Bosse-de-Nage is an enigmatic four piece from the Bay Area. Their first two albums were by-the-book black metal with an emphasis on expressing the qualities embodied in the second-wave.
And then...something strange happened.
The band's sound opened up considerably on III, released on Profound Lore back in 2012. Specifically, the drummer was given free reign to utterly destroy his kit on practically every track.
That sense of freedom is utterly palpable. It improved the music tremendously.
After a break to rest and come up with new ideas (one would assume, at least), Bosse-de-Nage has returned with All Fours. Unlike most other bands, they continue to evolve and improve.
All Fours continues the band's penchant of mixing black metal and hardcore, which usually presents itself as tremolo riffs underpinned by drumming that utilizes the entire kit and has a ton of energy to drive the songs forward. The presentation is often relentless and can be overwhelming.
But the band is not without subtlety. "Washerwoman" is an example of how they can work in a slow build, only to release the tension in convulsive bursts.
It doesn't hurt that the lyrics written for the album are by turns funny and overtly sexual. The aforementioned track describes a woman breaking and entering (via a window, no less) a building where a party or gathering of some sort is taking place; the woman will not rest until she's "washed every penis in this room". Sounds like a joke? No, that's the actual line.
They are intelligently written and have a certain flair if you can overlook a certain amount of crass honesty.
Overall, a very good record that I expect will be among the best of 2015.
And then...something strange happened.
The band's sound opened up considerably on III, released on Profound Lore back in 2012. Specifically, the drummer was given free reign to utterly destroy his kit on practically every track.
That sense of freedom is utterly palpable. It improved the music tremendously.
After a break to rest and come up with new ideas (one would assume, at least), Bosse-de-Nage has returned with All Fours. Unlike most other bands, they continue to evolve and improve.
All Fours continues the band's penchant of mixing black metal and hardcore, which usually presents itself as tremolo riffs underpinned by drumming that utilizes the entire kit and has a ton of energy to drive the songs forward. The presentation is often relentless and can be overwhelming.
But the band is not without subtlety. "Washerwoman" is an example of how they can work in a slow build, only to release the tension in convulsive bursts.
It doesn't hurt that the lyrics written for the album are by turns funny and overtly sexual. The aforementioned track describes a woman breaking and entering (via a window, no less) a building where a party or gathering of some sort is taking place; the woman will not rest until she's "washed every penis in this room". Sounds like a joke? No, that's the actual line.
They are intelligently written and have a certain flair if you can overlook a certain amount of crass honesty.
Overall, a very good record that I expect will be among the best of 2015.
