EP Review: Ba'al - Soft Eyes
Reviewed by Rob Barker
Sheffield Blackened Post-Metal chaps Ba’al are back after a four year silence with their new EP Soft Eyes. Mixed by Joe Clayton at No Studio, and mastered by Brad Boatright, this just-shy-of 30 minutes release is heavy, aching and beautiful all in one.
Kicking off with Ornamental Doll, the low-mixed, distant vocals reminisce of Devil Sold His Soul’s Darkness Prevails EP, and whilst a bit tough to hear on my audio-beaten ear drums, sit satisfyingly where they just hit right, conspicuous by their somewhat absence in between the layer upon layer of instrumental heaviness. There is a rawness to the beauty and sadness that this track (and the remaining tracks, for that matter) puts forward, complimented by some pretty sweet guitar licks and harmonised riffs by guitarists Nick Gosling and Chris Mole, that pay homage to Cathedral. Ornamental Doll finishes off with some grating harsh noise that, whilst lasts a good minute or two, doesn’t outstay its welcome, and adds more to the dystopian hellscape that this EP themes so well.
Yearn to Burn Bright follows up with a sick intro drum beat that reminds that Ba’al aren’t just going through the motions of a simple cookie-cutter of a release. In fact, Yearn shows off the bands musicianship and abilities quite well, coupled with some poison vocals to keep things foul-sounding. The track takes less twists and turns than the previous, however doesn’t descend into a plodding bore, as the band are wise enough to change things up and keep them interesting and engaging.
Bamber Bridge finishes off the release, and is definitely the more “post” side of the blackened post-metal genre. The first couple of minutes are an almost ethereal chord progression and melody, still keeping a growling undertone just to remind the listener not to get too comfortable in the almost-sweetness of this section. Around the 3:30 mark, vocalist Joe Stamps enters screeching in over the instrumental beauty, bringing back the nastiness. Again, just as the track begins to risk overstaying its welcome, it progresses and changes again to some almost prog-metal-esque chugging and an ending that summons the inadvertent lip-purse/head-nod combo – the standard signifier of a beast of a track.
This album shows off growling bass, nasty-and-nice guitar combos complimenting each other well, and drums that sound as though they’re being played at the top of a mountain in a war-storm. My ADHD brain expects a lot from music in terms of it remaining interesting all the time – whilst Soft Eyes is thematically fairly similar throughout, there is enough going on to keep my attention and enjoyment from start to finish. It needs to be played loud – not one for shitty laptop speakers or an office full of people. Turn on, turn UP, and let Ba’al envelop you in their suffocating, beautiful despair.
