Lvmen - Amen - review
Lvmen - Amen - review
Tracklist
01. XXVI02. XXVII
03. XXVIII
04. XXIX
A review by
AndyMetalFreak September 30, 2025
Lvmen are a post-hardcore group formed in Czech Republic back in 1995. They've developed something of a cult following over the years through their distinctive style that primarily blends post-hardcore with sludge metal and alternative rock. Their albums tend to feature lengthy, diversely structured songs crafted by colossal atmospheric build-ups with significant levels of groove. They also feature samples taken from 60s movies, mainly from films by Czech director Frantisek Vlacil such as Marketa Lazarova. After several records, they entered a hiatus due to the tragic passing of vocalist Dáda in 2011; more tragic still, their 2017 comeback album Mitgefangen Mitgehangen coincided with the passing of founding guitarist Mirda, leading to another lengthy gap between releases.
After an 8-year absence, the band return to the scene once again, this time to unleash their sixth full-length album Amen. This offering features 4 long songs in and around the 10-minute mark that are composed in a style not that dissimilar to their previous efforts, but still with a few new interesting features and pleasant surprises in store. The band have set post-hardcore as their prime foundation upon which elements from other styles are built, but here the place less emphasis on the hardcore side of things, with the record geared more in a post-metal and sludge direction, in doing so introducing more ambient sections, adding extra layers and building a much more dense wall of sound.
The build-ups are monumentally powerful, increasing in intensity in emphatic post-metal fashion. They tend to begin in a slow ambient manner, featuring various movie samples, before then increasing the heaviness and altering the pace to moderate. The instrumentation is driven mostly by crushing semi-melodic sludge riffs, thundering drums, and heavy pulsating bass, with cleanly sung vocals. The build-ups break into mighty crescendos where the style suddenly changes into a more upbeat sludge-based direction led by stylish rhythms, groovy riffs, and semi-harsh hardcore shouting vocals. While each song follows this overall approach, they all feature their own memorable moments, whether it's a distinctive groovy riff, particular ambient section, or build-up that just hits that sweet spot.
The post-hardcore scene typically lurks on the fringes of metal, but if powerful intense build-ups and striking grooves sound like your sort of thing, then it can be an irresistible genre, and there's some real gems waiting to be discovered, such as Lvmen. Amen is one of their most accessible, and certainly one of their best, albums to date; for me, it features some of this year's most memorable instrumental passages, and will likely appeal to listeners more into the alternative side of metal.
Rating breakdown
| Performance: | 8 |
| Songwriting: | 9 |
| Originality: | 6 |
| Production: | 8 |
Written on 30.09.2025 by
Written on 30.09.2025 by
An honest review that you don't necessarily have to agree with. Hits total: 430 | This month: 5