Originally formed by three members of rap-rock group Senser in 1996 as a way to explore a heavier palette, Lodestar arrived amidst a flurry of activity and released two singles and a critically-acclaimed album before burning themselves out the following year. Now resurrected with the core of their original line-up, Lodestar make a triumphant return to release their long-overdue (like, 27 years overdue!) sophomore album Zonen and it proves well worth the wait.

As a self-confessed music addict who spends all day mainlining music, I’ve developed a kind of sixth sense when it comes to new releases. I can usually tell within a few bars whether and album is going to be a dud or kick-ass, and the riff that heralds the arrival of opening track ‘Surrender To The Tide’ got my antenna twitching wildly. With the drums and guitar conspiring to deliver that Sabbath swing, this cut will immediately attach itself like a limpet to the cranium and will haunt you for the rest of the day. The dirty bass rumble that heralds the arrival of ‘Bring Me To The Head’ proves the opener was no fluke, and aided by a production that pushes all the needles towards the red, ensures that Lodestar get up close and personal. Yet, the band aren’t all bludgeon; there’s a neat manipulation of musical dynamics going on here that pits loud sections with the quiet, each acting as a foil for the other which means that when the riffs kick in, they kick in hard.

If Zonen had been released five decades ago it would have been been termed “occult rock” and that’s a pretty apt description. There’s an almost indefinable evilness bursting from these grooves that adds a level of danger to the listening experience; it’s something that Cream’s ‘Sunshine Of Your Love’ has, as does Iron Butterfly’s ‘In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida’, and it feels as if the very act of playing Lodestar’s ‘Hyperitual’ (or any of Zonen’s eleven tracks) could conjure the Baphomet. In fact, vocalist Heitham Al Sayed sounds like a medium at a séance, enticing demonic souls from the other side, whilst the band deliver a suitably satanic sound to make your hair stand on end.

Formed in the midst of the musically-confused decade that was the 1990s, Lodestar were very much a victim of the times. In an age when the alternative rock revolution was at its height, their edgy, frantic eponymous debut album seemed a tad out of place. In short, our current era seems far more conducive to the Lodestar sound; and while there’s a definite ‘70s influence here, there’s a timeless nature to tracks such as ‘The Real World’ which suggests they could have been released at any point in the last fifty years, which means that while much music from the ‘90s is rooted in that age, Zonen is going to be an album for all time. A supremely malevolent cover version of ‘The Harp’ (originally by The Sensational Alex Harvey Band) employs a lot of sonic space and makes for an evocative conclusion, and one that won’t be forgotten in a hurry.

Like a fine malt whiskey or a vintage wine, it seems that time has only increased Lodestar’s charms, but the question remains if it Zonen was worth the wait. The answer’s a resounding yes (but hopefully they won’t makes us wait another 27 years for the next instalment).

• Zonen is released on 17th May 2024.
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Track List:

1. Surrender To The Tide
2. Bring Me The Head
3. Be Ready
4. Hyperitual
5. Flame
6. 1983
7. The Starnger
8. High Sorrow
9. The Real World
10. Sigils Burning
11. The Harp