Lazarus Blackstar ‘Revelations’ CD 2005
Lazarus Blackstar have made a dramatic impact on the underground doom circuit over the last few months & when you see the pedigree behind this band it’s not entirely surprising. The crux of the line-up is from the now defunct Khang whose members also played in a plethora of bands (far too many to list here but include Doom & Serenity) and are now joined by Paul Catten, the legendary vocalist of Medulla Noctre and more recently Murder One. The result is one of the most devastating and tormented Doom riddled Sludge albums to come out of the UK since the likes of Iron Monkey!
‘Revelations’ is LBS’s debut release on seminal UK label Undergroove Records with 7 tracks of monstrously heavy, crushing & down right filthy sludge that rumbles along at a snails pace churning up everything that lays in it’s path! The CD opens with ‘Revelation I: Day of Reckoning’ and all seems calm as Gordon kicks out a quaint drum beat which soon sees the sound galvanise into an almighty rumble as it’s slowly joined by Bri’s thunderous bass lines, Lee’s gruesome guitar work and the sampled incessant ramblings of one Mr George W Bush. Although all is not complete, well not until you hear the manic screams of one Mr Paul Catten which rip through your speakers like a disturbed & tormented soul!
It should be obvious by now that Lazarus Blackstar aren’t for those who suffer from a nervous disposition as ‘Revelations’ crawls through tracks like ‘Defaced Photograph’, ‘I, Black Widow’ and ‘The Tragedy of the Monochrome Man’ with monstrous effect, displaying the earth shattering heaviness, brutality and ferociousness of this band, I have no idea what these guys downtune to, but believe me when I say this is one seriously heavy album! And if that wasn’t enough, Paul’s vocals are enough to strip layers of skin off your already battered & beaten body as his agonising screams of despair tear your speakers apart like a manic & deranged psychopath devouring his latest victim!
The CD draws to a close with a cover of the classic St. Vitus track ‘I Bleed Black’ and all I can really add is this is one awesome album, nothing seems to have been compromised, even the sound (which was actually recorded & mixed by themselves at Studio 1in12) still retains their sheer heaviness, so if your looking for some ultra heavy slabs of manic Doom/Sludge, then look no further than Lazarus Blackstar!
Label: Undergroove Records
Website: www.facebook.com/pages/lazarus-blackstar/20589373181
Scribed by: Lee Edwards