Doom metal continues to evolve and impress me even though it has been around just as long if not longer than any other subgenre of heavy metal. One such fantastic example of this is the latest release from progressive doom group, Lesbian. Hallucinogenesis (Translation Loss) is a forty-six minute trip through endless riffs and psychedelia. The album is a perfect length for what Lesbian was looking to do here as it does not seem to drag on, nor did I feel shorted once the last track ended.

The first track, ‘Pyramidal Existinctualism’, starts off the album with a bang. The guitar riffs are frantic and right in the front of the mix, giving off a feeling like your hallucinogenic journey has suddenly began without any warning. The next track off of Hallucinogenesis is the longest on the album and maybe my favorite, ‘Labrea Borealis’. This song has one of my favorite elements that only the best of doom writers can do and that is to get their listener to absolutely lose themselves in the song. By the time the first riff pattern ends and the second part of the song hits, nearly five minutes has come and gone, but yet it does not feel dragged out or stale. The third song, ‘Kosmoceratops’, is one of the more upbeat songs on the album that is sure to get your fist pumping with the snare hits. Right as your arm gets numb from that, around two and a half minutes in is a nice breakdown (no deathcore here, chill out) which is sure to get the rest of your body moving. The closer, ‘Aqualibrium’, does a great job of bringing your drug induced journey to an end. The last-minute or so has an effect where it feels like the listener is getting sucked out of this psychedelic dream world right before the last refrain of the main riff and fade out that really caps off the album well.

Lesbian is another doom/sludge band that easily made their way into my music library and will continue to reside there. Hallucinogenesis only has four tracks but are different from one another enough to make each track feel fresh and a new leg of the adventure that the album seeks out to send you on. The only portions of some of the songs that had me confused were the almost black metal screeches that occasionally popped up. The first few times I listened to the album, they felt out-of-place. Overall, this late summer doom release should leave a mark on all fans as we approach autumn.

Buy the album here: https://amzn.to/3yYfV80

7.5 / 10

TIM LEDIN