Soma

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