Lo-Pan – In Tensions (Review)

This is the latest EP from US stoner rock band Lo-Pan.

Their 2014 album Colossus made a very favourable impression on me. As with Colossus, In Tensions is instant-gratification personified. The tracks are bright, have high-impact and are imbued with a fertile energy that sees the songs bloom the more you listen to them.

Yes, instantly gratifying this may be, but there’s enough content across these 22 minutes to keep you returning for more. In fact, just like the tastiest of cookie treats, the songs on In Tensions are very more-ish; once you’ve had one you just want the whole lot.

Catchy, memorable, with melodies that won’t quit and an effortlessly confident vibe, each of these tracks embodies the best of this kind of rock. I don’t listen to a huge amount of this style, as for most of the time my tastes run to the more extreme ends of the metal spectrum. However, when a band is good, they’re good, and Lo-Pan are very much worth taking the time to listen to.

A lot of stoner rock bands fall short because although riff-heavy stoner rock is easily done, it’s hard to master. Lo-Pan are very much one of the masters of this style for me. Recalling a time in the 90s when alternative rock/metal was arguably at its best/biggest/whatever, Lo-Pan are a stoner rock version of bands like Soundgarden and Helmet, but updated for the modern day. After all, the influences may stretch back in time but In Tensions is very much a 2017 release.

Lo-Pan continue to go from strength to strength.