Lacrimosus Intolerantem by Ladyship Warship

Lacrimosus Intolerantem by Ladyship Warship is a haunting and hypnotic fever dream of music winding through dark and evocative paths of your mind.

Lacrimosus Intolerantem by Ladyship Warship

Over here at Life In Michigan studios, I’ve been jamming the new Ladyship Warship EP called Lacrimosus Intolerantem. If you are new to these dynamite roots rockers, they are Kristin Lyn (drums) and EZ Myers (guitars) from Detroit. I’ve been a fan of theirs since way back in 2016 at Fuzz Fest 3 when I first saw their other band, Warhorses. Then in 2018, at Fuzz Fest 5, I was introduced to Ladyship Warship and have been a fan ever since.

Third Time’s The Charm

Lacrimosus Intolerantem is the band’s third release, and it burns with black light madness and rock-n-roll fever dreams. Whereas there was a swampy twang to some earlier tunes, Lacrimosus Intolerantem hones in on a dark and twisting path. As a huge fan of the Floydian power doom on the song “Abyss Stares Back” off Ladyship’s first album, I love the direction they have taken with this new release, as it feels more surreal and psychedelic. I also love the cover art by Jason Bowes.

Of course, I had to look up the words from the title—Latin for “Weeping Intolerant” or intolerance for weeping. Lacrimosus is also used in the Catholic Requiem Mass. I’m not sure if the overall meaning is “Hey, No Crying!” or a deeper treatise on the end of days. Given the darker tones and cutting lyrics, I’m leaning towards the deep end.

Haunting Locomotion

Opening with foot stomping “Mark The Spot,” this tune is a call to prayer. The haunting harmonized vocals urging release through musical communion. They sing “Are you here now? With us in this moment in this space, in this time? The stage is a canvas. Painting sounds with notes until the place just flows,” and time vanishes, sending you adrift within the sound.

The up-tempo “The Only Way Out Is Through” is designed for locomotion. Imagine a fast car with the top down, and you’re locked in, cruising. The crashing drums and insistent rhythms create the sensation of blasting through the doors and leaving what doesn’t work behind.

Psychedelia and Rita’s Last Ride

“Good Ones” is a mid-paced and muscular rambler with the sonorous voice of a mandocello adding a delicious texture. I could feel the dry winds of the desert caressing my temple as a dark shape hovers just out of sight, but never out of mind. Lyrically, the song is about the self-righteous who believe they are the “Good Ones” as they spread their malignance among us. Here is to hoping these folks are, in fact, swallowed by the darkness.

Taking the title character’s name from a vintage VW van we called Rattling Rita, “Rita’s Last Ride” is more of a spy thriller soundtrack than a nostalgic Route 66 romance. The rhythms dare you to flinch as a story of fateful last chances plays out in noir harmonies that scintillate and beguile.

“Hats Off (to Harold)” is a hardboiled thriller cloaked in psychedelia and desolate beauty. The drums set a languid pace matched by the guitar drone. Splashes of color are thrown by brush strokes of jazzy minor chords. The song climaxes with towering guitars and drums before crashing back and ebbing away.

Experience The Mystery

I highly recommend Lacrimosus Intolerantem by Ladyship Warship. You can get your copy on Bandcamp. Be sure to follow Ladyship Warship on Facebook and Instagram for upcoming shows and experience their mystical tones in person.