North Carolina based Bask has been on my radar since the release of their first album American Hollow back in 2014. Even at this early stage it was clear that the band was doing something a bit different than some of their peers, as while they had some of that familiar stoner rock/metal foundation the incorporation of psychedelic, post rock, and Americana textures transformed their music into something different. With each new release Bask has tweaked and redefined different elements of this cocktail, as some material has gone a bit heavier while others have sprawled out and let the melodies soar. After 2019’s III things were quiet on the release front for awhile, but this year’s The Turning breaks that silence in dramatic fashion. Opting for lusher soundscapes that pull in more of everything progressive, psychedelic, and Americana, The Turning doesn’t fully shy away from the lumbering grooves of the group’s earlier days either. It’s a stunning effort that packs a lot of details without overstretching, giving listeners plenty of immediate hooks as well as nuances to find in the months to come.
Bask hasn’t fully left their stoner rock/metal roots behind, but The Turning is definitely one of those albums that has heavier moments and could still appeal to an audience that usually doesn’t gravitate towards anything metal related. What I mean by that is the songs on this album have plenty of heavy grooves and tonality that will draw in metalheads, but the lush melodies and other genres the band has incorporated is capable of captivating all sorts of tastes. In many ways The Turning comes across like the distillation of everything Bask has been building towards on their last three albums, as early cuts like “In the Heat of the Dying Sun” and “The Traveler” have driving tempos and lean into heavier, crunchier riffs while letting the psychedelic and Americana elements dance over top of them. But “Unwound” and “Long Lost Light” let the opposite side of the spectrum take over, as things slow down a bit and the hazier melodies and progressive build-ups take center stage. “Long Lost Light” in particular is incredible, as it moves forward with a post rock type expansion but lets the Americana tones lead the way, with a huge and dense climax keeping you captivated until the very end. Even though The Turning front-loads its shorter, brisker moments and saves much of the sprawl for the second half, everything flows seamlessly and there weren’t any sections that seemed to stick around for longer than they needed to.
Even with the density of the instrumentation, the vocal textures continue to shine and prove to be just as much of a highlight on The Turning. For the uninitiated, Bask’s approach is somewhere between the gravel and grit of stoner rock and soaring highs of older alternative/hard rock, but there’s also some Heartland twang at points that gives things a different flavor. You do get some slight hints of harsher vocals early on, but it’s worth noting that this is a minor detail and the bulk of the performance favors softer, emotional singing and soaring peaks. But if that’s something you like, Bask delivers and especially when you reach the harmonies on “The Traveler” or the raw emotion of songs like “Unwound” the performances will have listeners hitting the repeat button. The blend of melodic and gritty pitches continues to work to the band’s advantage, and this may be some of their strongest performances to date.
The Turning feels undeniably like a Bask album for anyone that’s followed them any time over the past decade, but each element has been pushed outward and additional styles have been woven into the already unique mixture. It’s one of those releases that has dominated much of my available listening time, as the hooks have stuck with me since that first time and each spin reveals some additional textures. Alongside the Messa album from earlier this year, Bask’s latest is another that straddles the lines between metal and rock in ways that are genuinely special. The Turning is available from Season of Mist.
-Review by Chris Dahlberg