LARES - Et in Arcadia Ego (Album Review)

Release Date: April 12th 2024. Record Label: Argonauta Records. Formats: CD/DD

Et in Arcadia Ego - Tracklisting

Et in Arcadia Ego

Review

Et in Arcadia Ego is the new album from Psychedelic Sludge Metallers LARES and sees the band explore the boundaries of Psych Metal, Doom Metal, Sludge Metal and Post-Black Metal sounds with the band drawing upon vast amounts of 90’s Grunge and Noise Rock. LARES have delved into these areas of music before on previous releases especially on their stunning 2020 album Towards Nothingness.

Et in Arcadia Ego is more Ambient focused with LARES being influenced by bands such as Wolves In The Throne Room and Deafheaven especially where the brutal Blackened Sludge movements transform into beautiful sounds of Psychedelic Post-Rock energy. The record is quite daring with the different style of vocals that LARES employs for this album. Harsh growls and vicious vocals combine for an unsettling approach even within the quieter moments of the album.

LARES have stripped back their entire sound and creative outlook for this album when compared to Towards Nothingness. There’s a sense of emptiness lurking in the background with LARES struggling to keep that feeling behind the scenes but the onslaught of Sludgy guitars slowly transforms into a pitch black style of Ambient and Psychedelic sounds which become quite ETHEREAL when the Doomgaze aspects of the album fully takes over.

Et in Arcadia Ego is a singular twenty seven minutes track but feels longer and that’s a compliment for LARES. As this record takes so many wonderful sounding twists and turns that time just stops and you feel you’re listening to a much longer record. 

The album can be quite TRIPPY and SURREAL at times with LARES experimenting with multiple different styles of Psychedelic Sludge Metal and Post-Black Metal that allows Et in Arcadia Ego to be quite TRANSCENDENT and UPLIFTING in nature. 

Teaming up with the ever reliable Powerhouse label Argonauta Records, Et in Arcadia Ego has been mixed by Luca Leprotti and mastered by Brad Boatright which gives the record a thoroughly modern setting which is also enhanced by an unsettling claustrophobic delivery that pulls no punches.

Et in Arcadia Ego is an intense journey into the heavier and brutal levels of modern day Psychedelic Sludge Metal which ranks as LARES best album to date.

Words by Steve Howe

Thanks to Grand Sounds Promotion for the promo.

Et in Arcadia Ego will be available to buy on CD/DD via Argonauta Records from Friday April 12th 2024.

For more info:

https://www.facebook.com/laresband
https://www.instagram.com/laresmetal/
https://www.argonautarecords.com/

International Black Doom Psychedelists LARES Unveil "Et in Arcadia Ego" Full Album Details

LARES, the international Psychedelic Black Doom metal band, has revealed the full album details for 'Et in Arcadia Ego,' scheduled for release on April 12th via Argonauta Records.

"After four years contemplating the spatio-temporal void that opened up beneath our feet during Covid, Lares is thrilled to announce our renewed collaboration with Argonauta Records for the release of our third album “Et in Arcadia Ego”.

"Et in Arcadia Ego" was recorded live in our rehearsal studio, mixed by Luca Leprotti (David di Donatello Awards for Best Sound on "Volevo Nascondermi" by Giorgio Dritti) and mastered by Brad Boatright at Audiosiege studio in Portland OR (SUNN O))), Sleep, Magma, Obituary) The album is an accidental concept born from the first session we managed to play together after a long and frustrating break necessitated by lockdowns, band members in high risk categories, and mental illness. Without looking for it we found death, isolation, boredom, uncertainty, rage, and an energy that we decided instantly to try to capture and preserve as it was. No additives, no major editing. In the uncertainty of the times, we began to collect recording equipment, slowly transforming our rehearsal space into a recording studio. We developed a ritual of playing and replaying, without click, the whole 27 minutes, until we got better than close to the original, to the perfect simulacra. There is a bonus track included in the album called “10 Hygiea” that is part of the soundtrack of "Music Appreciation", a short horror movie we collaborated with." - says the band

Album track-listing and cover art are as follows Et in Arcadia Ego

Founded in Berlin in 2015, the international quartet released 2 albums, "Mask of Discomfort" in 2017, and "Towards Nothingness" in 2020 (Argonauta Records), critically acclaimed by the major platforms like Cult Nation, Deaf Forever, Rock Hard, Metal Hammer and more. The idea of the name Lares originates from an archaic Roman Etruscan word which means "heroes" and "demons“. A faceless god, an entity that could be molded into any desired shape, believed to observe, protect and influence fate.

