The Belgians Left Eye Perspective release their second album, Horizons, a record that combines progressive, stoner and grunge metal in a direct way. The band doesn’t play to impress with technique, but with effective riffs.
Country: Belgium
Genre: Progressive Metal / Stoner Metal / Post-Metal / Grunge (Mixed Vocals)
For fans of: Mastodon, Alice in Chains, Baroness, Anciients
Release date: August 1, 2026
Label: Independent
The four musicians follow the tradition of Mastodon, but with grunge and stoner aromas. The riffs vary, from complex to relaxed, while the voice of Kristof Loockx recalls Brent Hinds, Jerry Cantrell and more than anything Stephen Brodsky (Cave In, Mutoid Man). The guitars owe as much to Alice in Chains as to the southern sludge sound of Mastodon — less shred, more melody.
The album starts strong with “Wail and Howl” (thrashy intro, chaotic outro). “From the Remnants” borrows from Dirt and Crack the Skye, with a solo in the Cantrell style and riffs pulled from Hinds/Kelliher. “Velvet Sky” is perhaps the best — a relentless groove leads to an epic finale, with Loockx singing “where is the light?”.
A few harsh vocals break the flow, which is good — Loockx is a good singer, but the mixing does him a bit of an injustice. With better production, his voice would sound richer. On “Test of Time” the water effects are distracting. In general, the record would gain from a more polished sound — the drums sound somewhat weak.
A small complaint, though, when there is so much to enjoy. From “Repentance” to the drums on “Test of Time, Pt 2”, the band balances the direct with the complex. If not every song “sticks” (the “Test of Time” tracks don’t stay in the mind, the doom “Ruins” is a bit sluggish), the ones that do make up for it. Horizons is 43 minutes of pure enjoyment for the groove centers of your brain.
With their second album, Left Eye Perspective united grunge, stoner and progressive metal in their own way. They have room for improvement, but they achieved exactly what they wanted — and few bands can say that.
Recommended tracks: Velvet Sky, From the Remnants, Repentance
Relevant links: Bandcamp | Facebook | Instagram
Left Eye Perspective:
– Jelle de Bock (bass)
– Tony Goetheyn (drums)
– Kim Berghe (guitars)
– Kristof Loockx (vocals, guitars)
