Album Review: Lowen – Do Not Go To War With Demons of Mazandaran
Reviewed by Richard Oliver
Lowen are a progressive doom metal band from London who have been turning heads since their inception in 2017 with their stunning mix of doom metal, progressive song structures and Middle Eastern melodies and lyrics. They only have a small amount of material to their name with an impressive debut album “A Crypt In The Stars” and an E.P. “Unceasing Lamentations” but with the release of their second album “Do Not Go To War With The Demons Of Mazandaran” the band have evolved their sound further and this album is going to make a lot of people sit up and take notice as it is quite frankly stunning.
With their debut album, Lowen perfectly melded crushing doom metal with Middle Eastern melodies and mysticism and this was followed by the E.P. which was acoustic Middle Eastern folk music and entirely improvised. The big question is where would the new album take us and the answer is in multiple directions. The progressive nature of the band has really taken hold on “Do Not Go To War With The Demons Of Mazandaran” and it is a seismic leap forward for the band in both songwriting and performances.
The Middle Eastern infusion is still front and centre with singer and multi-instrumentalist Nina Saeidi being born into exile from Iran into the UK and her heritage is the heart and soul of the band not just in the music but also the lyrics and album themes with songs sung in Farsi and Sumerian and lyrical themes being based around fables of the Shahnameh - the Persian book of Kings - as well as 21st century issues such as the death sentences placed on women protesting against the Islamic Republic of Iran during the ongoing Woman Life Freedom movement. On the music front there is still a doomladen element to the band’s sound but this is a far more driving and ferocious album with elements from extreme metal brought in and a far more urgent pace and aggressive nature as can be heard in songs such as ‘Corruption On Earth’, ‘Waging War Against God’ and ‘May Your Ghost Drink Pure Water’. The vocals from Nina are gorgeous, haunting and I defy anyone to listen without getting chills whilst guitarist Shem Luca is a furious riff machine and drummer Cal Constantine hits his kit like his life depends on it.
With its balance of atmosphere, aggression and passion, Lowen have absolutely smashed it with “Do Not Go To War With The Demons Of Mazandaran”. It is a seismic leap forward for the band and the results speak for themselves as it is hands down the best thing the band have written thus far. Incredible songwriting, stunning performances and a fantastic production from producers Lewis Johns and Kel Pinchin (Ithaca, Rolo Tomassi, Svalbard), I will be far from surprised to see this album lands on a lot of top ten lists come the end of the year. I’ve seen Lowen perform live before and it is quite the experience so I am very excited to hopefully see this new material performed by the band in the near future as this album is a staggering piece of progressive metal. Make sure you check this album out!
