Artist: Lvmen
Label: Day After Records
Release: 2008
Running time: 50:07
Rating: 4.1/5
Lvmen are a Czech band who describe themselves as playing experimental rock with a dash of hardcore. You can definitely hear the hardcore in the more aggressive parts, but I still think they’re really a post rock outfit that likes to throw a few heavier stretches into the mix.
Lvmen have been on the scene for quite a while, but they’ve never had the success they probably deserve. It may not help that they don’t put out albums all that often. Heron is only their fourth release, but judging by the quality, their records are absolutely worth the wait.
The music on Heron, and Lvmen’s music in general, is hard to pin down. It’s some variation of post rock that I’d call apocalyptic post rock/metal. To me, that means a pretty heavy take on post rock, where the dark themes really stand out. The atmosphere reminds me a lot of Guapo, who build their compositions in a similar way. That usually means the songs start out calm and slow, then gradually build to a peak where the guitars explode and a screaming vocal sometimes kicks in. Lvmen are masters of building atmosphere, and they seem to know exactly when to unleash an outburst, just as you’ve gotten used to the silence. After the eruption, the calm mostly settles back in, and the listener just waits for the next blast. The one flaw is that these patterns repeat a bit too much, and over time it gets predictable. Still, I think Lvmen have an excellent sense of drama and of creating gloomy ambiences. Only the best manage that.
Post rock often leans on keyboard lines, but with Lvmen it’s a completely different story. The music mostly relies on twin guitar parts that complement each other beautifully. The dynamic rhythm section adds a lot to the great atmosphere too, with the skills of an outstanding drummer really standing out. Keyboards are used very sparingly (samples a bit more, especially the film clips), and even then they sit well in the background. The screamed vocals stand out all the more for it: they aren’t frequent either, but they’re far more noticeable. Clean vocals are very rare, but they make a lovely contrast with the screams.
Heron is an album I keep coming back to, though I need pretty long breaks between listens. It’s draining not only because of its heavy, dark character but also because of a certain repetitiveness in the music, which in post rock/metal is practically always there and is part of its charm. Heron is without a doubt an album that deserves the full attention of every fan of experimental music, and it proves that Lvmen haven’t shown their best yet with the album Mondo.
Line-up
Dada – guitar, vocals
Mirda – guitar
Husar – keyboards, samples, vocals
Hulo – bass
Melnick – drums
Production
Lvmen
Tracklist
1. Lvmen 14
2. Lvmen 15
3. Lvmen 16
4. Lvmen 17
5. Lvmen 18
6. Lvmen 19
7. Lvmen 20
8. Lvmen 21
