Album Reviews: Limnus – The Forbidden

Jay, Jared, Matt, Scott, and J are Limnus from Northern California. They’ve managed to create a dynamic album that brings back your fondest memories of gothic punk while interjecting plenty of industrial bravura to keep your head slamming back to the hateful Reznor machines of the late 80s/early 90s.

Bloody and Awesome

Pros

It is great to hear an album open up with an atmosphere builder of a track. “Exi(s)t “ takes ghostly steps behind a mild piano and the clicks of a radiation meter before crackling into the first major track.  “Discord” is a powerhouse of distorted vocals and guitar that is accented by spoken word. “Smoke and Mirrors” brings back more traditional two-step punk melody with vocals reminiscent of David Marchand while “Terminus” delivers nightmarish guitar riffs in the background and one of my favorite bridges from the album – mixing breakdown with ominous creeps. This is the sort of thing you can expect the entire album to deliver. There are really catchy riffs and great vocals that make every track memorable and infinitely fun. The album never sounds stale or boring, but keeps a vibrant energy that makes it feel like a seamless work that has been developed into a beast that many others in the genre would be jealous of. In other words, the gapless aspect of the album creates a rush of energy that doesn’t have you reaching for the “seek” button.

Cons

I really have nothing bad to say about this album. I really enjoyed hearing the genre reborn again with such purity. The members are all great people. Their bassist, Jared, is one of the most down to earth and cool dudes you’ll ever meet, and they’re all very humble. Try to catch one of their shows after buying the album and you’ll have blast. When I saw them at SUB Mission in SF, I started to get sad about BCBG coming to a close. It is incredible to hear this band and genre light up a stage in such a personal atmosphere. Did this “cons” section just turn into more “pros”?

Verdict

Limnus knows how to mingle with ambiance, industrial punk, and gothic semantics. You can tell they took their time in production and made sure the tracks weren’t hollow but filled out with great flourishes that never overwhelm the songs. Pick up the album and enjoy a return to a dynamic genre from a group that is passionate about their craft. This album kicks major ass and I find myself keeping it queued for play in my car constantly. Keep fighting the good fight, guys. The genre is begging for great material and you brought a kick ass album to the table. Hats off.

Also, you can listen more and pick up the digital or physical album HERE!