The Pitch: French progressive death metal band Barús finally follow up their excellent 2015 EP with a debut full length via Memento Mori. FFO: Gorguts, Meshuggah, Ulcerate
What I Like: This is a case of the album art PERFECTLY complimenting and expressing the same concepts as the music. Drowned is nothing if not a journey down mysterious passageways, chasing formless phantoms through thick fog; only catching occasional glimpses out of the corner of your eye. Barús combine the djenty death metal of old school Meshuggah with the atmosphere of a more laid back Ulcerate to join the worlds of death, doom, prog, and post-metal. It's an expansive recording, both in length and scope. It's easy to get lost in this nearly hour-long labyrinth, not unlike some twisted cross-breeding of Gorguts and Emptiness...with maybe a touch of Portal for good measure.
Critiques: The doom and post-metal elements have definitely taken over on this release. It's probably more of a preferential complaint than an objective one, but personally I prefer the bands's groovy, proggy side to the more meandering, explorative one. I'm interested to hear input from listeners in the opposing camp.
The Verdict: While this longer play didn't grip me as consistently as the prior EP, Barús have crafted an impressive take on many genres with Drowned, and I forsee others with slightly different tastes absultutely loving it. Give it a listen and drop us a line on social media with your own opinions.
Flight's Fav's: Descry, Engorge, Vitiate
- Review by FlightOfIcarus
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