Thursday 19 September 2019

TRACK PREMIERE: Lost Orb defy the boundaries of stoner rock to create the sprawling odyssey "“Low Ebb’s Lament”


It’s not often that stoner metal is boundary-pushing, but Chris West is out to change that. Recording under the name Lost Orb, he has pieced together a 17-minute odyssey entitled “Low Ebb’s Lament” that has been several years in the making and is a departure from the style of the bands he's usually associated with (Stubb, Trippy Wicked & the Cosmic Children of the Knight, Landskap). 

The track draws from a gamut of styles, ranging from Earth-esque graceful doom through stoner rock to folksy strumming. It doesn’t end there - guests come in to broaden the palette, such as the supremely talented Chantal Brown of Vodun, whose beautiful wordless vocalizations soar over the riffs, and Tony Reed (Mos Generator) puts in the right level of showmanship and class to round out the track.

Chris says of the project

"Working with Chan and Tony was a great experience. I had basic drum patterns written out for the demo but I let Tony do his thing and let's just say the man delivered. With Chan's vocal parts I had a few ideas written that I wanted to include but we spent a day getting those and a lot of other ideas down on the spot. I tend to obsess over perfecting ideas during the writing process with many revisions and iterations so it was good to contrast that with a more relaxed approach to the vocals. 

I originally wrote Low Ebb's Lament towards the end of 2012 and it was based on some themes and ideas I had been developing for a long while before then. I didn't realise what was happening at the time but it was a last burst of creative energy as I embarked on a steady descent into some significant mental health issues. It took me until 2013 to record the music and while I eventually put it on Bandcamp the year after that, I had little energy to promote it. 

A lot of personal work, some essential help and a little luck has led me to where I am now. It was hugely important at the time of writing to be able to present the ideas I had been working on in one cohesive movement and I'm grateful to be in a position to give the music a proper release now." 

“Low Ebb’s Lament” can be streamed below and pre-orders are available HERE







Band info: bandcamp || facebook