The Boston, Massachusetts sludge/doom post-metal quintet Lesser Glow featuring Alec Rodriguez (vocals), Andrew Nault (guitars), Ben Gram (guitars), Scott Conza (bass) and Seth Botos (drums) is admittedly one of the most original genre purveyors in recent memory on this, their 2nd album, "Nullity", which comes 2 years after their debut "Ruined", but they seem to be experimenting with too many ideas at once which takes toll on the songwriting quality.

On one hand we have Mastodon-ish riffs (The Great Imitator, The Great Filter) bathed in Deathspell Omega-ian and Ulcerate-ian dissonance (Red Ayrag) with some references to Prong’s masterpiece "Cleansing" (Versterven). On the other hand we have Opeth-ian/Alice In Chains-ey mood changers/momentum killers (Alone In The Column) which seem to go on forever (Fostering This Nullity) even if they do contain some tasty Depeche Mode-ic key patterns, but, overall, "Nullity" is a frustrating listening experience precisely because it seldom stays in one place. It is when it does that Lesser Glow shines as on the aforementioned "Fostering This Nullity" (toward the end) or on the best track, the closer "Toba" where Alec Rodriguez’s frightening vocal performance screams for a Grammy Award.

Just a bit more focus and tightening up of the loose sounds should do the trick next time, but Lesser Glow already has a great potential to go with a very original sound. Check it out, especially the closer.

https://lesserglow.bandcamp.com