Some music is timeless and Black Lung’s fifth album Forever Beyond is a perfect example. It sounds as if if could have been released at any point in the past half century, or at any point in the coming fifty years. Yet it also exists outside our time frame: Black Lung’s sound is impervious to fads and trends, and is unsullied by any contemporaneous influences and it is from here that Black Lung derive their timelessness. It makes Forever Beyond a unique listen and an enjoyable one too as the band lead us to some strange and unexpected destinations, it’s a musical tour de force through musical landscapes of the band’s own design.
Hailing from Baltimore, Maryland, Black Lung have been a band in constant motion, refining and adjusting their sound as they’ve travelled, incorporating elements of doom, stoner and psychedelic rock, or anything that might add a touch of spice to their sound. And while lazy comparisons could be drawn with bands such as King Gizzard, QOTSA and Radiohead, Black Lung definitely have their own thing going on, but what they do share with these artists is a certain pioneering spirit, a desire to map new sonic territory, and that’s exactly what Forever Beyond does. The first thing that really hits you about this album is its production: it sounds as if it was recorded in outer space with the notes played reverberating and echoing amongst the stars. The production is wide and expansive and utilises the full dynamic range, the sound reaches the very edge of your speakers with opening track ‘Traveler’ sucking the listener deep in the album’s wormhole. That’s a good analogy because there’s a flow to this album, that perpetual motion is very much in evidence, not only with in individual songs, but the record as a whole with disparate songs joined like distant points in the universe and is the invisible thread that connects ‘Traveler’ with the penultimate ‘Border Hoarder’, and epic closer ‘Scum’ with the direct and deadly ‘Death & Co.’.
With no two songs inhabiting the same sonic space Forever Beyond is stitched together by its own eclecticism, yet it is a strangely cohesive listen and one best consumed whole to appreciate its ebb and flow. While not generic, the band have their own signature sound rooted within the desert rock scene with huge, Sabbath-esque riffs tempered by beautiful, ethereal moments and it is this push and pull that give songs such as ‘Follow’ their even flow. However, despite their desire for exploration, Black Lung never lose sight of important stuff like harmonic lines and melody, which renders cuts like ‘Savior’ the most unlikeliest of earworms (the type of which you’ll find yourself humming all day and at the most inappropriate moments).
Despite my earlier protestations that Black Lung exist outside our time frame, that’s not exactly true (at least lyrically). The band’s lyrics often comment on current issues (such as our slide towards populism) which brings a touch of realism to the band’s otherworldly sound. It’s an interesting dichotomy, and like the contrast between light and shade, heavy and lithe, is another tension of opposites which renders Forever Beyond a multifaceted beast and one that fractures light in all directions. With no end in sight, Forever Beyond is another milestone on Black Lung’s amazing journey. Hop aboard.
- Forever Beyond is released via Magnetic Eye Records on 6th March 2026.
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Track List:
- Traveler
- Death & Co.
- Savior
- Follow
- Forever Beyond Me
- Border Hoarder
- Scum
