Green Lung - This Heathen Land (Nuclear Blast)
The five piece of Tom Templar (vocals), Scott Black (guitar), Joseph Ghast (bass), John Wright (organ) and Matt Wiseman (drums), refine and enhance their sound again. Giving you another album of classic heavy metal, that makes you realise how good a band like Ghost could be if they dropped the theatrics and stuck with the heavier end rather than 80's pop. Called "the most complete manifestation of the bands vision to date", Tom Templar describes it as the soundtrack to a "folk horror film in our heads", I have to agree as I've always just instantly thought of Hammer Horrors when listening to Green Lung, a band I assume would have given anything to play a show with noted metal fan Christopher Lee. With the influence of Sabbath still the grounding, This Heathen Land brings the quirk of Blue Oyster Cult, with the crunch of Sir Lord Baltimore, channeling it through Deep Purple muscle, Opeth/Camel's folksiness and Queen's melodic shape shifting.
What I love about the band is how they research all the topics they sing about, this authenticity to the folk/occult/pagan history of the UK is what sets them apart from their Swedish counterparts. They celebrate the occult, rather than using it for schlock value. Green Lung revel in Folklore, inspiring their songs, their artwork and their stage presence. Don't take my word for it though as Green Lung are rapidly rising to be one of the UKs most bankable acts, their tour in November is sold out and I'll assume they'll be a major draw at Bloodstock next year.
Back to This Heathen Land and the band wanted it to sound like a Martin Birch record, collaborating with producer Wayne Adams and Tom Dalgety to capture the magic of Dio-Sabbath, Rainbow and even early Maiden when they were at the height of their bombast. The Forest Church Intro welcomes us to This Heathen Land as The Forest Church, kicks off with blaring organs set against the brooding, slithering riff. It starts the album off on a dark and mysterious note, the simplistic drum beat permeating the heavy use of organs, the guitars brought in for the epic chorus. As this ebbs and flows with Queen-like guitar harmonies/solos shift rapidly into an organ solo, before Mountain Throne gives us a hook-filled bounce, you can hear the hordes shouting “MOUNTAIN THROOONE” at the top of their voices.
The first track is based on a horror flick while this is inspired by the victims of witch trials, that mix of history and fiction/mythology balanced well by the band, giving both importance. Two tracks down and Green Lung are already on different level to their previous record, then come Maxine (Witch Queen), inspired by the 1960’s ‘Witch Queen’ Maxine Sanders, this track has all the hip shaking danceability of the Swinging Sixties, it’s the sort of thing Ghost wanted to do with Kiss The Goat, but Green Lung do it better. It’s flirty and filthy, the Witch Queen cursing our poor narrator, another massive sing along that is followed by the most personal track here, Templar in mourning on the gothic doom of One For Sorrow. One For Sorrow builds the noise and slows the pace, nodding to Edgar Allen Poe in the lyrics as well as the nursery rhyme, using them to describe mental health worries.
As the tone is brought down, Songs Of The Stones bases itself on and 1892 ghost story, musically mixing Jethro Tull, Fleetwood Mac and Pink Floyd. Ritualistic and percussive, Songs Of The Stones, is a pastoral break from the distortion, though The Ancient Ways returns with more bombastic riffs and synths/keys, hard rock riffs,along with a killer guitar solo. Climbing the lyrical mountains as the concept of the right to roam is continued on the galloping Maiden-esque Hunters In The Sky, this love of freedom and nature prevalent in all of Green Lung’s music, their deference to and assimilation of the old ways is to be commended. Especially since they bring this retro tinge to their music but it remains extremely modern in the execution.
Closing This Heathen Land is another ‘Vampire Love Song’ Oceans Of Time, inspired by Bram Stoker’s version of the Transylvanian Count, it’s shamelessly romantic, ostentatious and evokes the drama and pathos of Jim Steinman, building into a theatrical crescendo to end the record. I listened to this album numerous times but the late night spin on Samhain raised the hairs on the back of my neck, as if the spirits were present. There are few albums and bands that can do this, but Green Lung have hit upon that perfect balance of accessibly and authenticity. Definitely AOTY. 10/10