Ready for a massive journey through a world of eclectic heavy metal touching on everything from doom to post-metal to prog to even King Diamond/Mercyful Fate type headbanging? Then you might be more satisfied with this hairy Lesbian. "Forestelevision" is one giant track from these dudes, so pack a lunch if you're ready to take this trip. Albums composed of one huge track are no longer so rare, but they are always awkward, no matter what their musical content. They are hard to break up into little chunks and enjoy, but equally hard to listen to all the way through. Diving into something like "Forestelevision" requires a lot of effort, which is hard to find in these days of five nanosecond attention spans.
It is to Lesbian's credit that this record is entertaining and fascinating to listen to. I'm not going to describe all its labyrinthine twists and turns in depth, but I love the way this starts with soaring, heavy prog metal like flourishes and twists that morph into heavy, doomy post-metal explorations. There are plenty of peaks and valleys, but I will say none of the mellower or more subdued "valleys" lasts so long that you start to nod off. The metal content is never far away. In fact, to reinforce Lesbian's metal roots, the last third of "Forestelevision" prominently features amazing King Diamond-like falsetto shrieks over a chugging thrash riff, with screaming solos liberally applied thereto. It's amazing how well this works and though I suspect some will accuse Lesbian of being smirking hipsters for including it, I think it's a sincere tip of the hat to their influences. Just imagine a massive trainwreck involving Opeth, Neurosis, King Diamond and Wolves In the Throne Room and you might have a faint idea of what "Forestelevision" is.
It's enough to make me don checkered flannel and head into the woods...
Words: Dr. Mality ( Wormwood Chronicles )
Lesbian | Bandcamp