Review Summary: What ancient power was calling me home?
Green Lung’s rustic brand of occult doom has always been more palatable than most, but they’ve gotten more accessible with each passing album. This Heathen Land, their third installment, see their influences from seventies rock and folk grow increasingly prominent and the songwriting favors lean hooks and direct vocals as much as stomping riffs and rhythms. Their themes of English folklore and neopaganism are also presented with their undeterred sleazy fervor.
Of course, there are plenty of tracks that maintain the anthemic spirit last seen on 2021’s Black Harvest. “The Forest Church” and “Mountain Throne” are par for the course at this point, the former coming off the opening prelude with an especially triumphant attitude and the latter packing in some classic metal hustle. “The Ancient Ways” and “Hunters in the Sky” seem poised to offer more of the same, but the former’s warped synth/bass-driven bridge and the latter’s percussive drama set them apart nicely.
With that, it’s pretty exciting to see the band convey different moods with certain tweaks to their template. “Maxine” and “One for Sorrow” see some especially sharp contrasts back to back; both tunes are driven by prominent keys and fuzzy riffs, but the former goes all in on the seventies flair with a retro buzz and the latter dips even deeper into dark doom than anything they’d done before. I also enjoy the full commitment to neofolk and creepy Carpenter synths on “Song of the Stones” and “Oceans of Time” is an interesting closer with its spoopy power ballad bombast working with the Dracula theming.
Overall, Green Lung puts in another satisfying leap forward with This Heathen Land. The band’s overall aesthetic hasn’t changed too much, but it’s been great to see how their influences are directed to give each of their releases a distinct flavor. I’m certainly not one to argue with the catchy songwriting and the broader flavors give this one even more dimension. As much as I still wouldn’t expect them to reach Ghost levels of fame, they’re a damn fun group to root for.
