Review Summary: A teaser to kick off Boris' US tour, and a ghostly addition to their already monstrous catalog
Boris' 2017 release
Dear left a lot of people confused. Unless you were a long time fan of
Boris since their
Absolutego days, their brand of Drone Doom was likely to leave you frustrated and pondering whether or not they are for real. This release is bound to have the same polarizing effect. You definitely don't get your standard metally riffs and choruses here. What
Boris does create is a massive atmosphere that overtakes you and builds a savory tension as it draws you ever deeper. Predictably, you can expect heavily down-tuned guitar and bass creating a shifting wall of sound.
When
Boris recorded
Dear, it left them with a significant amount of extra material (~3 albums worth) that would be released slowly over time. This is the first release and its also a very droning release. The first track is a 14 minute medley that takes up the whole first side of the record and contains only waves of guitar drone and some real spacey soloing, eventually collapsing into guitar feedback and atonal entropy. Its the highlight and fans of
Introduction on
Akuma No Uta will definitely enjoy.
The second side starts with a cover from japanese band
Katsurei which brings vocals and drums into the mix for a melancholy serenade. This track especially has a minimalism that gives a distinct sense of isolation, and an echo that wanders out to infinity. The last track is another Boris original with atmospheric guitar and drums that end the record on a more hopeful note.
One can complain that the songs meander by for longer than they should but it also allows for a distinct identity to form. So many bands are quickies in that they are forgettable and formulaic, and that by the time the first play through is over you don't remember any of it and don't want to. While this isn't a capital letter
Boris release here on display, it is a memorable set of tracks and if you give it the chance you will find it drawing you back and perhaps even warming up to you.
