Album Review: Bog Body - Cryonic Crevasse Cult
Reviewed by Sam Jones
This was an album, following the moment I laid eyes on it, I instantly wanted to check out. The artwork drew me in so quickly its utterly ridiculous, everything about the cover to this record oozed atmosphere. Time had been taken on the artwork so naturally you hope the same can be said for the songwriting inside as well. Formed in 2016 out of New York, United States, Bog Body have had a gradual beginning; their first Demo wouldn’t be released for another two years and even then, it wouldn’t be 2020, until their first Split released with Primitive Warfare no less. But these have only been warmups for the main event: their May 2022 debut full length album release with the perhaps the coolest title yet dropped this year: Cryonic Crevasse Cult. The gravitas this record possessed was immense and when I saw the opportunity, I practically leapt at it. Considerably awaited, it’s a joy to be able to give this a review. Let’s dive into Cryonic Crevasse Cult.
It’s been years since I’ve come across an album such as this. Like Thecodontion, the Italian Death Metal act whose record, Supercontinent, flipped the dynamic of guitar and bass on its head, Bog Body also utilise the same approach to songwriting: remove the lead guitar altogether and have the bass guitar be the driving force of the band. Two years on and this is the first album I’ve seen following in Supercontinent’s footsteps. But in this case the bass is muddy, it’s thick but it’s basslines aren’t fully defined for us to follow along. It creates a much filthier and chaotic soundscape to delve into, all the more so seeing how they’ve practically tuned the bass all the way down to Z. The actual soundscape of the album isn’t completely dominating but you feel that first wave of bass that revs the record into life. Owing to how thick the basslines are, the band aren’t looking to play too quickly for us which makes sense for their death/doom/sludge style of songwriting. It’s heavy and it knows it.
What’s interesting is this is not a long album. At just under 35 minutes, this record doesn’t overstay it’s welcome at all. It comes in to play and perform and then it’s over. Should people enjoy it, it’ll make for an easy repeat listen. Should the listener not be too keen on Bog Body’s dynamic then it’s at least not for long but, I do think they’ve made the right call to keep their tracks to a relatively bitesize portion. This is not a traditional dynamic by any stretch so if tracks were much longer then it may wear us down because the band are purposefully lacking a crucial element we naturally expect from an extreme metal band. By keeping tracks limited in their runtime, and a continuous track progression that gives us something new and different each time, it ensures the audience won’t grow bored of the band’s unconventional approach. We’re able to thoroughly appreciate Bog Body’s songwriting as a legitimate effort as opposed to some unorthodox gimmick.
Where the drumming is concerned, it feels to be on the same wavelength as the basslines. In this respect, the drums are as punching as the bass is to the point whereby the drums definitely inject a little additional force into what the basslines are conveying. The drums themselves come off as taut, well-positioned elements of the band’s sound that harbour just the right amount of compacted resonance without going too far out of the range the basslines are playing with. Had the drums been mixed in with an off-kilter sound, or at least a bass sound that didn’t line up with the main bass work herein, it would have resulted in a weirdly misshapen sounding opus. The band have struck an uncanny synergy here where one element manages to reinforce the other without being too domineering. It’s also nice to acknowledge the drum’s clarity of sound even amidst a prominent bass tone that needs to be made just so, due to the nature of the band’s dynamic.
While much of the band’s performance here is geared towards a steady pace, there are moments where the band strip as much back as they can sometimes leaving just the drums alone to a slowed and methodical beat. When such examples take place, you can feel the real power of this album come into play as Bog Body really hone in on this apathetic, nihilistic turn of their sound. At its darkest points, Cryonic Crevasse Cult really expounds these Born Just To Die ideals where the only fate is the grave. That’s where the malicious nature of this record stems from, not from observing Satan or anything traditionally harrowing, but by staring into the destined destiny of all life. These quieter and more subtle periods are few in the record as you’ll learn what the bulk of the band’s songwriting will consist of, but it’s extremely effective when we do get those moments.
In conclusion, I feel like one or two people will listen to this record and think: Is That It? Many won’t be used to the complete absence of the electric guitar, but Bog Body have been able to render and tweak their songwriting in such a way that it isn’t noticeable that such a guitar would be missing in the first place. Even with the limited elements they’ve deliberately given themselves the band manage to craft a record that doesn’t go on for that long yet, is still worth enough of your time for a full listen and hopefully more in the future. I think repeated listens are going to be the advantage Bog Body are looking to ascribe to, I believe there will be things people will miss in their first listen that they may not pick up on until further down the line, which is great. This guarantees future excitement and engagement with Bog Body, for it means there’s more to them than just the one encounter. Overall, thanks to my exposure to this dynamic through Thecodontion, I took to this record pretty easily so it wasn’t something completely new to me. With that said however I enjoyed how the band took their bass-prominent style to darker hovels than I’ve heard previously, and I’d definitely be curious to see what Bog Body do next because I am all for this style of songwriting; it’s completely left-field and unique and not many bands are bold enough to attempt it. Bog Body, however, are one such force.
