Friday, July 3, 2020

Boris : "NO"







It pleases me Boris is feeling te despair of the world around them and it has made them return to metal. They had flaoted off into art rock and garge gaze psychedelics. They have always been influenced by the Melvins and this album is not execption . Though the opening track is even heavier. Vocals are barely present leaving the mean guitar to trod upon you with it's weight. The oppressive rumbles gains a punk momentum on "Anti-Gone" . The vocals taking on a throaty snarl. They remain in this rowdy Motorhead like hurtle into sonic rebellion on "Non Blood Lore". It is some what off set by, singing throw in sparsely. It is becoming more apparent by the time we get to "Temple of Hatred" that this is their hard core punk album. I am cool with it , though when I go to put on hard core punk, I never think "Hmmm maybe Boris" . It more like "Ok , it's a Discharge day" .

After "Temple of Hatred" they take a needed shift into sludgey tortured sounds of agony. It is more of a sound than a song, but I can apprecaite the feeling and darkness put into it. If it was an entire album of this I would get bored. Then things thankfully take a turn into the kinda of weirdness I want from these guys with "HxCxHxC-Parforation Line". It is a sprawling intense defiance of any current sub-genre so I will call it gaze-core though I suppose given other mash ups with shoe gaze, it would be called hard -gaze. There is a a weird blending of noise rock set against a sludged out bass line. The vocals are extra burly. I forgot these little guys could belt it out like that. There is more of a thrashing anger to " Lust" that reminds me of when Slayer took on punk songs with "Undisputed Attitude". The vocals are mixed back into the chaos with a fair amount of effects.

They throw an obscure Japanese hard core cover on here. They get the job done with it. Though I never heard the orginal. I am going to assume this version is more well produced. "Loveless" is driven by chugged guitars and purposeful drums, one of the album's more focused songs. Given the nature of what they are doing  Wata's vocals are seldom heard in the mix. Her influence on the album as a whole feel is understated. The only time her voice is featured is on the atmospheric outro that is not really a song.



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