Peter Lawson, also known as Venus Loon, is a psychedelic space rocker from Manchester, England. As a former Mancunian (Manchester-dweller), I always appreciate the musical talent that pours out of that fantastic city. It's a part of England that has birthed so many incredible icons in art and culture, and even lesser-known, smaller artists, such as Peter Lawson, are full of creative talent.
This was evident to me from the early moments of “Pagus," the psychedelic, chaotic, space-rock intro to 10 of Swords, his newest album. The sharp, heavily-distorted, guitar riffs are electrifying. There's a metal twang to them, but Lawson seems predominantly focused on creating a soundscape, and that's where the sci-fi inspired psychedelia comes into play. This intro is a journey. That's what I love about progressive rock. It's about creating imagery in the listener's mind. And Lawson proves himself to be an expert at this, with his haunting, floating instrumentals. But there's more to this album than floaty musicality. On the self-titled track, “10 of Swords,” Lawson layers echoing, reverberating vocals atop his dreamy, surreal guitar riffs. The tone he achieves on his guitar is absolutely sublime. There's such a satisfying crispness to the mix, and that isn't always something psychedelic rock offers. Usually, washed-out instrumentation leads to soft, buried guitars, but each twanging, bent electric guitar note carries such weight to it. And yet, Lawson never deviates from the atmospheric vibe of the music. There's always a grandness to the mix of each track. On "10 of Swords,” in particular, the latter half of the track is a whirlwind trip. The descending sound effects swirl in such a haunting, unsettling way. There's a real sense that the listener might be lost in space with Lawson. A powerful track. Right off the bat "Cruentus" might be my favorite track on the album. That electric guitar riff hits the listener right in the face. Bam. Lawson is relentless when it comes to offering hard-hitting riffs. Yet again, he offers a dreamy, colorful soundscape, but he makes sure that the guitar is always front and center. I know I keep harping about it, but the tone of the guitar truly is so satisfying. I do love the deviation into folk/blues after the initial explosion of sound. It's a real switch-up that demonstrates Lawson's range as a musician, but it also gives the song variety; it keeps things engaging. And then, yet again, Lawson surprises the listener with a rare burst of vocals. That's another thing which always intrigues me about progressive rock; lengthy instrumentals can suddenly give way to bold, bright vocal passages. Lawson's vocals are really impressive. There's a raw power behind each word that he sings. It reminds me of the classics. Vocalists from bygone bands, such as Sabbath or Zeppelin. Honestly, I've only scratched the surface of this album's impressiveness, but I'll leave it there for the sake of brevity. Do you love introspective space rock? Listen to this album. You won't regret it.
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