Creating an album with an overarching narrative and recurring characters and themes is a risky proposition. Thankfully, we’re being delivered The Gleaning by masters of their craft, and this is a record that not only works consumed whole but has some standout tracks that stand up on their own feet outside of the wider context.
The first few tracks establish a vicious, relentless pace that builds in intensity and weight. With some uniquely unsettling layered vocals accompanying their signature throat-tearing bellows, the album is front loaded with a barrage of high-octane riffing. When we finally break into the drone-soaked doom riffs of ‘Rat King’ it’s a catharsis that is totally worth the pummelling we’ve endured thus far. The track descends into a swirling void of despair, tortured vocals barking over the collapse of the song.
Title track ‘The Gleaners’ is where the album really comes into its own. When the band slow down and embrace the doomier aspects of their sound, there’s a glimpse of beauty to temper the relentless nature of the other songs. Opening with a solemn, contemplative guitar straight out of the post-metal playbook accompanied by a brief sample, there’s a restraint on display that only serves to make the inevitable drop more impactful. The riffs come and go like a slowly encroaching tide, with each new wave hitting harder and being carried by the best vocal work on the album. The decision to approach the album with an overall narrative pays off here, with this majestic 8 minute track building to an immensely satisfying climax.
“Rat King descends into a swirling void of despair”
Inevitably, things drop off slightly from here after such a standout track in the middle of the record. ‘Pareidolia’ limps out of the gate like a wet noodle, and the typically fierce vocal delivery strikes a discordant contrast with the rest of the band. A spoken word and chant section with some extra orchestral instrumentation is a refreshing change, and the track undoubtedly helps the overall narrative of the album, but we can’t help but feel that the record suffers for its presence.
Despite a faltering step or two, the album finishes strong, with ‘Cannibal Culure’ acting as a four-minute raging palate cleaner. Striking the perfect balance between Lo!’s musical extremes and getting the whole thing done with zero waste, this is another standout track. The accompanying music video is highly recommended viewing, with its unsettling and brutally simple visuals complementing the narrative of the track beautifully.
The album closes out on a high note, with ‘Mammons Horn’ again showing that Lo! are at their best when they take their time getting the point across. The bleak, sparse, doom-laden riffs here provide a perfect platform for tortured vocal delivery that really lets the lyrics hit home. It’s when the band embrace the almost orchestral approach to songwriting that they hit the greatest heights, and they make the brief injections of pace and fury hit that much harder. Layers of vocals float through the gloom like beams of light through a dense fog at the album’s close, ending things on an achingly gorgeous note.
On the whole, ‘The Gleaners’ is a beautifully imperfect record. At times scattered and unsure of its own identity, but just as often majestic and otherworldly, it’s an intoxicating listen that gets better each time.