HERE LIES MAN

Ritual Divination RIDINGEASY

The first two Here Lies Man albums were stupidly entertaining affairs, as the LA trio slammed fuzz rock and Afrobeat together with fiery, zeitgeist-tickling results. Ritual Divination

doesn’t stray too far from that darkly funky formula, but it nudges the band much further into overt Sabbath worship, focusing almost entirely on snappy, four-minute riff riots. Here Lies Man’s USP hasn’t changed too radically; infectious, Tony Allen-style beats underpin at least half of these euphoric psych tunes, and ecstatic backing vocals are omnipresent and woozily uplifting. The most striking moments are genuine detours from the band’s usual path. Can’t Kill It sounds like a psilocybininfused Clutch outtake and rocks like an absolute bastard; The Fates Have

Won is a ghoulish, haunted acid rock shuffle. In its eminently dance-friendly entirety, this is both HLM’S best and heaviest album yet. ■■■■■■■■■■

FOR FANS OF: Goat, Ghost, Wooden Shijps

DOM LAWSON