Review: “Ruminant” by Lapsarian

Recorded at Cue Recording Studios in Falls Church, Virginia with Blaine Misner handling Production, Engineering and Mixing and Patrick Hills handling the Mastered at Earthtone Studios, Washington, D.C. based four piece Lapsarian completed work on their debut EP “Ruminant” before issuing this stark warning; “This is just the beginning: fans of adventurous heaviness should expect much more from this formidable quartet in the years to come“.

A Lapsarian is a person who believes that mankind has fallen from a better state, often one of innocence, and believes that women play a significant role in that. At least, that’s what a couple of minutes of dedicated research came up with. Later, the band told us they take it to mean “concerned with the Biblical fall of humanity“. The quartet, Clay Oboth and Chase Madson, both on Guitars and Vocals, Harrison Pippin on Bass and Lee Stablein on Drums make an interesting choice with the song that introduces their sound to the unsuspecting World. Instead of a balls out, burn the house down, full frontal assault, they go with “Godspeed” which offers captivating musicianship in the form of a melloncholic Post-Rock Moon, gently orbiting the Sun. Some choral intertwined harmony adds a bright Solar flare and you might think to yourself “What has this go to do with Metal?” before it explodes in Norwegian Black Metal influenced onslaught of unclean vocals and blast beats. The last thing you’d expect as the band quite literally move from Plini to Between The Buried And Me in one swift motion. Turning back and walking in their original direction, the creepy overtones of “The Accomplice” is the story of a serial killer at work, slowly in seducing the victim. It’s dark evil is a well constructed  psychedelic doom that builds gradually to its final crescendo with Horror film like intent. If you’ve seen the Johnny Depp film “Secret Window” based on the Stephen King novel “Secret Window, Secret Garden“, you’ll know what we’re talking about. Subtle and quietly effective.

Bearing in mind that that is an EP of four songs, it’s over half an hour with the middle pair of tracks accumulating over 20 minutes alone. That should be enough to tell you about the length of the songs and their complex nature. Each one as captivating as the last and flowing in movements. The cathartic Post-Metal story of “Allegory of the Cave” is a wonderfully delivered bright affair, tinged with the odd unclean vocal line and a bass solo of sorts that makes for an elevation. Returning to the closing part of the opening track for “Deadseer” which occupies a Progressive Black Metal territory is another interesting move on the chess board of Lapsarian. The song could be straight out of Norwegian folklore, such is the nature of the Black Metal unclean vocals and guitar patterns that accompany the tale [8/10]

Track listing

  1. Godspeed
  2. The Accomplice
  3. Allegory of the Cave
  4. Deadseer

“Ruminant” by Lapsarian is out on 22nd November and available for pre-order over at bandcamp

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