Lo-Ruhamah - The Glory of God

Lo-Ruhamah. The Glory of God. 2007. 4 stars

Kansas City’s Lo-Ruhamah play a searing mix of death metal, black metal and post-rock on their debut LP. Their sound shifts dramatically between guttural metal crunch and reflective, crystalline guitar passages, making The Glory of God an expressive and adventurous effort. Its somewhat hard to discern the lyrical themes from the screaming vocals, but their musical progressions capture the ebb and flow of some rapturous (religious?) experience.

The changing dynamics, often joined with delicate piano or acoustic guitar, make the album sound full, accomplished and even dangerous in its risk taking. Lo-Ruhamah have a genuine artistic vision here, this isn’t your run of the mill nu-metal album, this is an attempt at breaking the mold. Their multi-dimensional approach fits nicely among the emerging “heady metal” trends coming out of America, a new wave that includes some recent favorites like Wolves in the Throne Room and Lurker of Chalice.

Despite the album’s progressive powers, the vocals themselves don’t possess the same emotional clarity as the instrumentals. They are either to shrill or too soft to deliver the message wrapped up in the songs. If the band manages to stick it out a while longer, they should be able to reconcile their intense music with their cryptic narratives, just as Tool eventually struck a balance between raw virutoisty and clear spirtual/apocalyptic ideas. As a first effort, The Glory of God stands as a stellar and oirginal work deserving of more critical attention. For their genre-bending intensity, Lo-Ruhamah are among the most impressive acts to be reshaping the world of underground metal.

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