Lesbian Hallucinogenesis

Given their awkward name, it’s no surprise that Seattle-based doom merchants Lesbian have had some trouble breaking through after more that a decade of activity. Years of development in blending psychedelic prog, black metal, and sludge (not to mention a load of drugs) lead to the release of 2013’s critically praised and criminally ignored Forestelevision, an hour-long single track that hopped through various musical vignettes that paid off in a King Diamond-worshiping heavy metal climax that may as well have crowned the group as doom metal’s weirdest act.

Things have been awful quiet since then, but the band have kept busy; following up an ambitious record such as Forestelevision should take some time, and adding new vocalist Brad Mowen to the fold surely contributed a bit of an adjustment period. Three years later, the band have finally turned in the four-track conceptual powerhouse Hallucinogenesis. I’d almost be remiss to say that Lesbian have reigned in their sound given their oddball aesthetic, but compared to Forestelevision, Hallucinogenesis is a more highly focused record that grounds the band with a rule book for reference in case they meander too far into the cosmos.

1. Pyramidal Existinctualism
2. La Brea Borealis
3. Kosmoceratops
4. Aqualibrium