Here lies Man

You Will Know Nothing

New York post-rockers blend Sabbath-sized riffs with AfroCuban grooves.

Featuring current and former members of Antibalas, the Brooklyn‑based Afrobeat collective modelled on Fela Kuti’s fabled Africa 70 band, Here Lies Man serve up an ambitiously rich stew of fuzzed‑ up analogue metal, funky psych‑ rock and tropical rhythms. Behind their kinetic, muscular grooves lies a set of mathematical algorithms known as ‘the clave’, a guiding principle in Afro‑Cuban music. Black Sabbath was the obvious go‑to comparison for the group’s debut album last year, but You Will Know Nothing expands their range into more exotic, esoteric, post‑rock terrain.

There are still plenty of Sabbath‑oid touches here, notably the riff‑heavy slammers Blindness and Animal Noises.

But Here Lies Man are more interesting when they bend and twist their retro influences into richer, stranger shapes, as on That Much Closer To Nothing, which moves from a slow prowl to a gnarly prog‑metal beast bristling with martial beats, lysergic incantations and discordant keyboard fanfares.

Or You Ought To Know, a wistful instrumental fashioned from a simple melodic chime motif and a chunky rock‑steady beat that gradually builds into a hazy Floyd‑meets‑Hendrix reverie.

A spicy, heady, mostly satisfying brew.