Soma

Bolzer began their discography with the "Roman Acupuncture" demo in 2012 and, just one year later they released "Aura", an EP that received positive feedback and gathered the attention of both critics and fans. Their second EP Soma was released in late summer of 2014. In Soma, the band continues with their black/death metal style without changing their strategy. The two new tracks run for about 18 minutes and consist of a handful of riffs, composed by the band's guitarist and vocalist, KzR.

"Steppes" is the opening track of Soma. The riffs here are more groovy and slow than anything the band has done in the past but as the song progresses the music becomes heavier and faster. "Steppes" ends with a glimpse of the intro, giving way to the second song of the Soma EP.

"Labyrinthian Graves" fades in with an evil sounding riff. The music is much more morbid than in "Steppes", HzR does an amazing job on the drums, the guitars don't stay on the same riff for too long and KzR's vocals are just as they should be; not too shrieked but not growling either. The song ends with an ambient part that is repeated quite a few times before closing the EP in a great way.

The production is one of Soma's strongest points. It is almost impossible to believe that two people can sound like that. They don't even need a bass, since the (downtuned) guitar sounds heavy and crushing and combined with HzR's drumming, the two instruments create something extraordinary. The vocals are not only comprised of screaming and shouting. There is also some spoken word in here which adds to the EP's already dark atmosphere.

The lyrics revolve around subjects such as war and death, subjects that really fit the music. They are also perfectly delivered by KzR's voice even if at some points they are overshadowed by the loudness of the other instruments. I especially enjoyed reading the words for "Steppes" which talk about a man dying in a battlefield (if I got that right).

Soma is a total win for Bolzer. They changed their sound as much as they needed to, in order to sound even more crushing than before. The execution is excellent and you will not feel disappointed from the result. The cover art by Alexander Brown is amazing as well and it successfully depicts the themes of the EP. Bolzer will release their debut full-length album next year. If they manage to surpass this, then we will be talking about one of the best modern black/death metal bands. Until then, we have one demo and two amazing EPs to satisfy our hunger for new material.

Favorite tracks: "Steppes"

88/100.

42 minutes. This is the number of minutes that Swiss brutes Bölzer have concocted over their mere 2 EP back catalogue in 2 years. Once, they where one of the most anticipated bands in the underground scene; and now they ARE the most exciting ones to come around in an age. Some bands have released numerous albums and still find themselves playing in venues no bigger than a crypt half full of diehard followers. What these bands lack is the same ingredient that Bölzer consume: Individuality.

After the devastating debut EP Aura was unleashed in 2013, many expected a full length album to flank this beast. Within Aura was the rich sound of guttural growls and stampede of guitars that illustrated the extremity and talent that the duo where capable of producing. The title itself was a definition of their original creative sound. With his 10 string guitar, ‘KzR’ was able to amplify soundscapes of rabid rage behind his memorable riffs to create such evil imagery that was heavy enough to drag you down to the depths of hell. In hindsight, Soma is best suited to another EP format in the same was Aura is. The distinct sound is best put across through the limited length of an EP rather than have other, possibly less compelling, tracks stand alongside these satanic anthems.

Soma instantaneously introduces itself as a Bölzer record. Steppes takes off to a gravelly path of spiking guitar and steadily crashing drum beats. The tragic imagery is present within seconds of the first of two new songs whereby KzR’s guitars trail are stricken to a singular riff, then rise once more to merge the cacophonous sound of drum and guitar together. Paganised spoken word passages and brooding chants are new aspects that Bölzer establish, each aspect adds to the already nihilistic tone to generate a sensation of cataclysm. Their individuality is enhanced by the dynamic changes in their extreme music. The jittering drumwork of ‘HzR’ crashes between pounding double bass and slower, more impending fills while the guitars, frantic as they already are sound just as grinding played `slowly as they do in their natural accelerated state.

Labyrinthian Graves is, expectedly, a 12 minute behemoth. What’s not as expected is how urgently climatic the beginning of the song can sound. In any other extreme metal song, this intro could sound like its climax. For Bölzer, this is a meagre charge of energy about to be unchained. HzR’s insane drumming signals the sudden increasing tempo and KzR goes from brooding growling to frantic cries. Within the disharmonious atmosphere lies the important groove that the duo masters. This highlights the depth of musical dynamism that Bölzer devour- the sudden change in direction creates a buzz of unassuming mystique and shadiness that equal the demonic lyrics of death and the occult.

