Bölzer - Hero

By Calen Henry. Despite blowing up in the metal underground in 2013, Hero is Bölzer's first full length album. Their legacy is built on a single track, "Entranced by the Wolfshook", featuring a riff so good that it has overshadowed everything they have since released. It's impossible to talk about Bölzer without talking about that riff. "Entranced by the Wolfshook", in a single riff, is Bölzer.

By Calen Henry.


Despite blowing up in the metal underground in 2013, Hero is Bölzer's first full length album.

Their legacy is built on a single track, "Entranced by the Wolfshook", featuring a riff so good that it has overshadowed everything they have since released. It's impossible to talk about Bölzer without talking about that riff. "Entranced by the Wolfshook", in a single riff, is Bölzer. Their sound, raging tremolo riffs back flipping between extreme low end and high end supported by driving drums is both phenomenal and original.

Bölzer have since fallen victim to their own prowess. "Entranced by the Wolfshook" is un-followup-able, yet everything they do is checked against it. Reading reviews of Hero makes it seem as though the only way their full length debut could possibly have delivered is to have been comprised entirely of "Entranced by the Wolfshook", but also not because no one really wants that....

Photos by Pedro Roque.

I have to admit to myself and now the Internet at large that I never really liked either of their previous EPs, apart from the riff. The way their trademark riffing was spun out into songs pulled too much from the sides of death metal that don't appeal to me resulting in an overly busy cacophony supported by fantastic riffs.

Within the framework of Bölzer's sound Hero is a drastic change. The trademark sound is drawn out into cohesive songs that combine crushing riffs with elegant transitions and showcases an unabashed commitment to melody. I love it. Every change makes me like it more than their previous work. It's everything I didn't realize I wanted Bölzer to be.

The riffs are stretched out over entire tracks and themes are repeated between tracks giving the album incredible cohesion that rewards repeated listens. The vocals supporting these titanic compositions are much cleaner than before combining a sort of melodic bellowing, reminiscent of Troy Sanders' vocals in Mastodon, and a kind of commanding oration completing the martial Roman feel the band has toyed with since Aura.

Don't believe the anti-hype. Bölzer know exactly what they are doing, how to do it, and that no one else can do it.

Bölzer - Soma

By Kevin Page. I still remember my introduction to Bölzer. End of April 2013, I was listening to some band on Soundcloud (don't even remember 'who' at this point) and suddenly (by random) something caught my attention. It was this vicious yet hypnotic death metal with a sound all their own. 'Bölzer' it says at the top of my screen, never heard of them, must be a new band.

By Kevin Page.

Artwork by Alexander L. Brown

I still remember my introduction to Bölzer. End of April 2013, I was listening to some band on Soundcloud (don't even remember 'who' at this point) and suddenly (by random) something caught my attention. It was this vicious yet hypnotic death metal with a sound all their own. 'Bölzer' it says at the top of my screen, never heard of them, must be a new band. Little did I know that within a few months short time they would take the underground by storm.

Bölzer at MDF 2014. Photo by Metal Chris

Hailing from Switzerland, those living in Europe have much better chance of seeing the band perform live than we do over on this side of the pond. But due to such an overwhelming reaction to their initial EP, Bölzer have played on this side of the world at Noctis Fest (Canada, September 2013) and Maryland Deathfest (U.S.A. 2014). Heck, they were even good enough to play TWICE at MDF. Mighty impressive for a band that had 6 recorded songs to their name. And if you have been living under a rock, this band is a two piece. And yes they perform live as a two piece and are able to flawlessly recreate their recorded sound.

So now that you are up to speed let's talk about the new EP, titled Soma. This is the follow up to last years brilliant EP Aura, and contains 2 songs totaling 18 minutes. According to the band, this features two "odes to the goddess Luna" and the "tonal and conceptual qualities will contrast the themes of the spiritual birth and phallic solar worship offered on Aura".

Bölzer at MDF 2014. Photo by Metal Chris

Steppes
Right from the get go the main riff carves it's way into your brain. It's instantly recognizable as Bölzer and stylistically the same as before. The middle section features spoken words that are placed just far enough in the background that you can't really figure out what's being said, which just adds to the mysterious nature of the song. Then another infectious galloping riff carries the remainder of the song until they venture back to the main theme to close it out. Another winner in their catalog.

