Doom metal has never surpassed Black Sabbath. 55 years on from the clanging of bells and a riff so malevolent it sounded like the universe being rent in two, doom has produced countless acolytes to the altar of Tony Iommi and co., but never produced a band that could concievably claw their way out of the underground. Until Green Lung, that is.
London's own folk-doomsters have been tearing their way up the pecking order in recent years, from drawing massive queues outside The Underworld at Desertfest in 2022 to dominating Bloodstock's main stage in 2024. So a packed-out show on home turf at the 2,300 capacity Kentish Town Forum feels as much a career-making moment as it does a victory lap.
They're not alone in bringing the dark side into the spotlight. Tour supports Unto Others are doing their own part to revitalise a long-standing metal staple, their Danzig-meets-Metallica brand of goth metal perfectly suited to big rooms. Latest record Never, Neverland unsurprisingly dominates the set, fist-in-the-air tunes like Butterfly, Momma Likes The Door Closed and Suicide Today fitting nicely alongside older bangers like Heroin and Give Me To The Night that've helped elevate their darkly seductive offering.
But Green Lung are something else. The riffs to opener Woodland Rites drop like a guillotine and the Londonersjust look so right playing on a massive stage to adoring, screaming crowds, offering up a bewitching mix of esoteric folk charm, thumping heavy metal riffs and hooks you could use to haul a leviathan. In combining the existential dread of Black Sabbath with the larger-than-life theatricality of Ghost, the likes of Mountain Throne, Reaper's Scythe and Hunter's In The Sky become all-conquering anthems.
There are also a few tricks up the band's sleeve. On Song Of The Stones - a folksy ballad that sounds like a Wicker Man B-side - most of the band disappear, leaving Matt Wiseman to clatter an infernal-looking drum while all-female vocal trio Something Sleeps - dubbed "The Oosettes" for the night - take the lead with an acoustic guitar and violin, adding a whole new depth to the composition that somehow adds even more soulful quality to the song. They stick around to add keening strings and haunting backing vocals on May Queen and even some woodwind to the intro of The Forest Church.
It all builds a sense of ceremony and occasion that elevates the show to something truly special. By the time they get round to Let The Devil In and the abysal-yet-insidiously catchy One For Sorrow, Green Lung have never looked more like the band doom metal has been waiting decades for; brimming with ambition, panache and anthems for days. Doom hasn't always translated well to bigger stages - just ask any of the riffers Ghost have brought out on their recent arena jaunts - but Green Lung might just be the band to change that. Someone get Papa on the phone.
Green Lung Setlist - Kentish Town Forum February 22 2025
- Woodland Rites
- Mountain Throne
- Templar Dawn
- The Ancient Ways
- Reaper's Scythe
- Oceans Of Time
- Song Of The Stones
- May Queen
- The Forest Church
- Hunters In The Sky
- Maxine (Witch Queen)
- Graveyard Sun
- The Harrowing
- Old Gods
- Let The Devil In
- One For Sorrow
