Green Lung: Black Harvest

For a band only formed in 2017 and with only one previous album behind them, the UK’s Green Lung seem to have generated a lot of hype, even extending to national newspapers in their homeland. On the face of it their blend of retro-rock and stoner-doom, infused with elements of 70’s prog and early 80’s metal, is nothing particularly new. Their particular specialism seems to be the incorporation of found sounds from nature (particularly woodlands) and lyrics inspired by cult British folk-horror (think “The Wicker Man�, “Witchfinder General�), although even this isn’t exactly unique these days. When you tie all this together with the strong song-writing and very characterful musicianship present on this sophomore release, however, you can start to see why the band are so highly rated.

The opening two tracks give a good indication of the band’s sound. The relatively short "The Harrowing" opens with creaky church organ as the only accompaniment to vocals that amount to something of a call to worship before scything riffs, dual guitar leads and vintage keyboard work reminiscent of Jon Lord or Ken Hensley in their pomp kick in to drive the song on. "Old Gods" meanwhile kicks off with a twisting classic rock riff upon which sits Tom Templar‘s clear, powerful vocals. The chorus, as with many on this album, sticks in the head, with multi-layered back-up vocals and symphonic keys adding to the impact. Elsewhere, "Leaders Of The Blind" is one of a number of tracks that rides along on a main riff evoking memories of Black Sabbath circa Volume 4, and also features guitar harmonics reminiscent of Queen’s Brian May in his seventies pomp. Perhaps the stand-out tracks, however, are the two where the band dial down the tempo; "Graveyard Sun" starts as an acoustic ballad with an effective melancholic, autumnal feel before a powerful chorus and strong coda with excellent harmony vocals and emotive guitar and keyboards, whilst the closing "Born To A Dying World" starts on a sombre note, with Templar’s emotive vocals backed by spare but effective organ and guitar work before it comes crashing in to a heavy, doomy chorus. Great guitar solos on the extended middle section too.

There are a couple of songs where the band seem to be going through the motions a little (such as the workmanlike "Doomsayer"), and you sometimes get the feel that Green Lung haven’t quite got to their final destination yet (not unreasonable given they are still fairly new on the scene), but overall this is an impressive release (with great production to boot) that I would recommend to fans of the genres mentioned throughout this review.

Track Listing
1. The Harrowing
2. Old Gods
3. Leaders of the Blind
4. Reaper’s Scythe
5. Graveyard Sun
6. Black Harvest
7. Upon The Altar
8. You Bear The Mark
9. Doomsayer
10. Born To A Dying World

Added: October 30th 2021
Reviewer: Tom De Val
Score:
Related Link: Band Facebook Page
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Language: english

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