Tuesday, 21 July 2020

L.M.I. - Excess Subconscious (Album Review)


Release date: June 26th 2020. Label: Handstand Records (US) or Maniyax Records (EU). Format: DD/Vinyl

Excess Subconscious – Tracklisting

1.New Strings 02:41
2.Victim of Change 02:16
3.Tracing Fortune 02:24
4.Concrete Illusions 02:18
5.Pulse of Ruin 02:22
6.Ghost Teeth 02:19
7.Another Shadow 02:25
8.Tomorrow Midnight 02:58
9.Light Demise 02:28

Review

It’s been a couple years since I last featured Stoner Metal/Hardcore Punk Rock upstarts L.M.I. and the guys return with their new album Excess Subconscious. The album is in your face and the band haven’t changed their musical outlook since their last release but till offers a wild journey with the band on frightening and demented pissed off form.

The songs on the album features the same Hardcore Punk Rock structure as previous releases with most of the songs not going past the 3 minute mark. Though, L.M.I. cover a lot of ground with Sludge/Stoner Metal grooves and the vocals even go into harsher Death based growls which is perhaps a new thing for the band to do.

The lyrics are quite interesting and that’s always been one of L.M.I. main strengths in writing socially aware and topical lyrics which strike a chord with the current dark climates happening over the world. The music can be quite violent but in all of the right places with that classic Hardcore Punk sound being the main style of delivery for L.M.I. to express their dissatisfaction with the world.

Even within the short running time of the album, L.M.I. do play some brutally loud and bone-crunching grooves especially on the earlier stages of the album with New Strings, Tracking Change and Concrete Illusions being worthy of multiple listens.

The production is handled reasonably well that allows L.M.I. to stay true to their DIY roots whilst allowing the band to branch out further afield within the Sludge/Stoner Metal environments.

Excess Subconscious never outstays it’s welcome and allows the listener to become part of L.M.I. dark world and maybe even agreeing with some of the ideas, points and views have included for this album.

Words by Steve Howe

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