LOWEN
Do Not Go To War With The Demons Of Mazandaran

I’ve only crossed paths with LOWEN once. They opened a stacked bill in Cardiff a few years ago which was topped by an up-and-coming band called Green Lung. You might have heard of them? LOWEN impressed that night with their intoxicating stage performance and music that entrances with its combination of exotic Eastern progression, spliced with elements of doom.

LOWEN is a London based Middle Eastern progressive doom band comprising Nina Saeidi on vocals, daf, santoor and more, as well as Shem Lucas on guitar, alongside Cal Constantine on drums and a bassist when playing live.

It’s been six years since their debut release “A Crypt In The Stars” but the wait is a worthwhile one, for although this is not a long album, LOWEN have packed much into the 35-minutes. Recorded with producer Lewis Johns and Kel Pinchin (Ithaca, Rolo Tomassi, Svalbard) and released via the creditable Church Road Records, the album is drawn from one of the many fables of the Shahnameh, the Persian book of Kings, who is warned not to go to war with the demons of Mazandaran. It’s this concept upon which LOWEN base their second release.

As one might expect from a band fronted by a female with Iranian heritage, much of the music centres on the disparity between Saeidi’s homeland, the impositions and restrictions on any female within that country, especially one who performs and sings, activities outlawed in the country.

Whilst one can lose yourself in the swirling and sweeping harmonies that LOWEN produce, and it’s Saeidi’s vocal range that takes centre stage throughout the songs here. Using her voice as more than a singular instrument is a powerful statement, with multilingual delivery, mournful wails and traditional tahrir styles, and it combines with the cacophony that rages beneath her.

There is a defiant message that stands throughout the release. Opening song “Corruption On Earth”, together with later song “Waging War Against God” take a stand against death sentences placed on women protesting the Islamic Republic Of Iran during the ongoing Woman Life Freedom movement that began in 2022.

Whilst the soundscapes sonically painted create images that may be at odds with the lyrical messages here, it is possible to simply be caught up in the overall explosion of sound and colour that is present. “May Your Ghost Drink Pure Water” and closing track “Ghazal For The Embrace Of Fire” are both ferociously heavy, with a powerful backdrop of riffs and semi-blast beats that boil and tumble.

And yet, despite the tumbling unfolding explorations that feature in most of the tracks here, it’s “The Seed That Dreamed Of Its Own Creation”, a short, three-and-a-half-minute track, that grabs the attention as much as anything else here. Perhaps a message that the sprawling epics work well, but the intensity of shorter songs also provides immediacy that may be needed.

Regardless, my view is that “Do Not Go To War With The Demons Of Mazandaran” is an album that needs to be heard. You may not agree with the politics, you may not agree with the concept, but it’s unfathomable that you don’t become absorbed in the sheer intensity that envelopes this album. Take the time, breathe deeply, and appreciate the heady heights that few can reach. That LOWEN are scaling such mountains with such ease is testament to their quality. “Do Not Go To War With The Demons Of Mazandaran” but do embrace this release. It’s a decision you will not regret.

Paul Hutchings