Here Lies Man mesmerise on genre-melding album Ritual Divination

Here Lies Man's invention of Jazz Sabbath gains further traction on album four, Ritual Divination

Here Lies Man: Ritual Divination
(Image: © Riding Easy Records)

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The concept of making a soundtrack to an imaginary movie has done the rounds so often over the decades that it’s reached the point of self-parody. And yet, in Here Lies Man’s deft hands it makes perfect sense, the first sign of the merest hint of cliché banished from their door. 

Formed by members of Afrobeat outfit Antibalas, Here Lies Man take the spectacular, insistent, Fela Kuti-inspired groove of that genre and use it to reinvent the heavy metal blueprint laid out by Black Sabbath, and the result is ingenious and mesmerising.

In These Dreams and, in particular, What You See glory in riffs that could have come from the hand of Iommi. 

The combination is magical, a psychedelic journey that warps time and perception, drummer Geoff Mann granting the beast a delicate and very beautiful heart. 

Join them on their trip to inner space, you won’t regret it

Emma has been writing about music for 25 years, and is a regular contributor to Classic Rock, Metal Hammer, Prog and Louder. During that time her words have also appeared in publications including Kerrang!, Melody Maker, Select, The Blues Magazine and many more. She is also a professional pedant and grammar nerd and has worked as a copy editor on everything from film titles through to high-end property magazines. In her spare time, when not at gigs, you’ll find her at her local stables hanging out with a bunch of extremely characterful horses.