Bosse-De-Nage - III

I have to say, America has been delivering a lot of really good black metal this year. From the likes of Mutilation Rites, Ash Borer, Krallice, Nachmystium and the list goes on. Bosse-De-Nage can also find themselves on that list with their third album 'III'.

This album breathes some post hardcore air compared to the above mentioned which at least helps distinguish them from the rest. It doesn't come off with a dark atmosphere either. More like a clear ocean on a hot day that is about to be embarked by grey clouds and a furious wind. Just listen to the way 'Perceive Their a Silence' builds up with soft distorted notes and the fluttering drums before the riffs gust forth with fury and those painfully strained vocals scream through the winds.

I enjoy the way the riffs blaze away and like that distant feel they have as if you are witnessing the storm in the distance vastly approaching. The little gripe is that 'The Arborist' and 'Desuetude' maybe go on with it a little too much and the times they calm down end too quick and don't really do anything. Thankfully it gets much more interesting around 'Perceive...' and especially 'Cells' and 'The God Ennui' when calmer melodies and chords become the more prominent element. It then builds suspense because you just know the chaos is going to enter at any given moment. Like as you watch that storm approaching, you are hanging for it to unleash upon you.

The spoken word passages that tend to walk with the calmer moments add to the post feel more and like the way the riffs can emerge into chaos, I listen with anticipation for the moment the vocals become strained with the heavier riffs. It really adds a greater element of pain and despair.

What grabs my attention most is the role the drums play in this. You can't help but put all your focus into them when they are twirling around through the furious riffing. The snare especially gets a good work out. Almost every song showcases the twists and turns in moments that transform into a wave of kicks and it feels and sounds so organic which only makes it sweeter to listen to. It is like the rain briefly spitting from the clouds before it pours. They know when to keep it simple and when to make things interesting.

I miss the old dark, evil and raw atmosphere of older black metal. A lot of todays bands miss the boat by overproducing and sounding way over the top. Bosse-De-Nage might not be what I miss about black metal, but they rather have a bleak, painful and organic side to them which can make them just as intriguing. In the modern day, maybe that is how it should be.

Ikil