Boris - Noise

Boris
Noise
17 June 2014
Tearbridge

3.5 stars out of 5

 

Ask any North American music nerd to name a few Japanese bands and Boris will be among the first two or three listed. In their native Japan, however, no one knows who the fuck these dudes (and dudette) are. Noise is their nineteenth studio LP, and in the interest of appealing to the great gods of the Internet, it’s got a cat on the cover. Though traditionally pigeonholed as a hardcore act that morphed into a sludge metal band, Boris’s newer material is rather more elusive in its classifiability. Space rock? Probably, but what’s up with the odd New Wave pop of “Taiyo no Baka”?

The album opens with “Melody,” a very ‘90s slab of alt-metal-grunge that is almost impossible to not air drum to. Guitarist Wata takes over vocal duties on the slower (but much louder and sludge-laden) “Heavy Rain,” and then… Seriously, what’s up with the odd New Wave pop of “Taiyo no Baka”? This is my question to you, the reader. Please alleviate my puzzlement, I implore you. Next up is the 18-minute “Angel,” which doesn’t entirely erase the question of the puzzling previous song, but is still an enjoyable piece of prog-metal excess that would likely go down great with a couple of beers, a laser show, and a fog machine. The ‘80s thrash of “Quicksilver” is potent enough to cause serious injury if you attempt to use it as the soundtrack to your next lovemaking session.

Though not quite as awesome as Pink or Akuma no Uta, the cat-embossed Noise is still a good time to be had. While it’s possible that I’ll never get what’s up with the odd New Wave pop of “Taiyo no Baka,” I will air drum (with occasional flourishes of air guitar) to the album’s other seven tracks to my heart’s content regardless.

reviewed by Richard Krueger