LO-PAN's "Regulus" Is a Titanic Monument to the Power of Riffs

Colossus is a great name for a doom record. In one breath it handily evokes images of majesty, grandeur, and past glories (Candlemass cornered the market on all of that with Ancient Dreams, but you get the idea). It hints at hard-won battles and blood seeping into foreign sands, of rough-hewn idols and monoliths crumbling into the foaming sea. It paints a pretty goddamn inspiring picture. That being said, on a less romantic level, Colossus also slots neatly into doom's obsession with really big… things. Ours is a world populated by behemoths and mastodons, dying giants, sea lords, and elder gods, whose exploits and flights of fancy are riffed sweatily into existence by big burly dudes encircled by halos of amplifier tubes. It's larger than life, and if it's done right, it's way too much for your shitty foam earplugs to handle. It's awesome.

LO-PAN inhabits this earthier world, and Colossus is their heaviest offering to date. The Columbus four-piece titled their latest album in honor of the Colossus of Rhodes, and they have paid tribute to that titanic sculpture in the most fitting way they know how: by dedicating their aggressive, rumbling fuzz-riff cocktails to its glory. The album's due out October 7 via Small Stone Records. Catch LO-PAN on tour with like-minded heavyweights Black Cobra starting August 28. Check out all the tour dates and a new song, "Regulus," below:

LO-PAN US tour with Black Cobra:

8/28/2014 Club Red - Phoenix, AZ
8/29/2014 Sister - Albuquerque, NM
8/30/2014 Conservatory - Oklahoma City, OK
8/31/2014 Doublewide - Dallas, TX
9/02/2014 Red 7 - Austin, TX
9/03/2014 Fitzgeralds - Houston, TX
9/04/2014 Siberia - New Orleans, LA
9/05/2014 Handlebar - Pensacola, FL
9/06/2014 Orpheum - Tampa, FL
9/07/2014 Gramps - Miami, FL
9/08/2014 Back Booth - Orlando, FL
9/09/2014 529 - Atlanta, GA
9/10/2014 The Mothlight - Asheville, NC
9/11/2014 Chop Shop - Charlotte, NC
9/12/2014 Strange Matter - Richmond, VA
9/13/2014 The Pinch - Washington, DC
9/14/2014 Dusk - Providence, RI
9/15/2014 Nectars - Burlington, VT
9/16/2014 TT The Bears - Boston, MA
9/17/2014 Kung Fu Necktie - Philadelphia, PA
9/18/2014 Saint Vitus - New York, NY
9/19/2014 Lost Horizon - Syracuse, NY
9/20/2014 Bug Jar - Rochester, NY
9/22/2014 Howlers - Pittsburgh, PA
9/23/2014 Reggie's - Chicago, IL
9/24/2014 7th St Entry - Minneapolis, MN
9/26/2014 Replay - Lawrence, KS
9/27/2014 Lost Lake Lounge - Denver, CO
9/28/2014 Burt's Tiki Bar - Salt Lake City, UT
9/29/2014 Dive Bar - Las Vegas, NV
10/01/2014 The Garage - Ventura, CA
10/02/2014 New Parish - Oakland, CA

Kim Kelly is a colossal writer. She's on Twitter - @GrimKim