Album Review: Green Lung – Necropolitan
Reviewed by Matthew Williams
After a majestic headlining performance at this year’s Desertfest London armed with new track “Evil in This House”, Green Lung signalled their return to live action. Having seen them several times over the past few years, at Gorilla and the O2 Ritz in Manchester, they’ve grown in stature and this album could prove to be the most pivotal in their career.
The London quintet has a more polished and professional sound on this, their fourth album, which will attract new listeners, but will it turn off their loyal fanbase? Dominating the stage at The Roundhouse in May, frontman Tom Templar looked every inch the rock god as the rest of the band matched his level to give notice that this is a band who are destined to take over arenas and stadiums in the not-too-distant future.
They welcome us all into their world with the mysterious and alluring “Open to Hellmouth” as their love letter to Gothic London begins. The album title comes from the seven garden cemeteries (necropolis) all built in the Victorian era, which circle the city, and we get to hear Templar in full flight on “Dance to the Grave”. He immediately takes you back to that time with haunting and enthralling vocals, but it’s the organ from John Wright, which gives the song real impetus, before Scott Black takes over with a doomy solo that had me smiling.
We were given warning of the heavier, Sabbath/Priest inspired sounds from one of their previously released single, “Black Magick Radio” and what impresses me most is the swirling hammond and haunting melodies which adorn the music. Yet somehow, it still feels raw and passionate with their thirst for the occult and macabre shining through. This leads into the epic “Necropolitan Lane” where Motorhead meets Deep Purple head on, with lyrics inspired by the real-life Necropolis Railway which transported the dead beneath the city in the early 20th century.
The steady rhythm section of bassist Joseph Ghast and drummer Matt Wiseman allows Wright and Black to explore an array of expansive tones to deliver one of the standout tracks, just before lead single “Evil in this House”. This is a bruising song, full of gloomy intent and powerful vocals, which draws you into the narrative with more epic organ undertones and guitar solos. They doff their collective caps to Alice Cooper on “Together in Death” which adds a Baroque touch to the album, with a ballad that fits in perfectly.
They open a different musical adventure with “Ozymandis” as the percussion arrangements are inspired by 70’s Afrobeats but the guitar riff is still crunchy, as they muse upon an 1818 sonnet by Percy Bysshe Shelley. This is one of many songs where their storytelling technique shines through, with a joyous jazzy solo section before they enhance their growing reputation for creative and lyrical flair by using narration from Castle Rat’s Riley Pinkerton on “Alostrael (Be My Babalon)”.
The curtain falls with the epic “To The Gallows Born”, a song inspired by stories of the Tyburn gallows, which has an fervent 70’s feel to it, with a modern twist. Green Lung have returned and are fully prepared to carry the torch for British Heavy Metal, and they aren’t afraid to mix things up with a truly grandiose finale.
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