Article by: Leanne Ridgeway

---

Los Angeles, California experimental stoner psych-rock quartet HERE LIES MAN announce its forthcomingalbum ‘Ritual Divination‘ today and share the lead single “I Told You (You Shall Die)” via Bandcamp stream and new video.

Four albums in, the convenient and generalized catchphrase for HERE LIES MAN’s erudite sound — if Black Sabbath played Afrobeat — might seem a little played out. But ‘Ritual Divination‘ is perhaps the best rendering of the idea so far. Particularly on the Sabbath side of the equation: The guitars are heavier and more blues-based than before, but the ancient rhythmic formula of the clave remains a constant.

“Musically it’s an opening up more to traditional rock elements,” says vocalist, guitarist, and cofounder Marcos Garcia, who also plays guitar in Antibalas. “It’s always been our intention to explore. And, as we travelled deeper into this musical landscape, new features revealed themselves.”

The L.A.-based band comprised of Antibalas members have toured relentlessly following their breakout 2017 debut ‘Here Lies Man.’ Their second album, ‘You Will Know Nothing,’ and an EP, ‘Animal Noises‘, both followed in 2018. The third album ‘No Ground To Walk Upon‘ emerged in August 2019. All of them were crafted by Garcia and cofounder and drummer Geoff Mann (former Antibalas drummer and son of jazz musician Herbie Mann) in their L.A. studio between tours. ‘Ritual Divination‘ is their first album recorded as the full 4-piece band, including bassist JP Maramba and keyboardist Doug Organ.

‘Ritual Divination‘ continues with an ongoing concept of HERE LIES MAN playing the soundtrack to an imaginary movie, with each song being a scene. “It’s an inward psychedelic journey, the album is the trip,” Garcia says. “The intention and purpose of the music is to create a sonic ritual to lift the veil of inner space and divine the true nature of reality.“

 

Tracklist:

01. In These Dreams
02. I Told You (You Shall Die)
03. Underland
04. What You See
05. Can’t Kill It
06. Run Away Children
07. I Wander
08. Night Comes
09. Come Inside
10. Collector of Vanities
11. Disappointed
12. You Would Not See From Heaven
13. The Fates Have Won
14. Out Goes the Night
15. Cutting Through The Tether

Vinyl Tracklist:

A1. In These Dreams
A2. I Told You (You Shall Die)
A3. Underland
A4. What You See
A5. Night Comes

B1.  Come Inside
B2.  Collector of Vanities
B3.  Disappointed
B4.  The Fates Have Won
B5.  Out Goes The Night

Bonus 7″ (UK pressing & direct from RidingEasy)
Side A: Run Away Children
Side B: I Wander

Likewise, musically and sonically, the album is self-reflexive. “On this album the feel changes within a song,” Garcia says. “Whereas before each song was meant to induce a trancelike state, now more of the songs have their own arc built in.” Similarly, the guitar sounds themselves herein eschew the fuzz pedals of previous recordings, going for the directness of pure amp overdrive and distortion using an interconnected rig of four amplifiers. And, here, the well-versed live band is able to record as a unit, giving it much more of a live and dynamic feel.

Rough Trade named the band’s self-titled debut in their prestigious Top 10 Albums of 2017. BBC 6 and Classic Rock Magazine deemed it among the year’s best, as well as countless other press outlets singing its praises. Each subsequent album furthered the band’s reputation for genre-smashing rhythmic experimentation, topping many year-end lists as well as earning features from countless metal and indie rock outlets, plus cover stories in weekly papers.

“We’re very conscious of how the rhythms service the riffs,” Garcia explains. “Tony Iommi’s (Black Sabbath) innovation was to make the riff the organizing principle of a song. We are taking that same approach but employing a different organizing principle: For Iommi it was the blues, for us it comes directly from Africa.“

HERE LIES MAN’s ‘Ritual Divination‘ will be available on January 22nd, 2021, and comes in several LP, CD, and digital download options through RidingEasy Records. Have a listen to the first single “I Told You (You Shall Die)” via audio or video stream below, then preorder the album from one of the various options:

– 100pcs Clear High Melt Orange/Yellow/Red Vinyl (ltd. w/ picture disc 7″)
– 100pcs White High Melt Orange/Yellow/Red Vinyl (ltd. w/ picture disc 7″)
– 300pcs Opaque Light Blue Vinyl
– 500pcs Opaque Yellow Vinyl
– Black Vinyl
– Vinyl/CD Combo
– CD
All options above at RidingEasy Records or HLM Bandcamp
– 30 Test Press Vinyl [order]

 

 

HERE LIES MAN:

Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Website | Spotify | YouTube | Bandcamp

 

 

2020, Bandcamp, California, Doom, Experimental, Heavy Rock, Here Lies Man, Psych Rock, RidingEasy Records