In 18 minutes the Swiss partnership has bludgeoned their way to deserved acclaim. Soma is similar to no other album other than its predecessor and no, it doesn't matter whether they will release a full length album as any fan of Bölzer will be gnawing just for another 2 track EP... but if they do... Expect it to be of earth cracking heaviness.

One of the death metal sensations of past two years, Bölzer, came back in August 2014 with their newest release. Those, who had hopes for a full length release shall be disappointed, as “Soma” is another EP in the discography of the Swiss band… but who really cares what material it is, when the music is again so damn mesmerizing, so crushing and infectious? I surely don’t. I am just happy that I managed to get the vinyl so quickly this time and didn’t have to wait for the third pressing, as I did with “Aura” – what was actually my fault, as in the beginning I completely ignored Bölzer, but finally decided to check what is all the fuzz about and is this new band really so damn good like everyone says? My impressions on “Aura” you’ll find in another review, here it’s time for “Soma”!

The formula for “Soma” is pretty much the same as for “Aura” and in every aspect this new EP is a rightful continuation of the predecessor. It follows it in every aspect; starting with the characteristic artwork, then going through the production and finishing with the music, which keeps all these characteristic ingredients, all these details, which made “Aura” sounding so spectacular. Yes, Bölzer did come up with something quite new, refreshing and unique in the style of extreme metal, where they blended the death and black metal with very epic, monumental feeling and that heathen and ritualistic atmosphere which adds a special flavour to the whole. Bölzer is often compared to bands like Necros Christos, Mitochondrion, Malthusian and Grave Miasma… but at the same time they are just different than all of them. Great creativity, awesome ideas and performance and that incredible feeling which this duo has, when they hypnotize with their riffs… this is something extraordinary.

This is very atmospheric music. It is aggressive as well, sure, but mainly I think it is about creating this special feeling. You can play “Aura” and then “Soma” one after another and have sort of continuity (I personally can’t even decide which of these two EPs I like more!). “Soma” contains only two songs and the first one “Steppes” is very much like the songs from side A of “Aura”. What I don’t like about this song is that it ends so quickly, so abruptly hehe! But the next one “Labyrinthian Graves” will make it up for all, as it is a twelve minute long monolith, a great and massive, powerful motherfucker, epic and thunderous, monumental and heathen. In both songs I just love the riffs or KzR’s savage vocals, which are more croaky than on “Aura”… All in all, “Soma” is truly an impressive recording and damn, Bölzer wins again. Time for a full length album now. “Bow shall I not!”

Final rate: 90/100

Bölzer has in recent years produced one of the most refreshing takes on extreme metal, blending bludgeoning death metal with the atmospheric sensibilities of black metal, birthing one of the most unique aesthetics to hit a largely derivative extreme metal landscape in a while. 2013 saw the Swiss duo produce a truly fantastic EP of titanic proportions with merely three songs. Stylistic innovation and creative song-writing without the direct usage of eclectic ploys à la keyboards, synths, electronic samples, etc., is certainly something that is commendable, and Bölzer does precisely that. Essentially, the band takes the blackened death metal riff phrasings that similar contemporary bands such as Necros Christos, Antediluvian and Mitochondrion utilize a step forward. However, the syncopative riff phrasings written by KzR results in an aesthetic that is uniquely sonorous and in tonal value rather unique to Bölzer.

Certainly, Bölzer are masters at achieving a rounded sense of artistic pursuit, as their fine balance of musical individualism and primordial imagery attest. ‘Steppes’ showcases gradual rather than immediate development in terms of riffs – percussive tremolo picking, sustained by controlled tempo builds onto melodic nuances and minor shifts in structure, which is otherwise rather stable. ‘Labyrinthian Graves’ on the other hand is more rhythmically intense, with muscular riffing being alleviated by frequent phrases of quickly picked melodies. This song in particular showcases a rich offertory of tonal textures, some extending riff motifs within a song while others bring compositional relief via cleaner tones (such as the outro to the song in question), or rhythmic cadence to a given segment, although the song is certainly not ever-evolving by any means and eventually does employ recursion.

