Bolzer - Aura

BOLZER - Aura (IRON BONEHEAD - EP 2012)

Sometimes it’s good to listen to what the crowd has to say. At least in this case it paid off. Everywhere I looked I could only read how awesome is this new Swiss band called Bölzer, how unconventional take on death metal they offer and simply that their EP “Aura” is a fuckin shredder and best debut in years. Yeahhh… I was not so eager to check it at first, but this name was just coming back all the time, so finally I surrendered, checked couple of songs and the same day I ordered the vinyl. Yes, I also became addicted to Bölzer, all these opinions were absolutely right – this band IS one of a kind and their music sounds exceptional. And believe me, once I putted this vinyl on the player, it did not leave it for couple of weeks, so good it turned out to be. Yeah, absolutely magnificent job, so thanks to Iron Bonehead for unveiling this band into our world and spreading this pestilence!

Now, what’s so special about Bölzer? Well, I guess everyone should just listen to their music themselves to discover it, to find out how infectious and possessing these sounds are. Obviously I am sort of a reviewer, so I must try to recommend some good music to those, who never had a chance to hear it – or the opposite; to tell you if something’s shit… if my opinion would matter at all. As mentioned, my opinion on “Aura” is only super positive. This EP do not let you walk away easily and drags attention like the light drags moths! And the main secret, in my opinion, about Bölzer are the totally amazing riffs, which the band plays and which I think sound quite original – as I just can’t put one or two bands, which would play something similar! These riffs along with possessed, howling voices create an atmosphere of mysticism, epic and monumental (as majestic as the fuckin Ancient Rome!!!), but also dark and haunting. And you can probably call it a mixture of black and death metal, some reviewers throw into the description also sludge, even post metal (!), but I suppose the influence of both first mentioned styles had a strongest impact on Bölzer… But it is still not enough to call it just that, I repeat: you must listen to this music carefully to truly discover its essence and supreme feeling. It’s not something what has been explored countless times before, I think that this truly is one of the most original sounding bands of the recent years. Sure, there are around bands like Mitochondrion, Necros Christos, Grave Miasma and so on and on, which may have some similar patterns used here and there, but Bölzer is not alike any of them.

Two songs on side A are simply perfect and leave me speechless… every time I listen to “C.M.E.” and “Entranced by the Wolfshook” I am feeling like in trance, hypnotized by the excellent powerful riffs and howls of KzR. They’re mixing fast and vicious riffs with some doomy parts, but it always sounda just exceptionally good. And so damn dark! And “The Great Unifier” on side B is walking similar path to such Triptykon and is just eerie, doomy, sinister, ominous… It is a 10 minutes long anthem, but there’s so much variety in it, so many different things are going on in this song… in each of them, actually, so in the end I can’t even choose my fave track, all are just superb. And it is getting even better with every listen. This is certainly the best thing, which Switzerland has spawned since the 80’s and early 90’s, so the most glorious days of Celtic Frost and Samael. And it shall echo in eternity!

Standout tracks: ALL

Final rate: 95/100