ALBUM REVIEW: This Heathen Land – Green Lung

Emerging from the murky depths of London shrouded in mystery, magic and folklore, imbued with the ancient rites and customs of these sacred isles, GREEN LUNG are a distinctly British occult band. Announcing themselves on the underground heavy rock scene in 2017 with their debut EP Free The Witch, the quintet worked their magic on fans, bewitching them with their BLACK SABBATH-esque riffing, enchantingly anthemic choruses and vivid storytelling. Inspired by the folk horror films of the 1960s and 1970s alongside a wealth of British folklore and legends, GREEN LUNG are a band that can connect you spiritually with the ancient forces of this dark island and have you singing along the entire time. 

The band’s highly anticipated third album This Heathen Land follows on from their emphatic sophomore album – 2021’s Black Harvest. Adorned with album artwork that looks like an occult Reader’s Digest book, This Heathen Land sees GREEN LUNG at their absolute best. It is without a doubt the most complete manifestation of their grand occult vision to date. Full of anthemic choruses, SABBATH-esque heaviness and euphoric harmonies, it is an album that completely consumes you with its sheer awesomeness.

GREEN LUNG have crafted their sound over the last two albums, and This Heathen Land feels like its triumphant conclusion as it is the most varied album that the band have produced. GREEN LUNG’s raw, authentic heaviness – in a world full of clean production and a wealth of digital plugins – is deeply spiritual and enchanting, food for the soul. 

Listening to GREEN LUNG’s music is like stepping into the pages of Russell Ash’s seminal 1973 book Folklore, Myths And Legends Of Britain – a tome that is essentially the modern folklorist’s bible when it comes to the British isles. With Tom Temple’s distinct soulful vocals bringing these stories to life so passionately, it is so easy to succumb to the sublime magical energy surrounding the band’s music and go through the veil into this wonderful folkloric world.

This Heathen Land is a painstakingly researched and incredibly well-executed ode to the depth and richness of British folklore. GREEN LUNG transport you to a world full of magic, mysticism, esotericism and superstition, journeying through woods, mountains and moors and getting to know the weird and wonderful things that have made these islands their home since the dawn of time. Whilst it all sounds quite whimsical, there is also a darker edge to GREEN LUNG’s concepts, one rooted deeply in folk horror that crawls out of the long barrows and caves that lives within the pages of the book of shadows and haunts the downloads.

Throughout This Heathen Land the ghosts of pagan Britain are never far behind as GREEN LUNG utilise their passion for 1960s/70s folk horror films with bewildering efficiency. It stands as a reminder that we should revere nature and respect all its beings real and mythological, as it can quickly swallow you up into a barrow and leave you there for eternity. 

Opening up with The Forest Church Intro, a spoken passage lets you know what you’re in for: a “journey into occult Albion”. The album then kicks off proper with The Forest Church; inspired by the folk horror film Blood On Satan’s Claw, it sees the band at their most sinister with thunderous riffing and a swirling organ solo which pulls the listener into the world of the album. Mountain Throne demonstrates the band’s innate ability and mastery of catchy, hook-filled melodies and riffs – a galloping throne that could match Thor’s thunder causing chariot for heaviness. 

Maxine (Witch Queen) has a GHOST-esque vibe to it, and is the band’s most danceable song yet. A love letter to Swinging Sixties witch Maxine Sanders, it is packed full of earworm melodies, pummelling grooves and multi-layered harmonies. One For Sorrow weaves eerie soundscapes with their heaviest riffs yet; accompanied by deeply personal lyrics, this song is a unique beast that leaves an indelible mark on you. 

Song Of The Stones is a haunting PINK FLOYD-style psychedelic ballad that tells a quintessential English ghost story revolving around an ancient stone circle. The Ancient Ways is a bombastic soundtrack to exploring the ancient track ways. Imbued with a plethora of literary references, its wailing guitars and organs fire the imagination in a way that’s reminiscent of a hallucinogenic journey. Hunters In The Sky is a call-to-arms for the ‘right to roam’ on Dartmoor. Charting the area’s folklore over thunderous riffs, it is a rousing and cathartic track that gets you to think about our right as part of nature to be at one with it by walking freely among it. Closer Oceans Of Time is a poignant and stunning ending to the album. Dramatic, flamboyant and unapologetically theatrical, its eerie soundscapes embody Bram Stoker’s Dracula with wailing guitars and layers of synths that evoke images of a Vampire love story. 

GREEN LUNG have once again produced an utterly sublime album. Vivid, enchanting, magical and epic, you run out of adjectives to describe it. A masterwork that will be bewitching fans for decades to come. 

Rating: 10/10 

This Heathen Land is set for release on November 3rd via Nuclear Blast Records. 

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