Lvmen - An Anthology of Previously Released Songs
By now, the NeurIsis sound is severely, severely played out. But every so often, a band (e.g., Year of No Light) comes along and reminds me of the possibilities of the sound. The Czech Republic’s Lvmen (the Latin spelling of “lumen,” as in “light”) is the latest such band.
But they are hardly new jacks, having released a self-titled 12″ in 1998 and the Raison D’Etre full-length in 2000, both of which appear on this massive, 79-minute disc (Day After, 2006). Thus, Lvmen came up at the same time as Isis, but while having easily as much emotional impact, never achieved the same fame. This was due both to location and the years-long hiatus in which band members pursued various life paths (they reconvened for the fine Mondo last year).
I will do everything I can to spread the word about this band, because these songs floor me. They’re immense, often 10 minute-plus epics, which don’t just go small-big-small, but instead explore a wide variety of feels and tones. What sets this band apart is its use of more straightforward rock and post-hardcore passages.
It also throws in spoken word bits, movie samples, female vocals, and atmospheric keyboards, which these two clips illustrate. The jagged riff at 4:08 in “Lvmen 4” sounds like it’s actually tearing the song apart. The riffs in the colossal “Lvmen 7” somehow get better and better, with WTF female vocals that drop in out of nowhere – the sonic equivalent of a Mortal Kombat fatality.
I can’t find American distros that carry this, but Day After and Moonlee have it in Europe, as well as Tunetribe for digital downloads. Normally, I don’t link to MP3 stores, but since this is hard to find, I want to maximize the chances for people to hear this. It’s that good.
