ninehertz

A blast from the past, Lo Pan may not be one of the first bands you'd think of when reminiscing about the great days of the sound, but for perhaps mid-period stoner rock they're definitely one that conjures vague memories linked to it - for me the cover art from their third album Salvador back in 2011 stands out as a vision, a totem of that time in the genre, and of the cornerstone that is Small Stone Records that housed it.

Yet for all that, they're not and never have been one of the purest proponents of the sound. And that is still true, in 2025, around two decades into their existence. There are pros and cons to this - it is well documented how the tropes of stoner rock became cliché and hastened if not its demise, then its demotion in popularity, so there are elements to Lo Pan which sound refreshingly divergent. How they differ, and whether that represents a con is down to your own taste I guess.

This is heavy hard rock, elements of fuzz perhaps, but not clearly stoner-fied, and there's as much grunge in here as there is anything Kyuss related. I'm drawn to comparisons to Stone Temple Pilots on several occasions across the album. This is most clearly heard on Northern Eyes, where my natural instincts were to repel from the grunge feel, but once I got over my silliness I realised it is pretty damn good, and is probably the best track on the album. There's another distinct resemblance, less predictable, heard from Rogue Wave onwards, and that is to Tool. Tool when they're at their least prog, early days perhaps, and maybe primarily through the vocals, but it's definitely there.

As I say, how this will sit with you depends on your taste - and memories of late 90s alternative rock music. There are tracks that leave little mark, but on the whole I admire its honesty, how it's still Lo Pan, writing their own music. It is not their best album and it won't set the world alight, but it is a worthy addition to the catalogue of an underappreciated band and unexpected proof that there's life in them still.