For lovers of classic British metal with a bewitching, devilish twist – you know who you are, walking ancient ways, creatures of habit, oceans of time – I recommend a deep, deep exploration of the nostalgic but still brand-new and thoroughly splendid This Heathen Land (Nuclear Blast Records).
London-formed Green Lung, pretenders to several psych/stoner/doom thrones, take a major step forward with a kind of folk-horror concept album, a treat to delve into.
After the scene-setting, Poe-etic spoken intro, the rifftastic “The Forest Church” is Iron Maiden-esque, fully, properly conceived and expertly delivered, a statement of intent and a sign of goodies to come, melodic geetar and strong vocals leading the way, singer Tom Templar evoking Saxon‘s blessed Biff Byford, among others.
The sound is heavy on the Hammond (John Wright on keys) before a sinister, sibilant interlude maintains the creepy atmosphere.
An intoxicating riff powers “Mountain Throne”, an anthemic, fist-pumping, headbanging winner. So far, so good, so NWOBHM. “Mountain Throne” and “The Ancient Ways” (and later, the vampiric “Oceans Of Time”) showcase Green Lung at their very best, riffing and soaring and swaying and melodically hooking in all but the most skeptical and dumbly resistant. “The Ancient Ways” will go down a storm live with its unapologetic, unfettered geetar magic – take a bow, Scott Black.
“Maxine” is something of a crowdpleasin’ sleaze rocker, but firmly “on concept”. Witch Queen? Good ol’ Maxine Sanders, in fact.
A great thing about Green Lung is that they really are fun. These boys get all the details right, while never losing sight of the bigger picture, and this new collection shows a clear arc of development from the earlier Woodland Rites and the also excellent Black Harvest.
“One For Sorrow” opens with more church-y organ and Goblin-y synths, before wallowing down into a genuine stoner groove and evolving into an efficient exercise in deliberate pacing.
Templar’s vocals grab and hold the attention while the “one for sorrow, two for mirth…” lyrics cast up a particular black and white bird and remind me that Jenny Hanley, the blonde from TV’s Magpie, was in Scars Of Dracula, not to mention the deliriously good/bad The Flesh And Blood Show.
In many ways, “One For Sorrow” is the key track. The band could so easily have been tempted away from the doomy mood, intent on breaking the speed limit, and therefore breaking the spell.
Instead they deliver a lesson in restraint, bass and drums (Joseph Ghast and Matt Wiseman, respectively) fuelling the fire, lighting pyres, fanning flames, encouraging ancient ashes back to potent life. “Song Of The Stones,” too, plays a subtle hand via a moody mindscape, Tolkien-esque acoustic frippery and a “simple”, primal beat.
“Hunters In The Sky” comes on like Thin Lizzy fuelled by druids’ henbane and fires off on all cylinders, delivering in every possible way. The aforementioned “Oceans Of Time” is a proper epic to cap it all off, like Magnum, then Styx, then becoming … well, Green Lung, chiefly, themselves.
The good old days, but fresh and new, “Oceans Of Time” is a pure, instant classic, a Carpathian, wolfish, hungry “(Don’t Fear) The Reaper.”
If you do venture across and beyond the vast, blasted moor, and decide to delve into This Heathen Land, stepping trepidatiously beyond the foreboding, sylvan barrier of the enveloping forest canopy, do remember to plot some kind of path back to “normality,” lest you become entwined in the enchanting, elven branches of the exquisite lady of the trees.
Buy the album here:
https://greenlung.bandcamp.com/album/this-heathen-land
9 / 10
CALLUM REID