If fellow Bostonian outfit Old Man Gloom ever decide to call it a day, feel comforted with the knowledge that Lesser Glow will ably carry that torch. You’ll especially agree with that statement upon hearing Nullity, their latest sonic slab of songs that can simply be summed up with one word: Crushing.
But let’s be real here: There’s nothing “simple” about anything that Lesser Glow do. From the diverse occupations of its’ members within the music community (One manages Cambridge’s Sinclair! One’s a music teacher! One’s the sound engineer for Chelsea Wolfe!) to the densely meticulous way that all of their songs are constructed, Lesser Glow manage to constantly step outside the boundaries of any one genre to make each track on Nullity a journey unto itself.
Speaking of journey, there’s no better one to begin this record than “The Great Imitator” which is a glorious aural assault across a desolate sonic landscape ushered along by Alec Rodriguez whose grandiose vocal range on the first track alone takes listeners to the darkest depths with these feral guttural growls and then into the heavens with clean lines that are abnormally angelic.
“Red Aryag” is a crushing beastie filled with biting guitar tones from Ben Gram and Andrew Nault and the earthquake-inducing rhythm section of Scott Conza on bass and Seth Botos on drums ruining foundations whenever they pluck or pound. “Fostering This Nullity” is a discordant magnum opus with ghostly layered vocals which offset the cacophony, creating a sinister serenity with Rodriguez screaming “Are you IN??? Or are you OUUUTTT??” one moment then settling into a William DuVall-style delivery to pose that “No one is happy”.
A rare moment of chill crops up to start “Alone In The Column” but before listeners can achieve that meditative state they were so obviously searching for when placing the Nullity album on, Rodriguez’s screams and Botos’ bashing will transport them into a heavier kind of trance.
“Versterven” , on the other hand, is a pretty straight forward monster with the fuzzed guitar tones from Nault and Gram merging with Conza’s bass rumble to create one unstoppable wall of riffage. Later on, “I Am The Island” slowly simmers to a boiling point which comes in the form of “The Great Filter” and these majestic vocals from Rodriguez.
“Toba” serves as a fitting and lasting reminder of the power of Lesser Glow’s might as this effervescent enigma of sounds combines crunching riffs and Rodriguez’s ear-piercing cries with gargantuan clean passages leading into these swirling guitar lines that, when coupled with Botos’ percussive reverberations, make for a truly manic finish in the most unsettling way possible. And you’ll love every minute of it.
Nullity releases May 29th through Pelagic Records. Pre-orders are live now and can be grabbed by clicking here or here. For the latest on Lesser Glow, including live plans down the road in support of the new record, head over here, here, or here.