Welcome to Infernal Visions, a column where I review an album and pull a tarot card, oracle, or rune called forth by said album, sharing my interpretation of the card and how I feel it relates to the music. Let us bring together distortion and divinity. This week’s calling is a doom album The Weight Of Life by Lord Of Confusion (out now) and Ten of Wands.
The Call: Lord Of Confusion – The Weight Of Life
Self-described as an “evil doom” band, Lord Of Confusion brings wailing vocals, deep growls, grand guitar riffs, crashing drums, spooky keyboard melodies, and crushing atmosphere in their sophomore full-length album The Weight Of Life. There is a mix of traditional and psychedelic doom, with eerie melodies and a dramatic performance that fits the mood and takes the music to the next level. Each track brings twists and turns, leaving listeners not quite knowing what to expect next. The result is powerful and haunting.
The Weight Of Life opens with building reverb and noise before the crash of drums is heard and a guitar melody is introduced. This track, “Life is Heavy,” introduces vocals almost halfway in with Carlota Sousa’s powerful bewitching vocals juxtaposed against João Fonseca’s growls. The combination is dynamic and alluring. In addition to the vocal performance, the keyboards (also by Sousa) are particularly striking. They feel like the soundtrack to a haunted house with a twangy organ quality, making the music unique and adding a dreamy quality. The keys on “Wander” are exceptionally on display, taking flight and adding a fever dream feel to the music. The instrumentals here are killer with a section partway through featuring a keyboard solo that transforms into a guitar solo (by Danilo Sousa). Immediately following is “Save Your Tears” which slows things down and brings an unexpected jazzy/blues feel including some brief scatting in Sousa’s ballad vocals. “Violet Visions” is the longest on The Weight Of Life, spanning almost 13 minutes. A foreboding, cosmic atmosphere is created here with otherworldly sounds and shrieks, and swirling melodies. Nelson Figueiredo’s drumming leads the changes in tone throughout the piece. “We Are Here” closes the album with additional cosmic energy. The soundscape track is fully atmospheric and instrumental and includes chimes, bells, echoing organ tones, cymbals, and electronic humming.
There are long instrumental sections in each track, showcasing the talents of each member of Lord Of Confusion and adding to the power of the album. Every piece takes listeners on a journey, pulling us into the band’s dark world. While the overall feeling is heavy, the keyboards help balance the music without weighing listeners down. The songwriting is clever and it is clear that a lot of thought, time, and energy went into crafting this release. I am eager to hear more from Lord Of Confusion and see what they create next. I hope they continue to lean into the unexpected while keeping their psych doom sound.
The Card: Ten of Wands
Pulled upright, this minor arcana card brings to mind fatigue, burden, baggage, and quiet literally the weight of life. The suit of wands correlates with the element of fire, representing passion, energy, creation and destruction, and is driven by ideas and desires. The Ten of Wands can show caution, warning you not to bite off more than you can chew. It urges you to lean on others, delegate and invite support to help ease mental and physical loads. This card can also suggest that you may be carrying around some issues from the past that are not serving you. I see the Ten of Wands as a sign to slow down and take inventory of my life in this moment to see what is benefiting me and what is weighing me down. This may mean tending to a draining relationship that needs to be ended or confronted for change, taking on too many projects and needing to let something go or pass something onto a friend to handle, feeling stuck in the past and needing to do some internal work to address that issue, or simply turning down an upcoming invitation to prevent burnout.
This card perfectly matches the title of the album and the heavy feel of the music. Lord Of Confusion describes this album as dark and calls it abstract, not wanting to tell listeners exactly how to feel while taking in The Weight Of Life, but letting listeners determine for themselves the meaning behind the lyrics and the music. The band notes that this is their strongest release yet, undoubtedly focusing on the creation of it with help to make it a success. The Ten of Wands also tells us that achievements are on the horizon, that all the overwhelm and hard work will pay off. What started as a vision in 2023 has come to fruition and is a homerun for Lord Of Confusion.
Blessed be.
–Angela
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