2007, Holy Mountain
Lesbian is not a band to be taken lightly. Power Hor is a stellar combination of the important forms of European metal; black, progressive and doom-metal are all evoked in this four-track, one-hour album — something unexpected for a band from Seattle. Lesbian is clever, too: the opening track, which calls upon melodic interludes, droning passages, Iron Maiden-style guitar attacks and blackened thrash metal riffs to do its bidding, is titled, appropriately, “Black Forest Hamm.”
From the get-go, Lesbian makes it known that they're crafting something unique. The introductory notes of the second track, “Powerwhorses,” could be ripped from a post-rock record, complete with reversed, reverberating guitars intermixed with droning synthesizers before turning to melodic progressive rock for musical guidance. But it doesn't stop there — the piece then moves between an ambient black metal-influenced lull and thrash metal riffs, and at seventeen minutes, long, Lesbian takes their sweet time to get to that point.
But there's more: the twenty-five-minute track, “Loadbath” starts as a post-rock escapade that seems as much influenced by Tortoise as by Godspeed You! Black Emperor, but then delves into Emperor-tinged doom metal before continuing a journey through the band's influences. It's remarkable, really, that one band could so easily transition between distinct styles within only a few beats, and a real testament to Lesbian's musical prowess.
The final track, “Irreversible” is relatively straightforward in comparison to the rest of the album, though no less well played out. The song is a black metal extravaganza, complete with the signature screaming vocal style.
Power Hor isn't an easy record — it's far from it, actually. It's filled to the brim with guitars, drums and synthesizers, and to the uninitiated it can all be a little intimidating. From the sound of things, though, Lesbian isn't trying to make it to the Billboard Top 40, and rightfully so — but to hear something this dynamic and well-crafted, yet simultaneously unapproachable in the popular mainstream would be, well, surprising. The majority of people probably couldn't handle the complexity and density of this band, if just for their lack of real experience with music outside of the popular vein.
Lesbian's debut is easily one of the most memorable records in the first three months of 2007. It must be experienced to be understood; mere descriptions will not do this album justice.