In any metal band theres a lot of traipsing around the woods with a photographer, but with Green Lung its got to ridiculous levels, explains frontman Tom Templar of what Britains finest folk horror-indebted heavy metallers get up to on an average weekend be it outings to Highgate Cemetery or the ancient Wistmans Wood in Devon.
On the cusp of releasing their second album, Black Harvest, Green Lung offer an occultish vision of Britain that fits neatly into the alternate England also inhabited by director Ben Wheatleys rural eccentrics, fanzine Weird Walks doomy pagan ramblings and Cornwalls eerie Museum of Witchcraft. Its not that weird a niche, says Templar. In any pub youll find a Green Man face and some weird folk shit its quite an essential British thing. But the fact that weve spent a year and a half in lockdown means none of us have been able to get out in a field and get really fucked off our heads and dance around a stone.
Green Lungs 2019 debut, Woodland Rites, excited the underground metal community, melding the sound of the late-70s new wave of British heavy metal with the stoner roots of Black Sabbath and deeply disturbing films such as 1968s Witchfinder General. But it was Instagram where the band picked up most of their new fans, not least because of an unfaltering dedication to their sinister yet elegant aesthetic, with traditional woodcut designs covering their records. Wed play gigs to, like, five people in a pub, but then these obsessive fans came from the online world, says Templar. At last count, 20 people now have the bands mascot a devilish goat rearing up on its hind legs tattooed on their bodies.
For the cover of Black Harvest, Green Lung decided to take things up a notch. What form of old art can we make satanic this time? pondered Templar. In the end they went for a stained glass window design by dust jacket artist Richard Wells, whom the band first came across after seeing his excellently creepy lino print for the 40th anniversary of The Wicker Man.
Fiercely independent, the band turned down a major label deal, and have instead opted to release Black Harvest with the cult Finnish label Svart Records. Recently it topped the Bandcamp pre-order albums chart. Its the last bastion of music industry good, says Templar of the ethical music streaming and selling service, which has been a lifeline to smaller artists over the past year. Weve made more money on that than the advance we got offered by a major, he adds. Were not trying to be a big mainstream rock band; were just trying to do our own little thing. But that little thing feels like its growing all the time.
Green Lungs single Reapers Scythe is out nowread more
Green Lung: the folk-horror heavy metallers inspiring cult-like support
