Masters of both the riff and the groove, L.A.-based band
Here Lies Man
explore a psychedelic cross-section of Afrobeat rhythms and gnarled, fuzzy stoner metal. As a live entity, they are a tightly coiled quartet, but their first three albums were created in the studio entirely by co-founders
Marcos Garcia
and
Geoff Mann
. With fourth album
Ritual Divination
, all four members of
contribute, giving the songs a live feel and a new sense of urgency. Both
Garcia
Mann
have done time in long-running Afrobeat group
Antibalas
, and
feel like a '70s metal band waking up from a fever dream in the middle of a jam session with
Fela Kuti
's band.
leans deeper into the metal side of the equation than previous albums, with some songs having only a trace of Afrobeat among the lunkheaded drum fills and dumbfounded riffing. Without the swells of dreamy keyboards and additional percussion, opening track "In These Dreams" could pass for a reworking of
Black Sabbath
's "Children of the Grave." The pushy rhythm of "Underland" has the same outlaw intensity of early
Judas Priest
, but floating, drawn-out vocal harmonies and dubby production touches take the song to a decidedly non-metal place. It's the contrast between raw guitar riffs and otherworldly sounds that makes
so exciting and difficult to pin down. Keyboardist
Doug Organ
's detuned synths add layers of weirdness to "What You See" and the merciless blast of "The Fates Have Won." Similarly,
's vocal delivery isn't in line with classic metal screaming, but arrives cloaked in reverb and layered thick with airy harmonizing. Songs like the slowly building "Come Inside" and the menacing "Run Away Children" reshape elements of hard rock, punk, Afrobeat and even hints of prog until they blend into something separate altogether.
is a long record, with 15 songs and a running time close to an hour. It's a trip that's easy to settle into, however, with enough variety to keep the journey interesting even as the band throw out riff after riff of their Afro-metal hybrid. Hypnotic, visceral, and including some of
's most inspired songs to date,
is nothing short of epic. ~ Fred Thomas