Accompanied by the thunderous howls of vocalist/guitarist KzR and the meticulous tempo regulation and kinetic finesse of HzR, ‘Soma’ showcases a band in a nascent stage of sorts as far as its sound and compositional sensibilities are concerned, in an experimental yet confident manner. ‘Soma’, while not as confounding as its predecessor, still presents the aforesaid riff ideas of the band in a manner that doesn’t take one by as much surprise, as opposed to serving as a rostrum for the compositional evolution of the band. In that sense, it is less appealing upon immediate inspection, as the songs seek to pursue different riff motifs and pace that are as atmospheric and resonant as they are explosive, painting abstractions that evoke the thematic explorations at play – invoking the Goddess Luna, warfare and the deference of the physical being. However, while this EP is not an avenue for immediate appeasement, it is a grower, putting it simply and is a testament to the versatility and on-going creative development of the band, in addition to being a teaser of sorts for greater things to come.

Last year the Swiss duo Bölzer took the metal underground by storm with the ferocious and staggeringly unique EP Aura. With a sound akin to an army of fallen angels descending upon an unsuspecting earth, frontman KzR and drummer HzR had a rampaging beast on their hands. Concluding a duality of sorts, the hotly anticipated Soma allegedly represents the female aspect of the universe, whereas Aura took on the form of the male.

Deeply entrenched in KzR’s interest in shamanism and mysticism, the dichotomy of Aura and Soma is not simply a matter of darkness and light. The power of Soma, a holy plant in Vedic culture, was said to come from the gods themselves. While this context might be important for the complete aesthetic of Bölzer, we are of course first and foremost here for the music. Soma continues to build upon the cavernous riffs and hooks of its precursor, and in that sense it is a continuing journey through the obscure corners of the universe.

From the first notes of “Steppes” it’s obvious that Aura wasn’t just a happy accident. Bölzer bring back the eerie blackened death metal riffs, with the same sense of cosmic splendor and urgency that made the previous EP such a masterpiece. KzR’s untamed howling is somewhat restrained here, while passages of clean vocals add another transcendental layer. In the background the drums are fervently preparing for war, never breaking their blistering momentum. Although black/death metal is currently in the wind, Bölzer continues buckling the trend by crafting increasingly intricate and unusual melodies, and simply by doing it better than anybody else.

The EP is completed by the gigantic 12-minute epic “Labyrinthian Graves”. A zealous ascent to magnificence, the track is a more deliberate affair than the opener. Like purposely rolling thunder, its length allows the song to unfold masterfully, peaking over and over before fading into a low-key ambient ending. Comparable to being hurled through a vortex of madness, the multilayered vocals and complex songwriting entwine with monumental force. Bölzer are violently lashing out with one fist while solidifying their ironhanded supremacy with the other.

Compared to its counterpart, Soma isn’t as immediately engaging, lacking the phenomenal intensity of an “Entranced By The Wolfshook”. That being said, taking a more measured and deliberate approach suits Bölzer well. The colossal weight and density of “Labyrinthian Graves” exhibits a different facet of the fearsome duo, but still feels like a natural extension of Aura. Now bring on the full-length!


Written for The Metal Observer

There is no band in the metal underground of today generating a buzz quite like Bölzer. Last year’s EP ”Aura”, a release I gave no less than 10/10 to, has earned the Swiss duo such accolades and now we have it’s successor EP “Soma” to cast impatient ears over until the day a debut full length emerges. At 2 songs and 18 minutes it is one track and 5 minutes shorter than “Aura” but possessive of the same cosmic spirit, welded around expertly crafted riffs and another hammering percussion performance which make at once make Bölzer so satisfyingly unique and replete with an aural devastation a cut above most others.

Six-minute opener “Steppes” encapsulates how mainman and sole guitarist KzR makes full usage of his guitar’s neck as he divebombs between your more expected decadent and cavernous tones for death/black metal straight into tight, tremolo-laced infusions of spatial power in the creation of those eerie, crushing riffs I so eulogised about in “Aura”. Their mysterious ways means that when the songs slows around the 1:35 mark the sense of palpitation is extreme as, with drummer HzR, the build-up into the subsequent chorus of descending riffs is as fine a demonstration you will hear of dramatic classical music’s influence on extreme metal. This is tempered with spoken vocals, as a diversionary tactic from the more prevalent verbose growls before launching once again into a staccato hammering later on. “Labyrinthian Graves” at over twice the length doesn’t pack twice the punch though as it slowly drifts in on a wave of feedback before it’s key structure feels less memorable than all four previous tracks I’ve covered of the duo. That is not to say it is in any way bad but my personal highlight comes through some of the structural poundings delivered later by HzR who intertwines with the guitar intelligently in successfully varying his tempos and rhythms until the track falls into an atmospheric trance around the 9:30 mark, not unlike the recent Wolves in the Throne Room record, to drift into temporal nothingness.

