BLACK LUNG
"Forever Beyond" (Magnetic Eye;
2026)
Reviewed by R. Scott Bolton
Black Lung's "Forever Beyond" is a stoner/doom journey through outer space. It's a heavy, pounding, bulldozer of sound, with down-tuned guitars, spacey leads and a rhythm section with the groove and the tightness to make the whole thing work.
It's hard to day this is Black Sabbath inspired, although some of that's there, but the fuzzy guitars, the ethereal vocals and the space-rock production and atmosphere take things into a different aural landscape.
This is an album that just screams to be listened to via headphones; it's like a VR world of sound and you'll want to concentrate on the music and only the music. That being said, blasting this out at full-blast on your home stereo would sound great, too (although I'd fear for your speakers blowing out with the depth of sound here.)
Bottom line: Fans of doom and stoner sounds will find lots to like here, but so will fans of concept albums and epic soundscapes. My favorite tracks were the almost danceable "Forever Beyond Me" and the fuzz overload of "Border Hoarder." But, honestly, I like every track here.
For more information, check out https://blacklungband.bandcamp.com/.
Rating Guide:
A classic. This record will kick your ass.
Killer. Not a classic but it will rock your world.
So-so. You've heard better.
Pretty bad. Might make a nice coaster.
Self explanatory. Just the sight of the
cover makes you wanna hurl.
Copyright © 2026 by R. Scott Bolton. All rights reserved.