From their Facebook page, Atmospheric/Progressive/Post-Metal quartet LAPSARIAN was born in Washington, DC in 2018 with the union of Clay Oboth (guitar, vocals), Chase Madson (guitar, vocals), Harrison Pippin (bass), and Lee Stablein (drums). Despite coming from diverse regional and musical backgrounds, the members of the band are bound by a desire to create immersive, challenging music built on neck-breaking riffs, arresting melodies, and transportive structures. The band is a true collective endeavor whose songs are reflective not just of the breadth of their musical influences, but also of their shared interests and individual experiences." "Ruminant" contains four extended tracks.

"Goodspeed" opens the album. It opens with clean guitars and the feeling that you are slowly waking up from a good dream. Bass and drums join in briefly, following this charming little melody line. Spoken word comes in, but it's hard to understand what the voice is saying. Clean vocal harmonies ease in. Suddenly and without warning, harsh vocals come screaming in as the song take a darker tone. Blast beat drums are the next layer as the guitars build into a frenzy. "The Accomplice" is a ten-minute affair, opening again with easy clean guitars and a hint of despondence. The vocals are easy listening at first, but depressing. Distorted guitars come in, elevating the song to new heights. Harsh vocals then come in, making the song even more depressing. He screams, "I can't sleep...will you stay awake with me." The screams continue through the end.

"Allegory of the Cave" has some cool opening tones to go along with a nice little melody line. Then the screams are back. Then, the gentle melody returns with a bit more aggression from the guitars. It waxes and wanes throughout. This time however they stick with the melody line throughout the song. "Deadseer" closes the album. Harsh vocals are present from the very start of the album. They are shrill and ear-piercing. Some Progressive elements come into play with the meter shifting, but those harsh vocals are a bit off-putting. I do however like the bass guitar in the mix, which you can clearly hear. The spoken words are also a bit on the weird side.

Overall, this was a tough album to evaluate. At times you can easily follow the smooth melody lines but the harsh vocals and the weird tone of the spoken word tend to lose me. Some of the songs did not feel cohesive also, and took odd directional tones at times. I love Post-Metal/ Progressive/Atmospheric music, but this was just too strange for me.https://lapsarian.bandcamp.com/releases