Album Review: Lo-Pan - Colossus

When bands like High On Fire, who lead the way in the world of sludgy stoner metal, get praised to the hilt, I'm often left confused as to what it is I'm missing out on. That particular brand of metal, with fuzzed out guitars and riffs upon riffs, taps into the primal need for heaviness that so many metal fans have, but seldom shows the care for songwriting that I dare say is necessary, no matter how heavy your band is. Stoner metal is called that for a reason, because it was long noted that being in an altered state was necessary to either play or enjoy so much of it. Hypnotic grooves and droning riffs might be fun when you aren't sure reality exists, but to the more sober listener, that kind of music gets old fast.

Lo-Pan isn't quite a stoner band, but they play a similar kind of fuzzy, heavy sludge. “Regulus” wastes no time blasting out of the speakers, and not long into the track, I have an uncanny feeling of familiarity. The sound is quite similar to the final Life Of Agony album, “Broken Valley”. Hearing that might scare off some of you, given its reputation, but I intend it as a compliment. Few bands were able to blend the power of hardcore with melody the way Life Of Agony did, and that record has some absolute gems on it. If Lo-Pan is going to draw comparisons, that's a good place to start.

Lo-Pan throws a bit of diversity into the mix, going from the pummeling opening track to a bluesy swagger on “Black Top Revelation”. Along the way, the riff is king, although that may not be the best decision they've ever made. While the guitars are suitably thick and heavy, the riffs themselves aren't as memorable as they should be, if they are to be the focal point of the songwriting. There's nothing wrong with the songs, as they're presented, but such a guitar-oriented album needs to feature riffs that can be hummed. Tony Iommi was the master of this, but bands like Trouble have made a living off of it too. Bands that live and die off the riff need to write not just good ones, but great ones. I'm not sure I hear one of those on “Colossus”.

When the album works best is when there's something a little bit different thrown into the mix, like the aforementioned blues, or the thrashy riff that sits under the chorus of “Marathon Man”. These break up the songs just enough to be interesting, and show that there is more to Lo-Pan than might normally be revealed.

“Colossus” is a fine record for what it is, but it's also one that is hampered by its limitations. Like almost all records where every note is played with the exact same guitar tone, the sound begins to fatigue by the time the record nears its end. There's little diversity in the music, which is great if it's your favorite style, but isn't so great for the sake of the record. Once you've heard one of these songs, you've more or less heard them all. Even the riffs themselves lack enough character to separate the songs from one another.

I don't want to sound like I'm being too harsh on “Colossus”, because it's not a bad album. For the niche it fills, it's well done. That particular niche is one that I don't particularly understand. Listening to a couple of songs like this is fine, and I enjoy it, but entire records where everything is so similar gets tired very quickly. I can imagine these songs being a lot of fun at a live show. And I can also imagine returning home and not being able to recall what songs were played. “Colossus” is one of those good, but forgettable, records.

Chris C

Music Reviewer

Chris is a professional intellectual. He graciously shares his deep thoughts on the world of music with the world. You're welcome.