Labyrinthian Graves
Now Bölzer is no stranger to epic length numbers. "The Great Unifier" off their last EP clocked in at over 10 minutes. This beauty clocks in at over 12. There's no shortage of hooks and moments that just send a chill down your spine. This is a band that simply gets it. Melodic without being pussified, memorable without being repetitive and nothing that artificially pads the length of the song. This is meat all the way through until the last 3 minutes, which serve as an atmospheric outro, but it works so beautifully. It's a perfectly paced roller coaster, so having the proper ending simply magnifies everything that comes before it.

Bölzer at MDF 2014. Photo by Metal Chris

In general, everyone (myself included) goes apeshit crazy over "the riffs", but the drumming doesn't get nearly the credit it deserves. It's frenzied and controlled, tribal and precise. If this was your standard death metal drumming, the riffs would have far less impact. The guitar and drums joined together accentuate one another in a blissful harmony. You are also probably wondering, is this better than the previous EP? I'd say no, simply because there's nothing like your first experience with a band (especially this one). But it has met the lofty expectations they have set in such a short amount of time. If you haven't jumped on the Bölzer train yet, you better as this thing shows no signs of stopping anytime soon.

"Labyrinthian Graves" plus the rest of their first set at MDF 2014.

Atanamar’s Favorite Albums of 2013

MOBILE PREVIEW

By Atanamar Sunyata.

Django the Thrawsuncat

I dedicated myself to the cessation of physical media in 2013. I’ve had a long and illustrious career of collecting CDs, as the sagging shelves of my voluminous and hulking media racks can testify. But lest my house collapse and its foundations shatter under the weight of plastic discs, I have chosen another path.

As I will settle for nothing less than lossless digital audio (I discussed the glory of FLAC here), Bandcamp is the place to be, and here we are. Regardless of your chosen format, Bandcamp’s social features have turned out to be indispensably badass, leading this lost soul to many a marvelous musical discovery.

Still, there are recalcitrant and tardy record labels that aren’t completely on board our party boat. Thankfully, nearly all of my favorite albums made their way onto Bandcamp this year. I do have a few regrets; I wish Profound Lore would keep their store up to date. Castevet’s Obsian would most certainly be in my top five. Also, P.L.F.’s Devious Persecution And Wholesale Slaughter is ludicrously delicious grind; I don’t know why small labels like Six Weeks Records aren’t leveraging the platform.

Alas, I’ll keep it true; these are my favorite Bandcamp albums of 2013:

14. Mephistopheles – Sounds of the End

Cover art by Bill Dean.

Mephistopheles convey an articulate death metal chaos, forging something raw and primitive from esoteric riffs and peculiar melody. Strange arpeggios roll together in bizarre and baroque arrangements. Schizophrenic balance is preferred to overt brutality; Sounds of the End is uniquely satisfying.

13. Scale the Summit – The Migration

Believe me, instrumental prog-metal was the last thing I imagined falling in love with this year. The Migration walks the fine line of wankery and sweet shred, conjuring visions of Gordian Knot and Cynic circa 1993 along the way.

12. Vastum – Patricidal Lust
You know when you put on an album, and you’re compelled to turn it up louder, and louder, and louder? Patricidal Lust is that kind of album. Vastum marry the most seductive elements of death metal, laying lusty riffs over neck-wrecking cadence. Surrender yourself to the primal power death.

11. Lantern – Below

Illustration by Alexander L. Brown.

Below sounds like it was recorded in Belo Horizonte circa 1987, in the same subterranean grotto as Sepultura’s Schizophenia. Speaking in tongues of noxious catacombs and desecrated cathedrals, Lantern leverage superlative riffs in a morbid pursuit of quirky, proto-death glory.

10. Ulcerate - Vermis

Artwork by Jamie Saint Merat.

Ulcerate use dissonance as a weapon of mass destruction, scouring the outer limits of rhythmic oddity. Inhuman feats and unfathomable riffs mark this marvelous, bleak listening experience. Vermis is pleasure and pain.

9. Bölzer - Aura
Bölzer bring the thunderous, bulldozing, death-black goodness on their debut EP. These ball-crushing compositions are blessed with unhinged vocals and impossibly compelling riffs. The entire package is seasoned with satisfyingly sinister melody.

8. Gigan – Multi-Dimensional Fractal-Sorcery And Super Science

Artwork by Dr.Winter

Gigan have traversed the summit of utter oddity and descend now into lands of compelling technical death-grind. Make no mistake; this is some crazy shit. These impossible odes to deep space dementia, however, are sustained by the mundane magics of songwriting skill, riffs, and rage. I gladly resign my sanity unto Gigan.

