Search - Boris :: Absolutego

Worship at the Drone Altar

animate ~ | Fayetteville, NC | 08/21/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is an undoubtedly difficult album to enjoy, or even understand. A single 65 minute track (as well as another eight minute one on its Low Frequency version, which I won't discuss here) that covers nearly all of this groups material, but happens to be their debut album.



I'm listening now as I type, and I'm seven minutes into this drone masterpiece. Much of what is heard for nearly ten minutes is the slow strum of a string, dank and depressive and draped with feedback. After this, a chord (if that's what you want to imagine it as) is strummed and carries, and carries and carries and carries on, until it seems to become aware of itself. Sounds are thrown back and forth; the music is awake now. Some minimal percussion is heard a few minutes later, setting another mood. The music is not only awake, but is now questioning itself. At eighteen minutes the protagonist rises and moves on to something more concrete--a concoction of sounds moaning, now under the influence of the listener, symbols cry on and occasionally lash out. We're twenty minutes into it now. Buildings are rising and being knocked down with its weight.



My God, this is truly heavy.



Harmonics chime in! Some communication is going on here, but it's not clear whether they can understand one another. The guitar cries out, the drums are sounding; they're all trying to be heard at once. It is a creation that they're not aware of now--they're all building a chorus of worlds. Twenty five minutes now, and the drums are building. They're calling a drone army forth and an inspiration speech is being given. Screams fly downward and the drums are starting to have shape now; they're coaxing the others into formation. Marching begins--soldiers going forth, and not for belief, but for survival. Thirty minutes now, and things have barely begun.



Thirty three minutes. A tempest is now amid our troops. The music soars now. A steady bass drum is the backbone now, the symbols filling in. There are two guitars conversing now. The lead seems to be rash, uncontrollable and unintelligible. I can't hear much of what is being said anymore--it's chaos forming a creation. The drums are not stable any longer; they're abrasive once again and shouting and the guitar's voice is heard most clear. Things seem to have calmed down for the moment, though the low rumble of a bass line is foreboding. Fourty minutes now and things are droning outward. It's almost spiritual in this moment. The Drone God is looking at his creation and tweaking it a bit, and is getting true feedback.



At forty-two minutes a heartbeat is heard. It's faint and weak, but it's beating and life is flowing from it. The bass is reverberating and synapses are firing off. A long, sharp harmonic comes in--it's an angel. Now things are growing tired. No, the album isn't tiring--not to me, but things are hitting the first stage of sleep. The feedback loops and a void starts to appear. The bass starts to jump like a pulse--forty-nine minutes now--and stabilization is occuring.



Fifty minutes and a lullaby starts. The rhythms are rocking creation back and forth. It's a visceral lullaby, really, and not one that is sung. It goes on hypnotizing, and then rests, nestling on a trophy shelf holding the greatest ambient and drone albums.



It's not something I can recommend to anyone. Hell, even the few Boris fans that I know personally are not keen about this album, but for having no melody it is the heaviest rock in the metal quarry, and something to behold and be held."

Too much is never enough, and over-the-top is just right.

HeavyGuitarSunn | 12/19/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Man, don't buy this album expecting the haunted landscapes of Sunn or Earth. Boris are noise specialists. This is like Metal Machine Music or "Sister Ray," but played much slower, revelling much more in noise, feedback, death metal screams, and atonal drone. I didn't like the album at first, and so I didn't like Boris.



Now...now, I listen to this album over coffee and toast in the morning. Imagine if you dubbed the cacophonous soundtrack from the opening credits of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre over the part where Grandpa takes a few cracks at Sally's head. Yes, that's basically the sound, fury, and all-around discomfort provided by this album.



This album, plus most of Boris's other music, are noisy, ear-lashing affairs. But, my friends, I can pay no higher compliment to any album. By harnessing the screech and power of atmospheric re-entry, Boris wrap you in a warm, pre-embryonic, interstellar blanket. You don't need drugs, kiddies, you don't even need booze or psychedelic horror movies, or drugged-out biker movies. You don't need that stuff, brothers. You need Boris. You need this album, Mabuta No Ura, Feedbacker, Sun Baked Snow Cave, and you need Merzbow, Sunn, and Khanate.



When there arose such a clatter, all was revealed. Absolute. Born to. Go."

Boris First Cd!Essential!

cannibalhippy | happy hap hap | 05/24/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Amazing cd from Boris

How did they sound like Sunn o)))

When even Sunn o))) didnt sound like this yet!

Again Heavy sunn type drone

Absolutly essential!!!!!!"