Release Date: September 13th 2024. Record Label: Electric Desert Records. Formats: DD
Natura Duale - Track Listing:
1. Requiem (8:29)
2. The Hidden Hand (4:44)
3. (Prey) Job (7:52)
4. Barren (6:11)
5. Astral Projection (7:12)
Line-up:
Jens Anderberg - Guitars, Vocals
Dylan Mincey - Drums
Joseph Mills - Bass
Review
Atmospheric Doom/Sludge Metallers Lungbearer released their stunning debut EP - Embers - back in January 2024. I loved the heavy mix of Psych, Sludge, Doom, Stoner and Progressive themes that the record carried. The guys are back though with a new member Joseph Mills on bass. Natura Duale is their debut album (according to the press release that accompanied the promo) and continues a similar sound captured on Embers but perhaps with a sinister narrative. Lungburner employs a wave of hard-hitting audio clips to press the message of Natura Duale even further.
The record continues with the heavy mix of Ambient Metal, Prog Metal and Post-Metal sounds heard on Embers but with a more thrasher outlook which you begin to feel within the early surroundings of opening tracks of Requiem and The Hidden Hand. Lungburner feels influenced or inspired by acts such as YOB, A Storm Of Light, Mastodon and Shrinebuilder in places. The sound is quite mystic based with the trippier elements that allows the band to build sludgy cosmic rhythms even within the real-life audio clips that becomes part of the action within the stunning second track The Hidden Hand.
You can feel a real life political intensity which reminds me of Church Of Misery before Lungburner started playing a classic mix of Thrash Metal guitars while interlacing them with strands of Atmospheric Sludge Metal based melodies. The vocals from Jens Anderburg are superb and bang on point yet again which can be quite chilling at times with the hard-hitting lyrics that accompany the music. This record could be considered more “EXTREME” compared to EMBERS but this is down to the creative narrative at Lungburner have created than the music itself. Though, the music still branches out into other areas of Blackened Metal along the way.
Lungburner are more adept at playing a more uplifting style of YOB-esque based Ambient Metal with some hidden surprises of their own to stand out from the crowd. Naturala Duale allows Lungburner to come into their own highly original sound on tracks such as (Prey) Job and Barren. The music is quite abstract with a classic style of Post-Metal starting to form whilst never leaving the punishing Doom/Sludge Metal landscape that’s followed the band since EMBERS.
If you miss the good old days of early-era Mastodon especially the REMISSION and LEVIATHAN years then Lungburner will no doubt impress you with Natura Duale with similar harsh growls and complex technical Progressive breakdowns spliced with fast-paced Sludge Metal grooves with first rate lyrics to match.
Lungburner are perhaps at the start of gaining some major momentum within the underground scene with this album and I can see the band only becoming bigger, better and more well known in the next few years.
All I can say this is an outstanding album in every sense of the word. Add this album to your record collection right now. This has all the makings to be a major Album Of The Year Contender for many folks before the year is out.
Words by Steve Howe
Thanks to Good Boy PR for the promo.
Natura Duale is available to buy now on Digital Download via Electric Desert Records.
Links
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