Since the beginning, the band explored different music genres, creating a unique sound in continuous evolution that mixes elements of Doom, Black and Sludge metal, strongly influenced by the 60s and 70s psychedelia and 90s grunge/noise.

Lares has played and organised concerts locally since the foundation of the band, slowly creating a devoted fan base in Berlin and surrounding areas.

During this process, especially in the last 2 years, they developed a live sound performance that was captured in a live recording session in their rehearsal studio and that became their third concept album, “Et In Arcadia Ego".

“Et in Arcadia Ego” marks their renewed collaboration with Argonauta Records and a new chapter for the band, which is looking forward to touring around Europe and releasing more material in the near future.

"Animos Daemones Ex Hominibus Fieri Lares"

For more info:

https://www.facebook.com/laresband
https://www.instagram.com/laresmetal/
https://www.argonautarecords.com/

Thanks to Grand Sounds Promotion for all of the details.

Lares - Towards Nothingness (Album Review)

Release date: June 26th 2020. Label: Argonauta Records. Format: CD/DD/Vinyl

Towards Nothingness – Tracklisting

1.It Burns 04:20

2.Theiaphobic Ansia 01:49

3.Cursed With Embodiment 04:59

4. SN1987A Space Alteration Machine 09:21

5.Grey Haze 05:25

6.ʻOumuamua 01:37

7.Catacomb Eyes 06:36

8.Towards Nothingness 02:06

Members

Flavio: guitar/voice
Jörn: bass
Mike: drums
Lambo: synth/samples/guitar

Review

Towards Nothingness is the debut full length album from Psychedelic Sludge Metallers – Lares – and it’s an interesting mix of different styles such as Sludge, Doom, Stoner, Post-Metal with almost Apocalyptic Psychedelic themes. The band remind myself of ISIS (The Band) with their style of LOUD vs QUIET dynamics with their overall themes and ideas with a distorted Post-Metal groove being heard within literally the first few moments of the album.

The album opens with It Burns and it’s a ferocious number with Lares playing a demented style of Sludge/Post-Metal with a lot of sonic experimentation being added for a more trippy effect. The vocals are quite harsh and take some time to fully get used to. Though, it’s the music that’s the real winner here with Lares showing a real flair and talent at creating highly realistic sci-fi based sounds and grooves to keep the listener fully involved with the music.

Second song – Theiaphobic Ansia – is a distorted Post-Rock number that only lasts under two minutes and is full of different glitch based sounds with a slight electronic feel.

Third song – Cursed With Embodiment – is full-on Sludge/Doom/Post-Metal song with Lares applying a more realistic and harsh sounding vibe to the song. The song is slightly distorted and feels claustrophobic in places but the music is excellent with Lares applying a more gloomier feel. The vocals remain in the Death based growl arena but still feel oddly satisfying as a result. The music isn’t as fast-paced compared to the opening song but it does allow Lares to play a more soulful style of music than you would initially expect.

Fourth song – SN1987A Space Alteration Machine – is where the band start to fully deliver their own hypnotic blend of Sludge/Post-Metal with perhaps the standout song on the album. This song is about the “SN 1987A was a type II supernova in the Large Magellanic Cloud, a dwarf galaxy satellite of the Milky Way” (Thank You Wikipedia). This song is perhaps the most COSMIC and SPACED-OUT offering on the album with Lares adding even more Progressive themes to the record and the gloomy atmosphere allows Lares to play some epic Post-Doom based riffs.

Lares carry on their “Space Metal” grooves and ideas for the remainder of the album with the band playing even more hard-hitting Psychedelic riffs on songs such as Grey Haze and Catacomb Eyes with that song being another one of the standout songs held on the album.

Towards Nothingness does have some moments of Blackened Doom/Sludge Metal but it’s the lighter Post-Rock/Post-Metal parts of the album that allows this album to truly standout from the crowd. Lares have released an outstanding debut album and if you’re in the mood for a more cosmic version of ISIS (The Band) and NEUROSIS then Lares is the place to be.

Excellent and Highly Recommended.

Words by Steve Howe

Thanks to Mona at All Noir PR. Towards Nothingness is available to buy now on CD/DD from Argonauta Records

Links:

Facebook | BandCamp