7. Exhumed – Necrocracy
Exhumed push closer and closer to death metal nirvana with each release. Necrocracy slips and slides through tight curves of thrashing death-grind annihilation. Every move feels effortless, every riff is righteously ripping, and every solo is sinuous melodic perfection.

6. Aosoth – Arrow in Heart

Cover art by Benjamin A. Vierling

Aosoth nail the heart of my preferred black metal aesthetic in 2013. My initial trepidation regarding the album’s sultry sonic palate melted into adoration and addiction. The warm swarm, the gorgeously organic drums, and the carefully crafted madness are irresistible to my ears.

5. Gorguts – Colored Sands

Artwork by Martin Lacroix.

I was the guy who thought Obscura sucked when it first came out, selling it back immediately to the music store from whence it came. Clutching my copies of Considered Dead and The Erosion of Sanity, I wept at the album’s flippy-floppy oddity. Oh, ye death metal purist, how the years have proven you wrong. Returned from the grave, with Dysrhythmia in hand, Gorguts have constructed a modern classic. I would not be sad if Luc Lemay were my father.

4. Vex – Memorious
Vex slice and dice metal tropes in an endlessly listenable manner. Death, black, folk, and traditional truths are sculpted into paeans to soaring victory. Ridiculous riffs and boisterous dynamics seal the deal; Memorious won’t soon fade from memory.

3. Beaten to Death – Dødsfest!

Dødsfest! is an ode to joy and a lethal dose of fuck-all freedom. Although presented with tongue firmly in cheek, the album's unique grindcore vision is endearing and irresistible. Bravery and innovation are useless in metal without the chops to back them up; Dødsfest! is wall to wall riffage of the utmost quality. Check your pretensions at the door, or fuck off and die.

2. Cloud Rat – Moksha

Artwork by Brian Uhl.

With delicate grind-sludge destruction, d-beat debauchery, and impossibly vicious vocals, Cloud Rat have concocted the year’s most genuine articulation of rage. Moksha is diverse, but effortlessly complete in vision, welding beauty to a chassis of blastbeats and Thou-worthy trudge. Moksha’s lyrical sentiments speak to me, as do its attractive departures into melancholy. Cloud Rat summon sublime, immersive fury; I’ve been basking in it all year.

1. Thrawsunblat – Wanderer on the Continent of Saplings

If I rated albums solely on the number of headbangs they induced, the number of invisible oranges they caused me to crush, or the number of inextricable air guitar outbursts generated, Thrawsunblat would win in a landslide. Beyond the visceral appeal of Wanderer, however, lies a brilliant articulation of songwriting majesty and compositional might. Sage sentiments are woven into arcane tales of woodland legend, warfare, and loss. I rarely identify so closely with all aspects of an album, but Wanderer has been a constant companion, filled with irresistible riffs, rhythm, and vocals. Strive, struggle, mourn, but emerge victorious. “If every step is a mountain, enjoy the fucking view, and see the miles you’ve traveled stretching out below you. If nothing is forever, we are roaring stars. All that we endeavor is all of who we are.”

Bölzer - Aura

By Steven Leslie. Bölzer are an obscure black/death band out of Switzerland who have just released their debut EP through the mighty Iron Bonehead Productions. Honestly if you consider yourself a fan of black/death metal you will love pretty much anything Iron Bonehead has released. But getting back to Bölzer, this is an all around excellent EP

By Steven Leslie

Artwork by Alexander L. Brown

Bölzer are an obscure black/death band out of Switzerland who have just released their debut EP through the mighty Iron Bonehead Productions. Honestly if you consider yourself a fan of black/death metal you will love pretty much anything Iron Bonehead has released. But getting back to Bölzer, this is an all around excellent EP that has me anxiously awaiting a debut full length. These three tracks offer up an enthralling listen. Overall this is a death metal record, with the black metal influence seeping in more through the atmosphere of the music and some of the lyrical themes explored.

Musically Bölzer generally avoid the all out brutal onslaught favored by so many of today’s death metal bands, in favor of a more dynamic musical attack. What makes this EP so interesting is the variation between chaotic noise and catchy guitar melodies. There is a constant ebb and flow as the riffs go from distinctly memorable and hummable to atmospheric chaos. The drumming likewise varies from all out blasting into a more rocking groove. The vocals are also quite dynamic, ranging from sinister howls to a more standard death growl you might hear on something from the Ross Bay Cult. In the hands of lesser musicians this could easily turn into disjointed chaos, but Bölzer manage to blend everything in a way that it comes off as perfectly natural. This all combines to create an enthralling and hypnotic listen. Highly recommended for anyone who is a fan of catchy as hell atmospheric death metal.