Saturday 16 June 2018

Here Lies Man - You Will Know Nothing (Album Review)


Release date: June 15th 2018. Label: RidingEasy Records. Format: CD/DD/Vinyl

You Will Know Nothing – Tracklisting

1.Animal Noises 04:12
2.Summon Fire 03:03
3.Blindness 03:31
4.That Much Closer To Nothing 03:26
5.Hell (Wooly Tail) 04:25
6.Voices At The Window 03:36
7.Taking The Blame 03:25
8.Fighting 02:47
9.Floating On Water 03:43
10.Memory Games 02:10
11.You Ought To Know 05:33

Members

Marcos Garcia - Guitar, Bass, Keys, Vocals
Geoff Mann - Drums, Percussion, Bass
Richard Panta - Congas
Reinaldo DeJesus - Congas
Victor Axelrod - Additional Keyboards

Review

Here Lies Man made quite an impression with their debut album last year. Its collective mix of Psych, Stoner and Classic Rock merged with Afrobeat sounds won them some major acclaim and recognition. Some people described them Black Sabbath performing Afrobeat music. Whilst that it's true to a small degree. There's a whole lot more to the overall sound of Here Lies Man.

Whilst their debut album was a fast-paced musical psychedelic odyssey, their new album - You Will Know Nothing - is a slightly slower and different affair. Whilst it still retains the highly energetic vibe and charm of their debut album, this album sees Here Lies Man creating a more experimental sound. The music can be very slow at times but once the band pick up the pace then there is no stopping Here Lies Man from creating a laid-back classic sounding Psychedelic Stoner Rock experience.

The first few tracks - Animal Noises, Summon Fire and Blindness, is highly influenced by the experimental Hard Rock sounds of the sixties and seventies. Maybe drawing influence from bands such as The Doors and even Black Sabbath too much at times. Though that doesn’t stop Here Lies Man from creating a truly definitive Stoner Rock sound. The lyrics are way out there as normal but Here Lies Man pull this off with style, panache and a whole lot of originality. The vocals are a true delight. With the band having the right amount of passion and brimming full of different ideas throughout the album.

Other great songs to check out are: That Much Closer To Nothing, Hell (Wooly Tail), Taking The Blame, Floating On Water and You Ought To Know. As this is where Here Lies Man impress the most with the dazzling display of Stoner Rock riff wizardry by fusing different sounds and genres that shouldn't really work together.

The production on the album is first rate with Here Lies Man sounding both distinctively modern despite the high amount of classic rock moments held on the album. You Will Know Nothing may not be assessable as their debut album. However I feel this is a much better record. As Here Lies Man take more creative risks with their music.

The music is heavier, braver and even bolder. With some of the more obscure Afrobeat sounds leaving you wanting more. Overall, Here Lies Man have delivered the goods with You Will Know Nothing and will no doubt see the bands reputation and fanbase grow considerably bigger over the next year or so.

Words by Steve Howe

Thanks to Dave at US/THEM PR Group for the promo. You Will Know Nothing is available to buy on CD/DD/Vinyl from RidingEasy Records now.

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