To expect a follow-up on the scale of “Aura” was a very high hope but having quickly found a sound of their own Bölzer have justifiably focussed on furthering that expression with a greater layering of structures and less immediacy to their riffing. The resultant EP is another teaser of what lies ahead from this noteworthy duo but for now I’m thinking the recognition of “Aura” and now “Soma” in a scene swamped with demos and EPs is justification enough for why even at this early stage the works of Bölzer are fully worthy of your attention.

Originally written for www.Rockfreaks.net

There must be quite some pressure on this Swiss duo, having raised many expectations with their previous 2013 Aura, which garnered loads of positive feedback (I am no exception) and even got them flown in for a Maryland Deathfest here in the States. With all that on their shoulders, you might expect them to buckle and break, the 'sophomore curse' take effect, not that it generally applies to the short form EP releases they seem compelled towards, but in lieu of something more substantial, it counts. Well, Soma is not as good as Aura. I'll say that up front, but with the caveat that I found the two tunes here a little uneven in their quality, with one matching the last batch of material and the other coming up slightly short.

Bölzer continues to mete out an atmospheric hybrid of black and death metal in equal proportions, the former coming through heavily in the vocals and a few of the faster riff progressions, which are often redolent of Immortal on the song "Steppes" to the point that tonally and structurally the pacing and plot of that particular cut wouldn't have seemed out of place on Sons of Northern Darkness. Now the death metal element is cut from the same cloth, some of the tremolo picked guitars definitely feel more like a morbid throwback the earlier era of that genre, and there are also numerous gutturals to support the KzR's standard rasp, but the distribution might marginally lean towards the black when you factor in the lack of much bottom end/bass to the recording (they perform as a two-piece), the lyrical themes and artwork. Either way, it's how they approach this union which makes it seem more unique and effective than most of their peers who engage in this same crossover space. The actual techniques have been stripped back to the genre's origins, but they don't approach songwriting with that same over-the-top blasting, furious war metal mentality I generally associate with black/death.

That said, I haven't really been able to get into "Steppes". I appreciate that the palm mute to tremolo Immortal-meets-Bolt Thrower riff phrases do give it that feel of a great bloodstarved host marching across that selfsame terrain, but it often too dry to stick to my ears, whereas the bulkier "Labyrinthine Graves" (almost 13 minutes long) brings in a lot more of the atmospherics and range that I loved on Aura. Pensive, thundering drums built off fills continue into a compelling, simple tremolo guitar line with an unusual depth, and they layer in a lot more of the grotesque layered growling/rasping vocals, including some good ol' Tom G. Warrior/Nocturno Culto grunts which function as a callback to that legendary countryman, and really elevate the song when accompanied by the lower chants around the 5:30 mark in the tune. Also the ambient finale to this second tune is stunning, cavernous but soothing tones resonating off the roof of some faint picking; it really tied the experience together and gave me a stronger emotional feedback than I would have expected to that point.

Stylistically, the two tunes are connected well enough, so the riffs from the first do flow naturally into the second. I simply felt as if something in the Bölzer formula was absent in the first that was then reinstated with "...Graves", and so my praise for this EP is heavier in the back, where Aura was really damn consistent throughout. This is good stuff, and I've listened to it a half dozen times, but mostly for those closing components. A larger issue with this group is that I feel like their style of writing might better lend itself to a full-length experience, 40 or 50 minutes in which the band can really thread their penchant for gradual development into some truly brilliant escapism. Here, once the goings really start to get good, it's over unless you loop back into one of the two tracks. Soma is ultimately a marginal disappointment if you go in listening for another revelation, but not the sort to give me pause as to their greater potential. Just an open/shut case of me not digging one track as much as the rest I've heard. Otherwise, it did transport me to that same nocturnal plain that they did last year.

-autothrall
http://www.fromthedustreturned.com