It’s great to have a new album out from progressive doom-merchants Lord Dying. The four piece outfit from Portland Oregon have been steadily making a name for themselves, equally from a pretty solid back catalogue, and partly from treading the boards in support of bands like Crowbar and Corrosion Of Conformity.

They’re often described as a sludge band, and while there are some muddy moments to hear during the twelve track run time on the album, it’s really not their defining characteristic. I would most definitely put the term “progressive” up front, with “doom” being the underpinning. There are so many off-kilter and left-hand turns in this damn thing that it never really lets you take it for granted. I’m a sucker for any work of art that demands your attention, and “Clandestine Transcendence” is a collection that wants your brain to work for its enjoyment. “I AM NOTHING I AM EVERYTHING”, the second track on the album is a case in point. As a song, it’s tense; always on the edge of exploding into violence, with a background riff that manages to somehow bring the unsettling Americana of Mr Bungle into a pointed, spiky experience. When the song finally erupts into out and out chaos at around the 4:30 mark, it’s got more in common with Black Metal dissonance than downbeat depression. It’d be easy to implode on itself here, but amazingly it doesn’t.

On tracks like “Final Push Into the Sun”, the band showcase their superb ability. Drummer Kevin Swartz is an absolute powerhouse here, pushing the playing into something …well, transcendental. Likewise, the sheer inventiveness of the riffs from Chris Evans and Erik Olson are something else. There’s a warlike intensity – a marriage of the down-tuned guitar work with a martial backbone thanks to the fantastic four-string work of Alyssa Mocere. Throughout the record, I was often reminded of the less generic moments of High On Fire, but then the progressive moments – quiet spaces and dynamic interludes – really worked to elevate this above the humdrum. In parts, the dafter moments of classic Emperor even make an appearance. I know this reads like an absolute head-mash, but it’s carefully wrought, expertly crafted excellence.

The production for this kind of record has to be spot on. On this occasion, it’s none other than our old pal Kurt Ballou (Converge) on the dials, managing to find that sweet spot between the raw power of the music, and letting each component have sufficient clarity to allow the listener to concentrate on each part. It’s honestly an album that’s got a lot of hidden depths; repeated listens are a must. I’ve had what can only be described as a “trying” first month of the year from a work perspective, and this is the album that’s dominated my ears. It’s infections, highly intelligent and demanding. Simply a cut above their previous works.

(8.5/10 Chris Davison)

https://www.facebook.com/LordDying

https://lorddying.bandcamp.com/album/clandestine-transcendence