Review Summary: The deeper you peer into “Hero”, the further you’ll fall under its spell.
Anyone who dips a toe into the realms of underground metal will be aware of the craterous impact that Swiss duo, Bölzer, left upon the scene after the arrival of just 2 EPs. With only 40 minutes worth of material to their name, Bölzer displayed their capability to express more fervour for heavy metal on drums and a 10 string guitar that most bands could accomplish with 5 members.
Okoi “KzR” Jones and Fabian “HzR” Wyrsch describe the band name to symbolise “a powerful force, blow or strike that has no regard for the consequences or the repercussions. And in that sense it’s not directed either, it’s just a chaotic strike of energy: a force of chaos and a force of life and death and anything.” It’s a fitting analogy to portray the earth-shattering blow that “Aura” and “Soma” delivered, considering both EPs were monstrous in potential and atmosphere. They introduced a tribal, coarse and sinister tone to death metal which instantaneously earned Bölzer a comfortable cave inside the underground scene to dwell in. Consequently, the reception that Bölzer received left fans ravenous for a full length album.
There is a cavernous depth to “Hero”, filled with an imperious force of ferocious instrumentalism. The best portrayal of this electrifying intensity is ‘Phospher’ whereby undulating grooves and thunderous drumming are summoned instantly and propels at pummelling pace thereafter. KzR creates textures of varying intensity on his guitar, ranging from infectious grooves, cascading tremolo and torturous riffing. ’Spiritual Athleticism’ and ‘The Archer’ command similar approaches, but are more focused on the spiralling grooves and the brutalising battering that HzR delivers to his drums.
The aforementioned songs exemplify the unhinged ferocity and bleak intensity that Bölzer established with their EPs. However, “Hero” unearths a newfound sense of illumination that their previous work appears devoid of. Firstly, the production of their debut album is categorically cleaner, which enhances the maelstrom of textured melodies that explode into light. Secondly, KzR engages clean vocals at numerous points in “Hero”, notably ‘Chlorophyllia’ and ‘I AM III’. On one hand, you’ll simply think them as lifeless and out of tone. On the other, you’ll think that the mournful tone cowers under the dominance of his riffs with captivating intentions, like on the title track. Either way you decide to look at it, the cleaner wails capture the brutal defiance of the sonic assault that follows in its wake.
The echoing depth of “Hero” only digs deeper after you understand the fabrication behind the music. The intro, ‘Urdr’, the outro, ‘Atropos’, and the mid section interlude, ‘Decima’, are based on individual Norns- female entities in Norse mythology. The rest of the album comprises of 6 songs paired two groups of three. Each group has one of the above intermissions between (crafting the third group) to formulate the nine songs that “Hero” is made up of. Furthermore, each of these 3 groups represents a triangle that formulates the Valknut: a Germanic symbol of 3 interlocking triangles, correspondingly symbolising a ‘heroic cycle’.
Upon first listen, Bölzer’s debut album appears dissimilar to the two preceding EP’s rabid nature, but it still underlines Bölzer’s self proclaimed description. The meteoric blow that “Hero” conveys is still thunderously powerful. Moreover, it is utterly unfazed at the consequences that the duo may face with regard to the altered approach the band have taken with their debut album, in comparison to their initial success.
