Have you ever had a memory of a particular person or time that brought you back to such joy for a moment that the loss of it sends you spiraling into oblivion?
That jarring experience is the impetus behind Lotus Thrones’ new album, The Heretic Souvenir, a blistering post-industrial magnum opus from the Philadelphia band, out now via Disorder Recordings (CD/Digital) and Seeing Red Records (Vinyl).
When Heath Rave set out on his odyssey as Lotus Thrones, he rejected all pre-existing notions or grand objectives. As an esteemed member of the metal scene, having lent his rhythmic prowess to the likes of Wolvhammer and Across Tundras, he craved the thrill of venturing into uncharted sonic landscapes that, despite their unrelenting power and weight, infused a melodious sensibility and an unflinching determination to experiment. This pays off well with The Heretic Souvenir. Rife with echoing vocals, mournful saxophone, and spoken word poetry, the album brings to mind Tuxedomoon by way of Type O Negative. The album’s riff-laden industrial post-punk is splattered with elements of metal, goth and touches of noir jazz and electronic music.
The album has two standout tracks: the opener, Gore Orphanage, which sets the mood with a tinny, forlorn untuned piano before launching into pure black metal intensity. A wall of guitars, crashing drums, and screaming vocals emote chaotic despair. Its sinister tone immediately puts the listener into a world of unease and paranoia.
It’s followed by B0T0XDR0NES, a frightening poetic interlude with wailing sax screeching over metal percussion and guitar, as Rave chants and rants about the beauty regime in a fog of distorted vocals. There’s a Lynchian vibe to this track; it straddles between dream and reality, accurate for the subject material of those gruesomely sacrificing their souls in the name of fleeting beauty and fame.
The Heretic Souvenir explores “the what if’s, the regrets and the saddest hope that those things could return to you someday, despite what may have been destroyed. Knowing that’s it’s best to let it die, but you just can’t let it go. That warm blanket of pain that lets you sleep forever,” according to frontman Heath Rave.
Listen below:
The Heretic Souvenir was produced and engineered by Sanford Parker and Heath Rave/Lotus Thrones at Hypercube in Chicago and The Magnolia Chamber in Philadelphia. Collin Jordan took on mastering duties at The Boiler Room in Chicago.
You can pre-order the album here.
The inaugural offering, “Lovers in Wartime,” bears the influence of Killing Joke and Ministry at their most somber, alongside the bombast of Sisters of Mercy and Samhain. In addition to its crushing heaviness, the record exudes a level of refinement in its stark and despairing sonics, and a proud vulnerability in its lyrical themes. Heath Rave bravely confronts the topics of addiction, isolation, and depression, candidly expressing emotions that we have all experienced.
In the four seasonal EPs that followed throughout 2021 and 2022, Lotus Thrones distilled the essence of each respective time of year, taking bold chances and experimenting with post-metal, synthwave, and doom, all while retaining a signature touch that was unmistakably his own. Heath Rave’s output has been nothing short of prolific, and the well of inspiration shows no signs of running dry. Expect even more from Lotus Thrones in the very near future.
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