolutely furious and captivating album. Driven by a dynamic rhythm section and precise drumming, the album crackles with energy and a sense of urgency. The album is packed end-to-end with riffs that will be stuck in your head for days, and the vocal performance by Sam Dillon is diverse, intense, and venomous.
While the album is great throughout, at its heart is the one-two punch of Rat King and the title track, The Gleaners. Rat King is a shorter powerhouse of a hardcore track that slows into a hypnotic dirge reminiscent of Yob or Neurosis at their best. The longer title track opens with an unmistakable monologue on the insignificance of humanity by the great German director Werner Herzog builds during the verses towards the crushing chorus. Once again, there are elements of bands like Isis and Neurosis on display here. Needless to say, it’s heavy as fuck. Kleptoparasite picks up the pace with an infusion of blackened crust, and Cannibal Culture showcases the band’s ability to craft catchy, heavy choruses that are incredibly powerful live. This is a good opportunity to say that I was fortunate enough to see Lo! at the album release show earlier in the year at Sydney’s leading metal venue/bar Crowbar. I go to a lot of shows, and Lo! supported by Black Lava and Isua was one of the best gigs I’ve seen in a long while.
In terms of the album’s tone, it veers from anger to resignation to hopelessness to desperation to philosophical introspection. The lyrics explore the degradation, corruption, horror and spiritual emptiness of human society. Fun stuff! The songs also have this brilliant interrelatedness, with overlapping vocal lines or themes tying songs together – the rat king, the salted earth, the white worm. The lyrics are thoughtful and poetic, and match the way that the music, while harsh and bleak, achieves moments of hopeless beauty, which may also be why the album reminds me a little of Cattle Decapitation (in addition to both bands having absolutely captivating vocalists up front).
Overall, there isn’t much to say except that this is my current pick for album of the year, and it will certainly take some beating. An absolute must buy for fans of any of the genres I’ve mentioned. And while on the subject of hardcore/sludge/post-metal, I’d like to end with a big shout out to Greek band Allochiria, who released the excellent album Commotion earlier in the year, so pick that one up while you’re at it as well. Cheers!
-JIMBO
